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Mæ's John Morden Centre wins the 2023 RIBA Stirling Prize

2023-10-19T19:57:00-04:00

The design for the John Morden Centre in Blackheath, London, by Mæ has just been announced as the winner of the 2023 Stirling Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

The country’s new ‘Best New Building’ honor was bestowed to the 22-year-old firm’s redesign of the elder care facility located on the site of Grade I-listed Morden College, the original design for which dates to the 1690s and has been attributed to the period’s most significant architect, Sir Christopher Wren.

Photo: Jim Stephenson

The scope of the project involved creating a more sociable, physically active, and less isolating atmosphere in which residents can age in place gracefully. With dramatic effect, the overhaul consolidates formerly diffuse functions at the non-profit care facility into a series of brick pavilions that are connected by the construction of a central timber colonnade.

Photo: Jim Stephenson

A steeply pitched roofline gives the structure an austere but still inviting character. I...

‘Varying degrees of skill, splendour and social worth’: Rowan Moore picks his favorites for the 2023 Stirling Prize

2023-05-31T19:13:00-04:00

The Observer's architecture critic Rowan Moore recently gave a cursory look at the 131 winning projects selected for RIBA Regional Awards to pick a quintet of designs he feels offer the best chances at receiving this year’s Stirling Prize, which will be announced later in the fall.

Given the criticism of the Prize last year, these should be more cognizant of design trends that prefer reuse and the application of other sustainable methods and materials.

Moore takes the opposite approach, favoring above all the concern for quality and style some felt was excluded last year before predicting boldly the selection will come down to either Grafton's new Marshall Building at the LSE in London or the MMAS-designed St James’ Farm at Bog Meadows in Belfast.

"They may also be deterred by the current mistrust of concrete. It would be shame, if so, for this is architecture with a pulse," he states of the former.

Moore's full preview can be found here. Photos of the five selected frontrunners ...

Rowan Moore picks his favorite UK projects for 2022

2022-12-30T15:22:00-05:00

Playful, elegant additions to universities and colleges were the class acts to follow, while the newly opened Elizabeth line exceeded all design expectations.

Grimshaw’s long-awaited Elizabeth Line finished second (behind Grafton’s Marshall Building for the LSE). Moore said: “The Elizabeth line, when it finally opened in May, revealed an alternative universe of underground railway travel where everything is bigger, brighter and swisher. This is due to the sheer scale of the stations and to their design – unified and orderly but also curvaceous and a touch baroque.”

Notably absent were any projects by the new Soane Medal winner Peter Barber, any other social housing projects, or the Stirling Prize-winning The New Library, Magdalene College from Niall McLaughlin. The Guardian critic did say he admired Theaster Gates’ community building-inspired Serpentine Pavilion, adding that the all-black design “nicely captured shadow and light and views of surrounding greenery.”

Niall McLaughlin Architects wins the 2022 RIBA Stirling Prize for The New Library, Magdalene College

2022-10-13T16:17:00-04:00

Niall McLaughlin Architects has been awarded the 2022 Stirling Prize by the RIBA. Given each year to the UK’s best new building, the winning scheme was unveiled at an event at RIBA headquarters in London. The firm was awarded the prize for their The New Library, Magdalene College — the first college to win the Stirling Prize.

The new library, open 24 hours a day, incorporates an archive and an art gallery to become a new node in the 700-year-old campus. The library replaces the "cramped study spaces" of an adjacent 17th-century library and extends the campus' quadrangular arrangement of buildings and courts that have gradually developed from the historic college site.

Photo © Nick Kane

"A brief to create a college library with a lifespan of 400 years — to replace a library gifted to Magdalene by Samuel Pepys 300 years previously — is no small task," RIBA shared. "Niall McLaughlin Architects have certainly risen to the challenge with this deft and inspiring temple to learning."

Photo ...

Criticism of the 2022 Stirling Prize adds another wrinkle ahead of next week's announcement

2022-10-05T17:06:00-04:00

The debate surrounding sustainability and the Stirling Prize is heating up again in the lead-up to RIBA’s October 13th announcement of the coveted annual award.

