Five architects have made it to a shortlist to create designs for the future of Twickenham Riverside, beating off competition from over 50 other architects.

In March, Richmond Council announced the launch of a Design Competition to find an architect-led team to work on proposals for the Twickenham Riverside site. The competition is managed by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

The RIBA has extensive experience and is a widely recognised provider of architectural competitions, delivering high profile selection processes for both private and public-sector clients. They were commissioned to support the Design Panel to develop a new brief for the site and deliver an OJEU compliant competition programme.

The first stage of the competition invited architects to come forward and express interest in working on the site. An impressive 54 architect firms subsequently applied.

The Design Panel, chaired by council leader Gareth Roberts, leading Councillors for Environment and Businesses, a local ward Councillor, a representative from the Local Stakeholder Reference Group and two local representatives with architectural experience, reviewed all the applications to ensure that they met the required criteria.

Supported by RIBA, the next stage of the competition will see the designs produced by companies Baynes and Mitchell; Allies and Morrison; Cullinan Studio; Hopkins Architects; and Haworth Tompkins.

In September there will be a period of engagement where residents can have their say on the ideas from the 5 shortlisted teams. The results of the engagement will be available to the Design Panel prior to making a final decision.

Council leader Gareth Roberts said: “I am thrilled that so many companies have shown an interest in the Twickenham site. I am confident that the five shortlisted companies will offer a good mix of styles and ideas. Each architect team comes with an impressive CV and I look forward to seeing their varied proposals.

“For nearly 40 years this beautiful stretch of the River Thames has been awaiting a design that can showcase the riverside as a destination for people to live, play, work, enjoy and thrive. The interest in the competition from such a wide number of companies proves that there was an appetite from the industry to help create an exciting and energising development and there is a clear opportunity for a firm to leave their mark.”

Sarah Williams, from RIBA, said: “The Council received some exemplary submissions at this first stage of the competition and have selected 5 excellent firms to participate in phase 2.

“This is an exciting opportunity for teams to create something vibrant and beautiful along the river Thames for the benefit of the community. The panel are very much looking forward to receiving proposals from this strong shortlist.”