by Brianna Crandall — August 3, 2012—The shortlist for the prestigious 2012 RIBA Stirling Prize, revealed July 22 by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), celebrates the best of new British architecture. The shortlist for the 17th annual prize features six exceptional and completely different buildings from across the country which will now go head to head for British architecture’s highest accolade and a £20,000 prize. The 2012 winner will be announced on October 13, 2012.
According to RIBA, the seemingly simple yet highly innovative London Olympic Stadium by Populous; the thoughtful and intimate Maggie’s Cancer Centre in Glasgow by OMA; the stunningly original Hepworth Wakefield gallery in Yorkshire by David Chipperfield Architects; the beautifully detailed and rule-breaking Sainsbury Laboratory for plant science in Cambridge by Stanton Williams; the New Court Rothschild Bank in London by OMA with Allies and Morrison that rises high while opening new views at street level; and the crafted and careful reincarnation of the Lyric Theatre on a small suburban site in Belfast by O’Donnell + Tuomey are all in the running for the 2012 RIBA Stirling Prize.
The buildings on this year’s shortlist are all highly crafted buildings and use rich materials, with exceptional attention to every detail, says RIBA. These are buildings that clearly value the individual and visitor’s experience, from the very personal and peaceful Maggie’s Cancer Centre to the new Olympic Stadium, which despite its enormity has an atmosphere of intimacy for every spectator.
Heritage and education are strong themes in this year’s shortlist, with the success of the Sainsbury Laboratory housing Darwin’s collection, New Court’s careful integration of the Rothschild’s art collection into its design and both the Lyric Theatre and Hepworth Wakefield skillfully creating exceptional new homes for regional arts.
RIBA President Angela Brady said, “The annual RIBA Stirling Prize celebrates architectural excellence, and this year we have an incredibly strong list of contenders. All of the shortlisted buildings demonstrate the essence of great architecture; they are human-scale buildings, places to inspire, entertain, educate and comfort their visitors and passers-by. Every building not only works beautifully from within but has a superb relationship with its surroundings, with a strong interplay between the two. They don’t shout ‘look at me,’ and even the tallest building, New Court in the City of London, has created good views for passing pedestrians, meeting the challenge of delivering good urban design in an historic area.”
Previous winners of the RIBA Stirling Prize include: Evelyn Grace Academy (2011) and MAXXI Museum, Rome (2010), both by Zaha Hadid Architects; Maggie’s Centre at Charing Cross Hospital, London by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (2009); Accordia housing development by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios/Alison Brooks Architects/Macreanor Lavington (2008); and The Museum of Modern Literature, Marbach am Neckar, Germany, by David Chipperfield Architects (2007).