Just eight weeks after the Institute's new president Muyiwa Oki was swept into office on a platform of change, UK-based critic Kunle Barker took to the Architects’ Journal to answer some of the organization’s more vocal critics, including the group Architects’ Climate Action Network (or ACAN), who have derided the so-called “greenwashing” presented in certain shortlisted projects and, they say, promoted tacitly by RIBA’s decision to endorse them.

Orchard Gardens, another shortlist project that drew criticism. Image: Enrique Verdugo.

“ACAN is correct on all points. However, I’m not sure its criticism has been levelled at the right party,” he wrote, stating that “we have to remember that the Stirling Prize is ostensibly an architecture competition and not a sustainability one.”

“It is impractical and unrealistic to suddenly ex...

Angry letter from Architects Climate Action Network ignites controversy over 'greenwashing' and the 2022 Stirling Prize shortlist

2022-07-29T12:35:00-04:00

A public rebuke from the UK-based activist group Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN) has triggered an enlivened debate online around greenwashing and the 2022 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist after the initial group of projects was revealed last week.

Two London area residential projects included in the six-project shortlist — Panter Hudspith’s Orchard Gardens and Hopkins Architects’ 100 Liverpool Street — were given as examples of what the environmental group called “architecture that pollutes the planet.”

ACAN called out the former over its involvement in the demolition of the Heygate Estate as part of developer Lendlease’s Elephant Park ‘regeneration’ scheme, which helped displace some 80 percent of council housing residents in the SE17 postal code. In response, Panter Hudspith said: “It’s the job of the RIBA to judge buildings on their architectural quality with environmental credentials being an ever-increasing criteria in their assessment. So it seems unreasonable to suggest...

2022 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist announced for UK’s best new building

2022-07-21T11:52:00-04:00

The shortlist has been announced for the 2022 RIBA Stirling Prize, awarded each year to the UK’s best new building. Six projects will be in contention for the award, which is now in its 26th edition. Among the projects vying for the award are a college in Scotland, a school in London, and a library in Cambridge.

“As we grapple with housing, energy and climate crises, these six projects give cause for optimism, each offering innovative solutions to the challenges of today and the future,” said RIBA President Simon Allford on the shortlist. “From major capital city regeneration programs to new visions for higher education, they all share the ambition to deliver generous architecture fit for a low-carbon future.”

The overall winner of the 2022 Stirling Prize will be revealed on October 13th. Below, we have compiled the six shortlisted projects, along with an extract of the jury citation for each.

100 Liverpool Street, London / Hopkins Architects

100 Liverpool Street, London / Hopkins...

Grafton Architects has been awarded the 2021 Stirling Prize

2021-10-14T16:46:00-04:00

Grafton Architects has been named by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as the winner of this year’s Stirling Prize for the best new building in the UK.

The Dublin-based firm won for its Town House multipurpose academic and arts space for Kingston University London.

Image © Ed Reeve

A thermally-activated concrete design, the development serves as a “progressive new model for the design of higher education buildings.” The combination public forum, theater, library, and dance studio provides an open and democratic space to students at Kingstown, one-half of whom are the first in their families to attend university.

Image © Ed Reeve

“Kingston University Town House is a theater for life — a warehouse of ideas. It seamlessly brings together student and town communities, creating a progressive new model for higher education, well deserving of international acclaim and attention,” Norman Foster said, speaking for the jury.

Image © Ed Reeve

This year’s postponed competition rep...

2021 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist unveiled for the UK's best new building

2021-09-16T11:52:00-04:00

The shortlist has been announced for the 2021 RIBA Stirling Prize, awarded each year to the UK’s best new building. Six buildings will be in contention for the award, which is now in its 25th edition. Among the projects vying for the award are a mosque in Cambridge, a bridge on the south coast of England, and a residential and office scheme in London with a distinctive limestone façade.

“The 2021 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist demonstrates the innovation and ambition that lies at the heart of exceptional architecture,” said RIBA President Simon Allford on the shortlist’s unveiling. “As we navigate major global challenges, from a global pandemic to the climate emergency, this shortlist demonstrates the critical role that UK architects play in creating thoughtful and sustainable places and spaces.”

