Let the battle commence: 2016 RIBA International Prize shortlist revealed

The RIBA International Prize, the institute’s latest and greatest international accolade, has just announced the much-awaited shortlist for its first ever installment this year.
The new honour, unveiled last December (and supported by Wallpaper*), has been gathering pace, announcing a prestigious panel of judges over the past few months, who will award the top gong to a worthy building, picked from a high profile selection of works from around the globe.
Now, 30 projects have been announced to be part of this shortlist. From initial submissions from over 50 countries, the final list was whittled down to these select few, which represent a variety of practices and typologies, as well as over 20 countries. The nominees include from Zaha Hadid Architects’ Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan, to St Angela's College Cork by O’Donnell + Tuomey and Tula House in Canada by Patkau Architects, and typologies span education, cultural, commercial and residential buildings.
The schemes will be visited over the summer by the RIBA Awards committee, who will bring the list down to 20. A list of six finalists will chosen and visited by the Grand Jury this autumn, in order to pick the overall winner.
At the same time as the announcement of this shortlist, the RIBA has revealed the final jury member to be added to its list of prestigious judges; Billie Tsien, the co-founding partner of award winning architecture practice Tod Williams Billie Tsien. Earlier confirmed members of the Prize’s Grand Jury include chair Lord Rogers of Riverside, Kunlé Adeyemi, Philip Gumuchdjian and Marilyn Jordan Taylor.
Now, the battle will commence for the final winner, who will be crowned the international best building of the year in a dedicated ceremony in December 2016.
Invisible House, Australia, by Peter Stutchbury Architecture.
Museo Jumex, Mexico, by David Chipperfield Architects.
Office Building Moganshan Road, China, by David Chipperfield Architects.
Oita Prefecture Art Museum, Japan, by Shigeru Ban Architects.
Parkroyal On Pickering, Singapore, by WOHA Architects.
Public Library Of Constitucion, Chile, by Sebastian Irarrazaval Arquitectos.
Qatar Faculty Of Islamic Studies, Qatar, by Mangera Yvars Architects Ltd.
Rundeskogen, Norway, by dRMM Architects / Helen and Hard Architects.
Saint Louis Art Museum, USA, by David Chipperfield Architects.
Saint Trinitatis Catholic Church, Germany, by Schulz und Schulz.
Sancaklar Mosque, Tukrey, by EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture.
Skyterrace, Singapore, by SCDA Architects Pte Ltd.
St Angelas College Cork, Ireland, by O'Donnell + Tuomey.
Stormen Concert Hall, Theatre and Public Library, Norway, by DRDH Architects.
The Ring Of Remembrance International WWI Memorial Of Notre Dame de Lorette, France, by Agence d’architecture Philippe Prost.
Tula House, Canada, by Patkau Architects.
Utec Universidad De Ingenieria y Tecnologia, Peru, Grafton Architects.
Via At West 57th, USA, by BIG.
Angdong Hospital, China, by Rural Urban Framework.
Arquipelago Contemporary Arts Center, The Azores, by Menos é Mais, Arquitectos Associados.
Buenos Aires Ciudad Casa De Gobierno, Argentina, by Foster + Partners.
Culture House Rozet, Netherlands, by Neutelings Riedijk Architects.
DLR Lexicon, Ireland, by Carr Cotter Naessens.
Europaallee Baufeld E, Swizterland, by Caruso St John.
European Hansemuseum, Germany, Studio Andreas Heller Architects & Designers.
Farming Kindergarten, Vietnam, by Vo Trong Nghia Architects.
Fine Arts Museum Of Asturias, Spain, by Francisco Mangado - Mangado y Asociados.
Fulton Centre, USA, by Grimshaw HDR and Page Ayres Cowley Architects.
Jockey Club Innovation Tower, Hong Kong, by Zaha Hadid Architects.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the RIBA website
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).
-
Classic New York restaurants for delicious food and inspired design
From Michelin-starred fine dining to reimagined retro diners, these are the most emblematic (and easy-on-the-eye) places to eat in the Big Apple
-
Ten super-cool posters for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics have just been unveiled
The Olympic committees asked ten young artists for their creative take on the 2026 Milano Cortina Games
-
A local architect’s guide to Accra
Alice Asafu-Adjaye, founder of architecture studio Mustard, describes the Ghanaian capital as spicy, colourful and loud. Here’s how to tap into its contagious energy
-
The 2025 Obel Award is scooped not by an architect or building, but by a movement
HouseEurope! has won the 2025 Obel Award; the non-profit organisation has been advocating for ecological and social transformation in the built environment
-
Zaha Hadid Architects’ spaceship-like Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum is now open
Last week, ZHA announced the opening of its latest project: a museum in Shenzhen, China, dedicated to the power of technological advancements. It was only fitting, therefore, that the building design should embrace innovation
-
Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa on harmony, nature and their RIBA gong
The SANAA duo are celebrating their RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2025 in London today, and talked to us about self-reflection, the year ahead, and the need to create harmony in our environment
-
The upcoming Zaha Hadid Architects projects set to transform the horizon
A peek at Zaha Hadid Architects’ future projects, which will comprise some of the most innovative and intriguing structures in the world
-
Liu Jiakun wins 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize: explore the Chinese architect's work
Liu Jiakun, 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, is celebrated for his 'deep coherence', quality and transcendent architecture
-
Zaha Hadid Architects reveals plans for a futuristic project in Shaoxing, China
The cultural and arts centre looks breathtakingly modern, but takes cues from the ancient history of Shaoxing
-
Young Climate Prize 2025 winners: the creatives designing for a better tomorrow
The winners for the Young Climate Prize 2025 cycle by The World Around have been announced, crowning a new generation of changemakers; we go behind the scenes and reveal the process and winners
-
And the RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2025 goes to... SANAA!
The RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2025 winner is announced – Japanese studio SANAA scoops the prestigious architecture industry accolade