Caruso St John's Newport Street Gallery wins the 2016 Stirling Prize
The suspense kept us on the edge of our seat for months, but the votes have been counted and the results are now in – Damien Hirst's Newport Street Gallery by Caruso St John Architects has scooped the prestigious 2016 RIBA Stirling Prize, one of the country’s highest architecture accolades.
Announced this evening at a dedicated ceremony at the RIBA’s art deco HQ on London's Portland Place, and sponsored this year by Almacantar, the Stirling annually highlights buildings that represent a ‘significant contribution to British architecture in the past year’.
Picking this is never an easy task. Newport Street Gallery had to fight off stiff competition by a group of worthy nominees, including the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, by Herzog & de Meuron; the City of Glasgow College's Riverside Campus, by Michael Laird Architects and Reiach and Hall Architects; the Outhouse, Gloucestershire, by Loyn & Co Architects; Trafalgar Place, Elephant and Castle, London, by dRMM Architects; and the Weston Library, University of Oxford, by WilkinsonEyre.
Preceding the announcement, Peter St John – partner at Caruso St John Architects – explained of the project: 'It's rare for architects to be given the opportunity to realise a personal vision of the quality of the Newport Street Gallery, and for that vision to have a generous public dimension. We see the building as a palace for direct, intimate and luxurious encounters with contemporary art, and we are very pleased that this award will bring more people to see this extraordinary collection.'
The Stephen Lawrence Prize and the RIBA Client of the Year were also revealed during the event, with gongs going to House of Trace by Tsuruta Architects and Westmorland Limited respectively. Meanwhile, the Outhouse won the BBC News public vote for the readers' favourite.
Now in its 21st year, a Stirling Prize book has also just been launched, celebrating its first 20 remarkable years. Published by Merrell, authored by former RIBA head of awards Tony Chapman and including a foreword by 2007 Stirling winner Sir David Chipperfield, the tome is an enthusiast’s feast; essential architectural reading at its best.
INFORMATION
The Riba Stirling Prize: 20, £40, is published by Merrell. For more information, visit the RIBA website and the Merrell website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UK
As A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
By Jack Moss Published
-
Eurovision unveils its 2024 stage, designed by Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour creatives
This year's stage design aims to bring the audience into the performance more than ever before.
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Ikea meets Japan in this new pattern-filled collection
New Ikea Sötrönn collection by Japanese artist Hiroko Takahashi brings Japan and Scandinavia together in a pattern-filled, joyful range for the home
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
London’s Reciprocal House complements an existing Norman Foster extension
Reciprocal House by Gianni Botsford replaces a north London Victorian structure, preserving its early Norman Foster extension and bringing the whole to the 21st century
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Stephen Friedman Gallery by David Kohn is infused with subtly playful elegance
Stephen Friedman Gallery gets a new home by David Kohn in London, filled with elegant details and colourful accents
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Henry Wood House’s postmodernist bones are refreshed by Nice Projects in London
Nice Projects breathes new life into the Henry Wood House in London, offering ample flexible office spaces for modern workers
By Daven Wu Published
-
‘Bio-spaces’ exhibition at Roca London Gallery celebrates biophilic design
‘Bio-Spaces: regenerative, resilient futures’ opens at the Roca London Gallery as ‘a call to action to stop designing nature out’
By Clare Dowdy Published
-
The visual feast of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 is revealed
The Sony World Photography Awards 2024 winners have been revealed – we celebrate the Architecture & Design category’s visual artists
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Don’t Move, Improve 2024: London’s bold, bright and boutique home renovations
Don’t Move, Improve 2024 reveals its shortlist, with 16 home designs competing for the top spot, to be announced in May
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Activism Award 2024 celebrates architecture’s passionate global champions
The shortlist for architecture’s Activism Award 2024 has been announced, highlighting the work of six nominees
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Timber-framed Wimbledon house is a minimalist, low-energy affair
A new timber-framed Wimbledon house is designed to blend into its traditional surroundings with a neat brick façade, careful massing and pared back interiors
By Jonathan Bell Published