Photographs from Denmark, USA, Bangladesh, Iceland, Hong Kong, India, Spain and the UK have been shortlisted for the CIOB’s annual international Art of Building photography contest.
The public can now vote on their favourite shot online, with the photograph that gains the most votes earning that finalist the coveted title of Art of Building Photographer of the Year and a cash prize of £3,000.
From more than 3,000 entries, the 12 shortlisted images were selected by a judging panel of Sue Steward, broadcaster, writer and art critic for the London Evening Standard; award-winning photographer Matt Wain; and Tom Ravenscroft, deputy editor of Construction Manager magazine.
The finalists include a giant rockface seemingly crushing a shed in Iceland, a London underground station, a tiny Spanish chapel and the interior of 17th century Danish observatory. There are also examples of human interaction with the built environment, from the man climbing a bridge in Bangladesh to a hand tying steel rods together in India.
Other photographs demonstrate the beauty in the commonplace or mundane, from the dizzying geometry of a power pylon, to the intricate pattern of pipes on a half-finished project or the steel supports of an iconic Foster + Partners-designed bridge.
Voting takes place from 18 December and closes on 23 January 2016. The winner will be announced on 8 February 2016.
CIOB competition organiser Saul Townsend said: “Art of Building has produced another amazing crop of pictures that invite us to look at our world in new ways.
“It’s fantastic to see people from so many countries engaging enthusiastically with the built environment. This year we’ve also demonstrated that a lack of specialist photographic equipment is no barrier to entry – one our finalists’ pictures was taken on a smart phone.
“The standard of this year’s Art of Building entries was once again extremely high, and the judges had some very robust debates as they whittled down their final selections. All finalists are worthy winners, but it will be exciting to see which pictures capture the imagination of the general public.
The 12 finalist are:
Watchful by Derek Snee
Under Pressure by Bernabe Della Mattia
High Voltage by Rickie Cheung
Beauty is in the details #2 by Anne Yong
Mr Foster’s Angle by Robert Finch
Half Life by Nikola Filipov
Metal Hand by David Bajrai
My Pod by Peter Murrell
The Daredevil by Ata Adnan
Round is the Old Square by Sheila Unwin
Metal Petals by Iris Posner
Valleaceron Chapel by David Cabrera
I chose “Beauty is in the detail” by Ann Yong.