The overall winner of the 2021 Stirling Prize will be revealed on October 14th. Below, we have compiled the six shortlisted projects, along with an extract of the jury citation for each. ...

2020 RIBA Awards judging postponed amid growing public health concerns

2020-10-01T18:21:00-04:00

As health and safety protocols continue to increase globally, the 2020 Stirling Prize has been canceled and postponed to 2021. RIBA shares in a statement, "to maintain the consistency and rigor of our judging process, all RIBA Award-winning projects must be visited in person, therefore it is unfortunately not possible to continue with this year's awards."

The Stirling Prize is the UK's highest architecture award presented to a specific project that exemplifies outstanding design and architectural excellence. This is the first time the award will be put on hold since the first Stirling Prize was awarded to the Centenary Building at the University of Salford by Hodder + Partners in 1996. The institution also adds that judging for the regional and national awards will be canceled and moved to 2021.

RIBA adds, "all projects which have already been shortlisted for a 2020 RIBA Regional Award will be included in our 2021 RIBA Awards, which will open for entries shortly."

Oliver Wainwright's list of architectural highlights celebrates dignity and craft

2019-12-26T15:45:00-05:00

It was the year that council housing turned community-minded, King Arthur got a swishy new bridge and the Lake District harboured a gem

Oliver Wainwright, architecture and design critic at The Guardian, picked his top ten projects of the year, including a couple we have also covered on Archinect this year: the energy-efficient and 2019 Stirling Prize-winning Goldsmith Street housing project by Mikhail Riches and Cathy Hawley; and the spectacular new Tintagel Castle Footbridge by William Matthews and Ney & Partners.

Embodied Carbon or Operational Carbon? Stirling Prize finalist makes his case

2019-10-15T11:22:00-04:00

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include clarifying comments from Matthew Howland.

----

Cork House designer Matthew Barnett Howland recently had some thoughts concerning this year's Stirling Prize winner. According to BD, the finalist "was speaking at the Stirling Prize party after Mikhail Riches' Goldsmith Street council housing...was named the winner...for being Passivhaus-compliant..."

Cork House, Berkshire, by Matthew Barnett Howland with Dido Milne and Oliver Wilton. Photo: Magnus Dennis

According to BD, Howland's primary gripe was the observed dismissal of embodied carbon by regulators. "I can see that [Goldsmith Street’s] social aspects are probably more important but where’s the conversation about whole life carbon, about lifecycles? Wake up! Why aren’t we talking openly about this stuff?" he said, reports BD.

Cork House, Berkshire, by Matthew Barnett Howland with Dido Milne and Oliver Wilton. Photo: Ricky Jones.

But, it appears, according to Howland, that these c...

Mikhail Riches and Cathy Hawley win the 2019 Stirling Prize for their Goldsmith Street housing project

2019-10-08T16:00:00-04:00

It's a big day in the United Kingdom! The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has just announced the winner of the 2019 Stirling Prize: Goldsmith Street housing by Mikhail Riches and Cathy Hawley!

The project was created for the Norwich City Council and features over 100 two-story buff brick row houses that are bookended by three-story flats, according to RIBA. The homes are divided by generous green spaces including back gardens that feature alleyways where children can play together. The homes are also designed according to the rigorous Passivhaus standards.

See below for selected shots of the project:

Describing the project, RIBA judge and prize chair Julia Barfield referred to the 105-unit housing development as “a modest masterpiece," adding, "It is high-quality architecture in its purest, most environmentally and socially conscious form. Behind restrained creamy façades are impeccably-detailed, highly sustainable homes – an incredible achieve...

First building awarded the Stirling Prize now slated for a primary school

2018-08-31T18:06:00-04:00

The first building to win the RIBA Stirling Prize – Hodder Associates’ Centenary Building for the University of Salford – could be converted into a new primary school. The plans for the currently empty 23-year-old building form part of 5plus Architects’ emerging 99ha development framework for the university’s existing campus and surrounding area.

