Looking back at 30 years of AJ Small Projects

From home extensions to workspaces, pavilions to shop fit-outs, restaurants and small houses, AJ Small Projects has always celebrated great architecture on a budget.

Since the award was conceived, it has proved a fantastic showcase for the depth of design talent across the UK and has highlighted the work of often new and smaller practices, many of which have later gone onto greater – or larger – things. Previous winners include Chris Wilkinson, Haworth Tompkins, Mole Architects, Carmody Groarke and Hawkins\Brown.

Tthe AJ Small Projects Award has charted a quarter of a century of Britain’s architects seeking to harness big ideas to small budgets. Past winners have ranged from luxury home renovations, extensions on tiny budgets, arts and cultural studios and spaces, follies and more civic and community-minded market stalls.

The award was launched in 1995 with a garden pavilion by Anthony Grimshaw winning in 1996. Since then, winners have followed trends in architectural form, ideas and materiality, starting with the glazed box of the original winner to later schemes featuring Cor-ten as cladding such as Haworth Tompkins’ 2010 winner The Dovecote Studio or a return to brick as seen in 2018’s winning scheme, Wrong House by Matheson Whiteley Architects.

There has also been an increasing recognition of the value of retrofit projects, adapting and adding to – in more ways than one – existing structures: seen in Martin Edwards architects’ subtle and sensitive winning scheme, House in North Wales, which reworked a beloved home.

Sustainability has been more and more embodied, as seen most recently in 2024’s winner: the Farmer’s Arms Cold Food Store by Hayatsu Architects and Grizedale Arts. This was built on the side of a former pub in the Lake District for a local arts organisation specialising in crafts. Constructed as part of an annual building school at which international participants learned and exchanged craft skills, the structure’s design adapts traditional Japanese storage building typologies with locally sourced materials. It also used traditional Japanese shikkui plaster.

Although the eligible cost for entered completed projects has risen with inflation – this year’s award will celebrate projects with a maximum contract value of £399,000 – the cheapest winning scheme will most likely remain as 2004’s Ola Mae Porch by Lucy Begg and Robie Gay. Completed for just £3,600, the project was a self-built porch for a trailer home in rural Alabama.

The AJ Small Projects award-giving event and exhibition has also been held at many different venues over the years with 2000’s selected schemes shown at the RIBA Architecture Gallery that spring. In 2012, it was held at New London Architecture, then located at the Building Centre, and more recently architecture practices including Apt, Studio Egret West and Morris + Co have kindly hosted it.

AJ Small Projects 2025 is sponsored by Marley. The shortlisted projects will be published in the AJ’s April issue and all projects entered into the awards are featured on the AJ Buildings Library. More information on criteria and how to enter can be found here.

AJ Small Projects: past winners

• 1996 Garden Gazebo by Anthony Grimshaw (£57,500) Read more here
• 1997/1998 Princes Club Ski Tow Pavilion by Chris Wilkinson (£60,000) Read more here
• 1999 Glover Flat by Wilkinson King (£43,000)
• 2000 10 Market Stalls by Hawkins\Brown (£144,000)
• 2001 Holland Park by Boyarsky Murphy Architects (£120,000)
• 2002 London House by Simon Conder Associates (£98,500) Read more here
• 2003 TFL International by Studio BAAD (£217,000)
• 2004 Ola Mae Porch by Lucy Begg and Robie Gay (£3,600)
• 2005 Bell-Simpson House by NORD Architects (£80,000)
• 2006 Three Seton Mains by Paterson Architects (£200,000) Read more here
• 2007 Wallace Road by Paul Archer Design (£250,000)
• 2008 Japanese Tea House by Mole Architects (£7,000) Watch film here
• 2009 Moonshine by Mitchell Taylor Workshop (£150,000) Read more here
• 2010 The Dovecote Studio by Haworth Tompkins (£155,000) Read more here
• 2011 Jellyfish Theatre by Koebberling and Kaltwasser (£17,000) Read more here
• 2012 Old Workshop by Jack Woolley (£232,000) Read more here
• 2013 Box House by Laura Dewe Mathews (£245,000) Read more here 
• 2014 13 Wapping Pierhead by Chris Dyson Architects (£210,000) Read more here
• 2015 Maggie’s Merseyside by Carmody Groarke (£217,000) Read more here
• 2016 Contemporary lean-to by Doma Architects (£101,800), The Welcoming Shelter by Charlie Redman (£22,000), and Avon Wildlife Trust Cabin by Hugh Strange Architects (£32,000) Read more here
• 2017 Croft Lodge Studio by Kate Darby Architects and David Connor Design (£160,000) Read more here
• 2018 Wrong House by Matheson Whiteley Architects (£93,000) Read more here
• 2019 Conservatory Room by David Leech Architects (£49,750) Read more here
• 2020 House in North Wales by Martin Edwards Architects (£120,000) Read more here
• 2021 Common Room by Rashid Ali Architects (£9,500) Read more here
• 2022 Drovers’ Bough by Akin Studio (£70,200) Read more here
• 2023 Adelaide Street by OGU Architects and MMAS (£340,000) Read more here
• 2024 The Farmer’s Arms Cold Food Store by Hayatsu Architects and Grizedale Arts (£35,000) Read more here
• 2025 ?