Brent Civic Centre, the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool and the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth are among 17 public buildings to receive a National RIBA Award this week. Public buildings make up more than a third of the buildings on the 44 strong list which, along with another 12 buildings drawn from the EU, serves as a shortlist for the Stirling Prize
Some of the UK’s best-known new buildings have won an award: the Shard by Renzo Piano, the London Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects, the Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo and the redevelopment of Kings Cross Station by John McAslan and Partners. Alongside these big projects, the crop of winners includes a particularly large number of smaller scale projects, for example Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft formed from a village school and barn in Sussex by Adam Richards Architects; the conservation and redesign of the Grade 2 listed Porthmeor Artists’ Studios in St Ives by Long & Kentish Architects and a small private house cut into a cliff on the Isle of Sky by Dualchas Architects.
The list includes 17 buildings in London, reflecting the fact that the capital has continues to the construction industry’s power house.
Mecanoo’s Library of Birmingham
Hufton + Crow’s Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth
Speaking today, RIBA President Stephen Hodder said: “This year’s RIBA National Award winners show that exceptional architecture can be found anywhere: on any high street, in any village or town, and with any budget. Good architecture always begins with a committed client and it is extremely heartening to see in this year’s crop of winners, the increasing recognition, notably in the public sector, of the vital role of good design in attracting visitors, students and clients and of the dramatic influence that a beautiful building has on communities and pride.
“These buildings show the challenges that can be overcome with pure architectural creativity – in the case of the London School of Economics’ student centre, a vertical labyrinth was created to deal with a constricted London site; at the TNG Youth Centre in Lewisham the architect helped find funding to enable the building to happen; and with the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, the design team resolved the most complex brief: strict atmospheric conditions on a historic site. It is evident that each building on this year’s list has been a labour of love but worth every penny and effort.”
The winners of the RIBA National and EU Awards will be celebrated at a special event at the Serpentine Pavilion on 4 July, generously hosted by Hiscox, sponsor of the RIBA Manser Medal for the best new home in the UK.
The RIBA Stirling Prize, sponsored by Brockton Capital, is awarded to the architects of the building that has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the past year. The shortlist will be announced on 17 July 2014 and the prize will be presented on Thursday 16 October in London.
For the full list of winners click here.
Porthmeor Artists’ Studios in St Ives by Long & Kentish Architects