Hodder + Partners's Centenary Building for the University of Salford was the first to be awarded the RIBA Stirling Prize back in 1996. Originally designed to be the School of Electrical Engineering, during construction plans changed for the building to house the Faculty of Art and Design Technology. Now, according to a consultation document, the structure is slated for reuse as an entry primary school.

Oliver Wainwright on Stirling Prize shortlist: 'Lacking showstoppers'

2018-07-23T15:08:00-04:00

There is no single showstopper and it will be a difficult year for the judges, weighing up the varying shades of reticence on the list. Together, the buildings make a bit of a dull group, celebrating the mute and austere over the bold and expressive – repeating the tenor of last year’s list, which scandalously failed to include Herzog & de Meuron's Tate Switch House.

The Guardian architecture critic, Oliver Wainwright, isn't particularly impressed with this year's selection of six projects for the coveted RIBA Stirling Prize, awarded annually for Britain's best new building. Calling it "a bit of a dull group" and questioning especially the inclusion of the Norman Foster-designed £1-billion Bloomberg London HQ, Wainwright elaborates: "As the Turner prize has shown in recent years, with its choice of young collective Assemble and now radical activist research agency Forensic Architecture, perhaps the more provocative work is happening elsewhere, flying beneath the decorous radar of the RIBA awards."

In case you missed it, the selected buildings this year are:

Bloomberg HQ by Foster + Partners
Bushey Cemetery by Waugh Thistleton Architects
Chadwick Hall by Henley Halebrown
New Tate St Ives by Jamie Fobert Architects with Evans & Shalev
Storey's Field Centre and Eddington Nursery by MUMA
Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre by Niall McLaughlin Architects

The final S...

dRMM’s Stirling Prize-winning, revamped Hastings Pier is already for sale

2018-02-21T17:47:00-05:00

Property firm GVA said it was open to offers after being asked to find a buyer for the transformed Sussex coastal landmark. The charity behind dRMM’s much-loved refurbishment of the pier went into administration last year. Now the administrators have appointed GVA to sell the asset.

The charity responsible for restoring and running Hastings Pier—the once derelict landmark whose £14.2 million rebuild won this year's RIBA Stirling Prize—has been forced to put the property up for sell after experiencing some financial difficulties. According to the Architects' Journal, last year, the charity failed to agree a new three-year business plan with the Heritage Lottery Fund, Hastings Borough Council and East Sussex County Council in order to become self-funding.

Due to the charity's insolvency, administrators Smith & Williamson were appointed back in November in hopes of ensuring the pier's future. They have now put the property firm GVA in charge of selling the 145-year old pier, which will remain open throughout 2018 with funds from HLF already allocated to the project.

Grab 'Em by the Brick: The winning designs behind the Stirling Prize, the Aga Khan Award, and the other Trump border competition, on Archinect Sessions #85

2016-10-13T16:40:00-04:00

We discuss the latest big news from the awards-world of architecture, as we saw Caruso St John take home the Stirling Prize for their Newport Street Gallery, and the Aga Khan Award recipients ranged from a female Muslim starchitect to lesser-known female Muslim architects. We also take a slanted look at the hilarious winners of the satirical "Good Walls Make Good Neighbors, Mr. Trump" ideas competition.

Listen to episode 85 of Archinect Sessions, "Grab 'Em by the Brick":

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This episode is sponsored by AIA Advantage Partner, BQE Software, and the makers of ArchiOffice. ArchiOffice is the only Office and Project Management Software built with the needs of arch...

Breaking: the Newport Street Gallery by Caruso St. John Architects wins the 2016 Stirling Prize

2016-10-06T15:33:00-04:00

The news is in! The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has just announced the winner of the 2016 Stirling Prize: the Newport Street Gallery by Caruso St. John Architects. Considered to be the most prestigious prize in the United Kingdom, the Stirling is awarded to a British architect whose building “has made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture in the past year”, and comes with a stipend of £20,000. This is the first time that Caruso St. John has won the Stirling Prize, although they've been nominated twice before.

The Newport Street Gallery was chosen from a shortlist of six buildings: the Blavatnik School of Government by Herzog & de Meuron; the City of Glasgow College by Michael Laird Architects, and Reiach and Hall Architects; Outhouse by Loyn and Co. Architects; Trafalgar Place by dRMM Architects; and Weston Library by WilkinsonEyre.

