A row of terraced houses in Barking has received an award from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Fourteen homes built on a strip of land in North Street, which was once considered unsuitable for development, are among 46 projects in London to be named award winners today (August 26).

Barking and Dagenham Post: The terrace has been hailed as a 'gem' by the panel of experts who judge the competition.The terrace has been hailed as a 'gem' by the panel of experts who judge the competition. (Image: Morley von Sternberg)

The single bedroom dwellings were designed by Peter Barber Architects to tempt down-sizers from larger council homes.

A panel of experts selected North Street from among 77 shortlisted schemes across London.

In their report, North Street is praised for its "playful" use of outsized brick arches and variety of windows, showing social housing "need not compromise on good design".

"The light and airy internal rooms are generous and full of delight for the occupants, as are the barrel-vaulted bedroom ceilings, which also reduce the impact of the roofline on neighbouring properties," it adds.

The jury concludes: "This neat island of houses stands out as a gem among its neighbours."

Barking and Dagenham Council and its regeneration arm Be First commissioned the build, which was completed in March 2019.

Alfonso Padro, who chairs the regional jury, said: "The shortlisted projects were of exceptional quality and generated much debate amongst the expert panellists which in part focused upon sustainability and looking ahead to the creation of community cohesion.

"The challenges of the past year required the judging panel to be creative with their deliberations and entailed several meetings to ensure projects were debated thoroughly and fairly.

"This is testament to the judging panel’s commitment to the process and to showcasing the UK’s best talent on a global stage."

Barking and Dagenham Post: Manhattan Loft Gardens has been awarded a RIBA London Award.Manhattan Loft Gardens has been awarded a RIBA London Award. (Image: Hufton and Crow)

Other award winners in east London include the English National Ballet's base near Canning Town; Pennington Street Warehouse in Wapping and Manhattan Loft Gardens in Stratford.

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RIBA London Award winners will now be considered for a RIBA national award due to be announced on Thursday, September 9.

The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of 2021 will be drawn from the RIBA national award-winning projects later in the year.