en.Wedoany.com Reported - The PLAYDECK proposal submitted by R.U.A Studio, which transforms decommissioned London buses into mobile playgrounds, has won the 2026 Davidson Prize. The project was awarded a £10,000 prize by the Alan Davidson Foundation at a ceremony during the London Festival of Architecture.
This year's competition theme, "Changing the Game: Building Play into Housing," called on teams to propose new ways to integrate play spaces for all ages, both inside and outside the home.
The winning team comprises architecture firm WW+P, landscape design studio Studio Egret West, and clinical psychologists. Members include Studio Egret West landscape architect Kelci Vittachi, clinical psychologist Owen Walker, and WW+P architects Ru Quan Phuah, Shaun Thomas, along with landscape architects Carmen Du, Jessica Huynh, and Esther Yik Chan.
The proposal plans to convert 1,000 New Routemaster buses, scheduled for phased retirement by 2030 in London, into mobile intergenerational playgrounds, providing outdoor play spaces for communities currently lacking adequate facilities. Each bus will be equipped with multifunctional play blocks that, like puzzle pieces, can be detached and used in surrounding areas for various play scenarios. Once the blocks are removed, the bus interior reveals cavities, forming a maze-like multi-level space for climbing, gathering, jumping, and music-making.
Deborah Saunt, chair of the 2026 Davidson Prize jury, stated that the judges were impressed by how R.U.A Studio integrated expertise from architecture, landscape design, and psychology into the PLAYDECK proposal, creating a truly playful solution within residential areas. She noted that the repurposing of decommissioned London double-decker buses embodies circular economy principles, and its management strategy addresses the uneven distribution of play spaces across the city through mobility.
The Davidson Prize evening also awarded the People's Choice Award to THE (Connected) GREAT (Green) PARK (Play) ESTATE. Proposed by a team comprising BPTW, Farrer Huxley, Julie Futcher, Arup, and Play Disrupt, the project focuses on creating play facilities in post-war housing estates, drawing inspiration from the 1979 playground protests in Manchester.
