As the Royal Academy of Arts prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2018, it has announced a reinvigorated commitment to promoting the culture of architecture.

Furthering a longstanding mission to nurture a wider appreciation and understanding of architecture, the RA is to unveil a dedicated architecture space with free entry, an annual architecture exhibition and two new global awards championing architecture practice.

Made possible by a generous gift from the Dorfman Foundation, the restoration of the Royal Academy’s majestic Senate Rooms in Burlington Gardens will transform the space into a new Architecture Studio and café, opening in 2018. The new Studio will be a permanent home for architectural displays, as well as providing a creative space inviting audiences to engage with innovative and critical ideas on architecture and its intersection with the arts.

From 2018, the Royal Academy also commits to hosting a major exhibition devoted to architecture in its galleries, the first of which will be announced in the autumn.

Two new international architecture awards will be launched next year. Nominated and awarded by Royal Academicians alongside international curators and critics, the Royal Academy Architecture Prize will honour an inspiring and enduring contribution to the culture of architecture, while the Royal Academy Dorfman Award will champion new talent in architecture.

The inaugural awards jury will be chaired by the architect and Royal Academician Louisa Hutton. The Royal Academy Architecture Prize winner and the shortlist for the Royal Academy Dorfman Award will be announced in January 2018. In May 2018, a week-long public celebration will announce the winner of the Royal Academy Dorfman Award and also include an address by the recipient of the Royal Academy Architecture Prize.

Commenting on the announcement, RA Head of Architecture Kate Goodwin, said: “The RA is perfectly placed to lead an inclusive and vital discussion on architecture, championing quality, creativity and courage. Architecture is a constant presence in all our lives that is enhanced through wider ambition and vision which together these awards, the reinvigorated architecture programme and our new spaces offer.”