RIBA Announces Landmark 2026 Exhibition and Public Programme

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced its 2026 exhibitions and public programme in late February, describing the year as a landmark one that celebrates two major milestones: 60 years of the RIBA Awards programme and 30 years of the Stirling Prize, the UK's most prestigious architecture award, named in honour of James Stirling and established in 1996.

Headline exhibitions include a major James Stirling retrospective, to be held at RIBA North in Liverpool from October 2026. Using photographs and drawings from the RIBA Collections and the Stirling archives at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, the exhibition will trace how Stirling became one of Britain's foremost twentieth-century architects. A separate Stirling Prize display will open in November 2026, showcasing the year's shortlisted and winning projects through film and interviews.

Other programme highlights include "Roaming Britain: Gypsy and Traveller Homes"; a "Royal Gold Medal" installation celebrating 2026 medal recipient Níall McLaughlin; and the RIBA's acclaimed Wide-Angle View photography exhibition, which will tour to Porto before returning to Liverpool.

The 2026 talks programme, delivered in partnership with VitrA Bathrooms under the theme "Excellence in Design", opens with a conversation on leadership and gender representation in architecture featuring Sadie Morgan and Melkan Gürsel.