HMP & YOI Stirling
HMP & YOI Stirling
Status: Completed 2023
Value: £85m
Type: Justice Facility - New Build Women's Prison
Location: Stirling
Awards:
RIBA National Awards 2025 - Winner
RIAS Awards 2025 - Winner
RIAS Awards 2025 - Design Innovation Award
Scottish Design Awards 2024 - Health Building Award
Stirling Society of Architects Awards 2024 - SSA Award
Stirling Society of Architects Awards 2024 - Overall Chapter Award
GIA Awards 2023 - Healthcare Award
HMP & YOI Stirling is a new, state-of-the-art facility for the Scottish Prison Service, designed to support women in custody across Scotland. Replacing the recently closed HMP Cornton Vale, the project represents a transformative step in the evolution of custodial design—one that places its occupants at the forefront of its architectural vision.
Rooted in a therapeutic approach to care, the design is centred on wellbeing, rehabilitation, and human dignity. The facility provides accommodation for 100 women alongside a comprehensive range of education, support, health, and wellbeing spaces, fostering opportunities for personal growth and reintegration.
The buildings are carefully arranged within a landscaped masterplan that responds sensitively to the natural and cultural context of Stirling. The design frames views of the Forth Valley, the Ochil Hills, Stirling Castle, and the Wallace Monument, strengthening a sense of connection to place and embedding the facility within the region’s rich historical and environmental setting. This conscious relationship with the surrounding landscape allows the women, staff, and visitors to engage with the restorative qualities of nature, enhancing both physical and mental wellbeing.
Transparency, openness, and inclusivity are key architectural drivers. High levels of glazing, carefully curated sightlines, and layered views through the buildings create a sense of lightness and visual continuity, maximising the biophilic benefits of daylight and greenery. These strategies are not only aesthetic but deeply functional—designed to reduce stress, anxiety, and feelings of isolation within a secure environment.
A commitment to sustainability underpins every aspect of the design. The facility integrates low-carbon materials, energy-efficient systems, and passive design strategies to minimise environmental impact while ensuring long-term operational resilience. Landscaped areas and green infrastructure promote biodiversity and provide outdoor spaces for reflection, activity, and connection to the wider ecosystem.
In bringing together people, place, and planet, HMP & YOI Stirling redefines what a custodial environment can be: a community of care, deeply connected to its landscape, and a model of sustainable, human-centred design that supports transformation and hope.
