Stirling Prize blog

Inside Koolhaas' Casa da Musica concert hall in Porto

by Kieran Long, Editor of the Architects' Journal

I'm back in London after completing the European leg of judging the Stirling, and it is safe to say that the jury is confused. The eclectic list of buildings has started a conversation about the very foundations of what the prize is for, and what architecture is for.

How can we judge the success of a building, like David Chipperfield's Valencia building, that was built especially for a yacht race? The Americas Cup has come and gone, and the building we saw was almost deserted and in an encroaching state of disrepair. But it has fulfilled its function as a spectacular spot to drink, entertain and watch the boats going out and coming back in again...

Kieran Long, 11 September 2007

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