The Royal Institute of British Architects has announced the shortlist for the annual Stirling Prize that highlights the UK’s best building of the year. The projects on the list include a house made of cork, a gin distillery and one of the UK's busiest stations – revealing the diversity of UK building practice today.
Grimshaw’s London Bridge Station was commended for its voluminous, light-filled concourse. A residential housing scheme in Norwich by Mikhail Riches with Cathy Hawley held up for its energy efficiency. Feilden Fowles’ Yorkshire Sculpture Park visitor centre was recognized for its connection to the landscape. The Nevill Holt Opera, renovated from a 17th-century stable block by Witherford Watson Mann Architects and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners’ Macallan Distillery both attracted shortlisting because of their unique offerings.
The Weston, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, by Feilden Fowles Architects.
‘These six buildings could hardly be more diverse in typology and scale – from a rustic stable block-turned-theatre to a vast national railway station. But what they have in common – ground-breaking innovation, extraordinary creativity and the highest quality materials and detailing – sets them apart, rightfully earning them a chance to win the highest accolade in architecture,’ says RIBA President Ben Derbyshire.
RELATED STORY
So what does the ‘best’ mean? In 2019, for RIBA, that means ‘ground-breaking innovation, extraordinary creativity and the highest quality materials and detailing,’yet also projects that seek to address the big issues important to the UK right now – from the housing crisis to global climate emergency.
‘From the way that Cork House experiments with entirely plant-based materials, to Goldsmith Street’s ultra-low energy affordable homes, each of these six buildings push the boundaries of architecture, exceeding what has been done before, and providing solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our times,’ says Derbyshire.
Goldsmith Street, Norwich, by Mikhail Riches with Cathy Hawley. ‘A large development of 105 highly energy-efficient homes for social rent, designed to Passivhaus standards for Norwich City Council’ – RIBA.
The Weston, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, by Feilden Fowles Architects. ‘An exquisite new gallery and visitor centre nestled into the Yorkshire landscape’ – RIBA. Read more here…
London Bridge Station, by Grimshaw. ‘A radical reconfiguration and development of one of London’s busiest stations with a new voluminous, light-filled concourse’ – RIBA.
Cork House, Berkshire, by Matthew Barnett Howland with Dido Milne and Oliver Wilton. ‘An ingenious, experimental, carbon-neutral private house made almost entirely from cork’ – RIBA
Nevill Holt Opera, Leicestershire, by Witherford Watson Mann Architects. ‘A contemporary opera theatre within a 17th-century stable block’– RIBA. Read more here…
INFORMATION
Nevill Holt Opera, Leicestershire, by Witherford Watson Mann Architects. ‘A contemporary opera theatre within a 17th-century stable block’– RIBA. Photography: Hélène Binet. Read more here…
-
What’s new in the wearable world of smart glasses, and extended and augmented realityAre you ready for AR? Meta, Google, Snap and more are gearing up to compete with Apple and deliver frames-based communications devices – complete with AI integration
-
Italian-Japanese fusion’s a joy at east London’s Osteria AngelinaA Victorian warehouse in Spitalfields has been given a slick modern makeover to house a unique Italian-Japanese restaurant
-
Meet the Palestinian artist putting a candy-coloured twist on traditional glassmakingWith her company Ornamental by Lameice, designer Lameice Abu Aker is bringing joy and optimism to a time-honoured craft
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshopNew Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on lifeThanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
Lego and Serpentine celebrate World Play Day with a new pavilionLego and Serpentine have just unveiled their Play Pavilion; a colourful new structure in Kensington Gardens in London and a gesture that celebrates World Play Day (11 June)
-
Inside Abbey Road's refresh: touring the legendary studio's new interiorAbbey Road gets an interior refresh by Threefold Architects, bringing the legendary London recording studio in tune with the 21st century
-
The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready to visit, ‘an exhibition you can use’The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready for its public opening on 6 June; we toured the structure and spoke to its architect, Marina Tabassum
-
A meticulously crafted artist’s space in east London evokes the area’s long creative historyMaich Swift Architects’ artist’s space has radically reconfigured a Victorian terraced house, transforming it into a contemporary live/work interior
-
Welcome to Omved Gardens, north London’s hidden green oasisThis secret space in Highgate is relaunching as a vibrant community hub with new spaces, activities and exhibitions
-
This contemporary cabin cantilevers over a Scottish lochRock Cove, Cameron Webster Architects’ contemporary cabin in Argyll, Scotland, makes the most of its wild setting
