Architecture Unknown Ltd scooped ‘Best Built Community Project’ and ‘The Judges’ Choice Design Innovation Award’ this month as the Ancoats-based practice marks 10 years in business.
The double win saw Architecture Unknown’s circa £1.2m Peel Park Pavilion project in Little Hulton recognised not only as the standout completed community building, but also as the most innovative design from across all 110 entries submitted to this year’s awards.
The Salford community pavilion has transformed an unloved park building into a fully completed community hub, with a park café, offices, meeting rooms and flexible spaces for local activities, services and groups.
But what makes the project stand out is how it was built.
Using WikiHouse, a low-carbon modular construction system often described as the “IKEA of construction”, the pavilion gave local people a direct role in the regeneration of their own community space.
More than 100 volunteers from Little Hulton helped on site, with around 60 children from The Lowry Academy and St Edmund’s RC School taking part in early construction activity.
For Architecture Unknown, the double win marks a major milestone in the practice’s tenth year in business, cementing its reputation as one of the region’s most distinctive practices and celebrating a decade of work rooted in community-led architecture, sustainable construction and hands-on local involvement.
Designed for CommUNITY Little Hulton, Peel Park Pavilion now provides a purpose built permanent home for the organisation, supporting its work with local families, young people and residents, including food clubs, youth clubs, social groups, family services, forest school sessions, community cooking and wider activities across the area. To date, the building has been an incredible success, helping the charity expand their reach more than they could have imagined.
Charlie Butterwick, Director of Architecture Unknown, said: “These awards mean so much because Peel Park Pavilion was never just a building dropped into a community. It was built with the community, by the community and for the community.
“To win Best Built Community Project is an incredible moment for everyone involved, but to also receive the Judges’ Choice Design Innovation Award from across is something very special.
“Peel Park Pavilion represents exactly why Architecture Unknown exists. It is community-led, low-carbon, hands-on and deeply rooted in the place it serves. Local children, residents and volunteers helped physically build it, which means this space belongs to Little Hulton in a very real way.”
The project was funded by The Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation and developed with CommUNITY Little Hulton, which has been working in the area since 2017 to improve opportunities for local residents, with a particular focus on children, young people and those from deprived backgrounds.
Architecture Unknown first secured planning permission for the site in 2021, before the project was delayed by Covid-19. Construction began in April 2024, with the pavilion opening to the public in February 2025.
Co-founder for Architecture Unknown, Daniel Kelso, added: “As a smaller practice, we have always believed meaningful design does not have to come from the biggest names or the biggest teams. To be recognised in this way, in our tenth year in business, feels like a huge endorsement of that belief and of the power of doing architecture differently.
“This project has taken an extraordinary amount of commitment from the community, the client, funders, collaborators and volunteers. Winning these awards feels like a celebration of not only our work, but of the people of Little Hulton, who made the building what it is.”
The Manchester Society of Architects Awards are one of the region’s leading celebrations of architectural excellence, recognising exceptional buildings, practices and projects that make a positive contribution to Greater Manchester’s built environment.
Held annually since 1995, the awards spotlight design quality, innovation and social impact across the city-region, with the 2026 awards attracting 110 submissions from across the architectural community.
The win cements Architecture Unknown’s position as one of the region’s most distinctive emerging practices, with a growing reputation for sustainable, community-led buildings and specialist expertise in WikiHouse design and delivery.