Located in Vauxhall, the Newport Street Gallery houses the collection of artist Damien Hirst. It is the only project...

RIBA 2016 Stirling Prize Shortlist announced: includes Herzog & de Meuron, Wilkinson Eyre

2016-07-13T19:02:00-04:00

What does it take for a project to transcend from merely eye-catching architecture to a lasting, inspirational, nationally acclaimed building? The RIBA Stirling Prize, which awards the UK's best new building each year, has narrowed 2016's contenders down to a shortlist of six (two of which, the Weston Library by Wilkinson Eyre and Loyn & Co's Inside Outside House, were predicted for this list by Archinect's Ellen Hancock), which it announced today.

The list follows the National Awards and London Awards earlier this year, and comprises of some “usual suspects” shortlisted in previous years, as well as some newcomers; including previous winners Wilkinson Eyre and Herzog & de Meuron, and returning nominees Reiach and Hall, Caruso St John, and dRMM.

Nominees Michael Laird Architects and Loyn & Co Architects are relative newcomers, bringing (respectively) an education project and a private residence to the shortlist—the first private home to be nominated in 15 years. This year’s shortlist ...

Our predictions for the Stirling Prize 2016 nominees

2016-07-13T03:45:00-04:00

It’s that time of year again…On Thursday 14th July the nominees for this years Stirling Prize will be announced. For anyone who doesn’t know the UK’s most prestigious award, it was founded in 1996 and recognises “the architects of the building that has made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture in the past year.”

Although the future of the industry is somewhat uncertain following the EU referendum a few weeks ago, firms have been optimistic; confident in their innovative skill and entrepreneurial ability to tackle the potential problems ahead.

Looking back over completed projects from the last year, it is clear to see why. It has been a particularly impressive year for UK projects - it was no mean feat selecting our predictions for the six nominations.

AHMM - 61 Oxford Street
Last year AHMM took first place for Burntwood School in Wandsworth. This year we think they may have a chance with 61 Oxford Street, a distinctive and contemporary landmark that takes inspirati...

2015 RIBA Stirling Prize awarded to the Burntwood School by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

2015-10-15T16:12:00-04:00

Following their July announcement of the shortlist for the 2015 Stirling Prize, RIBA announced [today] the Burntwood School in Wandsworth London as the winning project. Now in its 20th year, the RIBA Stirling Prize is regarded as the UK’s most prestigious architecture prize. Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), the practice that designed the all girls' school, is winning the coveted award for the first time.

More photos and project details on Bustler.

Previously: RIBA reveals the six 2015 Stirling Prize shortlisters

RIBA reveals the six 2015 Stirling Prize shortlisters

2015-07-16T14:00:00-04:00

The time has come again for RIBA's 2015 Stirling Prize, the institute's highest accolade for "best new building" in the United Kingdom. Starting out with the regional London Awards followed by the National Awards earlier this year, RIBA announced today the six buildings that are still in the running for the coveted Stirling Prize.

As usual, the shortlisted projects are a fairly striking bunch typically designed by British architecture firms that have graced RIBA nomination lists time and time again, or have already won RIBA awards. (Out of the shortlisted firms this year, MUMA and Reiach and Hall Architects are first-time Stirling nominees.) On the other hand, high-level awards like the Stirling Prize that evaluate new buildings for "design excellence and significance in the evolution of architecture and the built environment" spark debates regarding what should be valued in architecture and the open-ended question of "What is good architecture?"

Check out the shortlist below, along w...

Haworth Tompkins’ Everyman Theatre wins the RIBA Stirling Prize 2014

2014-10-17T14:30:00-04:00

Haworth Tompkins architects spent nine years transforming the rundown historic Everyman Theatre in Liverpool into the building it is today. Those nine years were well worth it, as Haworth Tompkins just won the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize 2014 for the UK's best new building of the year.

Find more photos and project details on Bustler.

Previously: 2014 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist is revealed

Stirling Prize 2014: what should we value in architecture?

