by Ann Withanee — August 3, 2011—The beautifully simple Velodrome in London’s Olympic Park, the carefully crafted remodeling of the Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres in Stratford upon Avon, a highly imaginative London school on a tight urban site, an innovative and vibrant cultural center in Derry, the transformation of an unremarkable 1980s office building in London into an elegant new office and retail space, and the breathtaking extension of a significant museum in Germany form the shortlist for the prestigious £20,000 RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Stirling Prize, as described in a recent announcement by Ruth Reed, RIBA President.
Now in its 16th year, the RIBA Stirling Prize, in association with The Architects’ Journal and Benchmark, is awarded to the architects of the best new European building built or designed in Britain. The winner will be announced on October 1 and will be broadcast on a special edition of BBC Two’s “The Culture Show” on October 2, presented by Kevin McCloud.
The six buildings competing for this year’s title are:
- An Gaelaras, Derry by O’Donnell and Tuomey
- The Angel Building, London by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
- Evelyn Grace Academy, London by Zaha Hadid Architects
- Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany by David Chipperfield Architects
- Olympic Velodrome London 2012 by Hopkins
- Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford by Bennetts Associates
Reed said that creative redevelopment is a strong theme in this year’s list, with a major museum extension, a remodeled theater complex, and the innovative retrofit of an old office building featured, showing how even with tight planning and building constraints, talent and imagination can totally transform existing structures and sites.
The shortlist for the RIBA Lubetkin Prize for the best international building outside the EU was also announced, as follows:
- Boston Museum of Fine Arts, USA by Foster + Partners
- Guangzhou Opera House, China by Zaha Hadid Architects
- Masdar Institute, AbuDhabi by Foster + Partners
- The Met (high-rise housing), Bangkok by WOHA
- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, USA by Rick Mather Architects + SMBW
