A dementia care home designed by Pentan Architects has been named the 2026 Building of the Year by the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW).
The Cardiff-based practice received the RSAW’s highest accolade for Severn View Park, a development comprising four interconnected single-storey residential buildings arranged around landscaped gardens and a central village hall for dementia patients.
Judges described the Monmouthshire County Council project as a ‘generous new building which is imbued with empathy for its 32 residents and the staff who support them’ and a ‘wonderful antidote to more institutionalised environments’, that encapsulates ‘architecture at the service of society’s needs’. The scheme also helped secure the title of Wales’s Client of the Year for the local authority.
Pentan Architects was one of the standout winners at this year’s RSAW awards, receiving two of the five honours presented. The awards are the Welsh equivalent of regional RIBA awards.
Its second winning project was the Iorwerth Jones Housing development, which provides 20 social homes.
Robert Chambers of Chester-based Chambers Conservation was named Project Architect of the Year for the practice’s work on the East Wing at St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in Denbighshire, a transformation of the Grade II*-listed retreat and spirituality centre.
The remaining award winners were Pantybara, a traditional farmstead converted into a rural family home by Carmarthen-based Rural Office, and Porthmadog House, a private residence designed by Strom Architects.
Of the six projects shortlisted, Alma House by Benham Architects was the only scheme not to receive a regional award (see Homes dominate shortlist for RSAW Welsh Architecture Awards 2026).
No sustainability or conservation awards were presented this year.
RSAW jury chair Martin Hall, director at Hall+ Bednarczyk, said: ‘The winning projects highlight the versatility of architects and demonstrate the powerful effect of great design on enhancing people’s lives.
‘While the buildings vary widely in terms of their purpose, location and budget, all of this year’s schemes exemplify a powerful combination of creative imagination and astute judgement. Put simply, these architects have seized the opportunity to conceive and deliver great buildings, often in the face of challenging circumstances, and Wales is unquestionably the better for that vision and tenacity.’
RIBA president Chris Williamson said: ‘This is a landmark year for the RIBA as we mark 60 years of our Awards and the impact of past winners on society. Over six decades, the Awards have charted a cultural journey across the UK, reflecting how architecture has responded to changing needs in education, industry, work and home life.
‘Today, as in 1966, we celebrate architecture that sets new standards for how we live and shape our communities and reminds us just how important it is to keep raising the bar.’
The comments come as RIBA celebrates the 60th anniversary of its awards programme. Recent regional winners and shortlisted projects have already been announced across Northern Ireland, the East Midlands, the South and London.
All regional award-winning schemes will now be considered for a series of RIBA Special Awards before progressing to the next stage of judging for the prestigious RIBA National Awards, which are due to be announced later this summer.
Projects that secure a RIBA National Award will then be eligible for selection for the shortlist of the RIBA Stirling Prize, the UK’s most prestigious architecture award, with the shortlist set to be revealed in September.
The winner of the Stirling Prize will be announced in October.
