A £10 million architectural centre built as a memorial to Stephen Lawrence, the teenager killed in a racist attack 15 years ago, was vandalised yesterday, just a week after it opened.

Eight windows worth £15,000 each on the front of the new building in Deptford, southeast London, were destroyed. Scotland Yard confirmed that it was treating the incident as racist. No arrests have been made.

The windows were designed by the Turner Prize-winning artist Chris Ofili. Officers found them smashed early yesterday after members of the public reported the incident. The Stephen Lawrence Trust said that the damage could be repaired, but that it would cost more than £100,000.

Mr Lawrence’s family were said to be “devastated” by the attack. It is understood that his mother Doreen was at the building yesterday, where she is a member of the senior management team, but was too upset to speak about the incident.

The trust claims that the attackers threw bricks at the windows of the memorial centre from the other side of an 8ft (2.4m) metal fence surrounding the complex. It was the fourth time that the centre had been attacked, but this was the worst vandalism to date. The trust’s chief executive, Karin Woodley, told The Times: “It’s really tragic to have this exactly a week after opening the centre.” She said that security measures would be reviewed. The centre already has CCTV and 24-hour security.

Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, described the attack as an “outrageous act of racism”. “I would urge anyone to come forward immediately if they can assist the police,” he added.

Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, said: “I hope that the vandals are swiftly caught and punished.”

The striking three-storey building was designed by David Adjaye, the award-winning architect behind the new Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. The centre aims to provide thousands of deprived young people with opportunities in architecture, urban design and building.

According to the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, the centre is “an enduring celebration of Stephen’s life”, a place for community learning and social research that will “inspire and motivate young people to pursue successful careers”.

Before the opening ceremony, Mrs Lawrence said that her son, who dreamt of becoming an architect since he was 7, would have been “so excited” that the centre was built in his honour.

Mr Lawrence, 18, was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack at a bus stop in Eltham, southeast London, in April 1993. After the initial investigation five suspects were arrested but never convicted. The case was the subject of an internal Scotland Yard review, a reexamination by Kent police and the 1999 Macpherson inquiry, which concluded that the force was “institutionally racist” and as such had been incompetent in its handling of the case.

The suspected killers are still believed to live in the local area and last November police said that they were investigating new forensic evidence.

The teenager’s grave and a memorial plaque where he died have both been targeted by vandals in the past.

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