2014-07-24T13:38:00-04:00

This year’s contenders for the prestigious Stirling Prize were recently announced. The prize is supposed to be “presented to the architects of the building that has made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture”. “Evolution” is an interesting choice of term, and the prize has a long way to go if it is to achieve this goal. [...] Each year the Stirling prize inevitably raises a discussion about architectural values. What is good architecture?

2014 RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist is revealed

2014-07-17T15:48:00-04:00

It's that time of year again. Six buildings were just announced for the 2014 shortlist of the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize for best new building in the UK. Each contender will be judged particularly for its design excellence and its significance in the evolution of architecture and the built environment.

Find out more on Bustler.

2014 RIBA National Award Winners

2014-06-23T19:45:00-04:00

The Royal Institute of British Architects has announced the winners of the 2014 RIBA National Awards. With 44 buildings in the UK and 12 buildings elsewhere in the European Union, the selected projects will now have the chance to make the shortlist for the coveted RIBA Stirling Prize, awarded annually to the architects of the building that has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the past year.

Here's a small image selection of 2014 Award Winners:

London: TNG Youth and Community Centre by RCKa. Photo: Jakob Spriestersbach

London: London Bridge Tower (The Shard) by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Photo: Michel Denance

West Midlands: Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo. Photo: Mecanoo

London: London Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects. Photo: Hufton + Crow

European Union: The Blue Planet, Kastrup, Denmark by 3XN. Photo: Adamm Moerk

East: Britten-Pears Archive by Stanton Williams. Photo: Hufton + Crow

Scotland: House no.7 by Denizen Works. Photo: David Barbour

European Union: Metrostation Kraaiennest, Amsterdam by Maccreanor Lavington. Photo: Luuk Kramer

London: Lens House by Alison Brooks Architects. Photo: Paul Riddle

European Union: Marseille Vieux Port by Foster + Partners. Photo: Nigel Young

South: Mary Rose Museum by Wilkinson Eyre with Pringle Brandon Perkins+Will. Photo: Richard Chivers

Library and Learning Centre, Vienna by Zaha Hadid Architects. Photo: Roland Halbe

South East: ...

RIBA Stirling Prize 2013 goes to Astley Castle by Witherford Watson Mann Architects

2013-09-26T18:48:00-04:00

The winner of the 2013 Stirling Prize was announced at a special ceremony in London tonight: Astley Castle, a groundbreaking modern holiday home inserted into the crumbling walls of an ancient moated castle, in Warwickshire, England by London-based Witherford Watson Mann Architects has won the coveted trophy for the best building of the year.

Previously: 2013 RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlist

Limerick's medical school: architecture with a scalpel

2013-08-20T13:18:00-04:00

The project – also comprising student accommodation in the form of gently angled big brick structures that meander down the hillside – is the work of Dublin-based Grafton Architects. The firm have created a sublime ensemble that's now in the running for best building of the year, having been shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling prize. It would be my choice to win, given how radically it has reinvented two building types often consigned to dismal mediocrity.

Click here to see other contenders for this year's RIBA Stirling Prize.

Grafton Architects are also being featured in the upcoming exhibit Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined at London's Royal Academy of Arts.

2013 RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlist

2013-07-18T20:00:00-04:00

The Royal Institute of British Architects today announced the UK & Ireland's six top projects shortlisted for the 2013 RIBA Stirling Prize. The selected buildings will now go head to head for the prestigious prize, and the winner will be announced on the evening of Thursday, September 26th in London at Central Saint Martins, King’s Cross, designed by last year’s RIBA Stirling Prize winner Stanton Williams.

Also announced today: 2013 RIBA Lubetkin Prize Shortlists Three International Buildings

UPDATE: RIBA Stirling Prize 2013 goes to Astley Castle by Witherford Watson Mann Architects

No more noddy boxes! Design judges' dismay at British buildings

2012-10-13T17:30:00-04:00

"There is a lack of feeling and lack of care for quality of design in retail parks and many dispiriting residential and office developments." In particular, he said he was concerned that architectural education is becoming "over theorised" and lacking in practical experience. The quality of architecture in Britain is falling behind that of continental rivals, particularly Scandinavia and the Netherlands, he said.