Stirling Prize 2011, Winner, Architecture, Images, Shortlist, Betting Odds, News, Photos

RIBA Stirling Prize 2011 Winner

Shortlisted Buildings + Architects : UK Architecture Awards

1 Oct 2011

Stirling Prize Winner 2011

RIBA Stirling Prize 2011 awarded to Evelyn Grace Academy by Zaha Hadid Architects

Evelyn Grace Academy, south London
Zaha Hadid Architects

picture : Luke Hayes

Evelyn Grace Academy in London by Zaha Hadid Architects wins the RIBA Stirling Prize 2011 for the best building of the year.

The Evelyn Grace Academy, a cutting-edge new secondary school in Brixton, south London by Zaha Hadid Architects has won the prestigious £20,000 RIBA Stirling Prize 2011 for the best new European building built or designed in the United Kingdom. This is the second year running that Zaha Hadid Architects have won the RIBA Stirling Prize; last year they won the award for their MAXXI Museum of 21st Century Art in Rome; this year they have put the practice’s formidable reputation to great use by breaking new ground in school design. Now in its 16th year, the RIBA Stirling Prize is presented in association with The Architects Journal and Kingspan Benchmark

The presentation of the UK’s premier architectural award took place at a special ceremony this evening (Saturday 1 October) at the RIBA Stirling Prize-winning (2001) Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, and will be televised tomorrow (Sunday 2 October 2011) on BBC TWO’s The Culture Show at 5pm.

A highly stylized zig-zag of steel and glass, the Evelyn Grace Academy is squeezed on to the tightest of urban sites (1.4 hectares – the average secondary school is 8/9 hectares). The architects received a complex brief: four schools under a single academy umbrella with the need to express both independence and unity.

The architects were strongly encouraged by the client to ‘think outside the box’. With such a small space and with sport being one of the Academy’s ‘special subjects’ (each Academy school has one), the architects needed to be highly inventive. They succeeded, for instance by cleverly inserting a 100m running track into the heart of the site taking pupils right up to the front door. By dramatically celebrating the school’s specialism, the RIBA Stirling Prize judges noted ‘this is a design that literally makes kids run to get into school in the morning’.

The Evelyn Grace Academy is the first school to win the RIBA Stirling Prize, with seven schools shortlisted in previous years. It is the first time that Zaha Hadid Architects have designed a school and their first large-scale project in the UK. Previously they designed a Maggie’s Centre in Scotland and more recently they have completed the Riverside Museum in Glasgow and the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympics.

Speaking tonight, RIBA President Angela Brady, Chair of the judges, said: “The Evelyn Grace Academy is an exceptional example of what can be achieved when we invest carefully in a well-designed new school building. The result – a highly imaginative, exciting Academy that shows the students, staff and local residents that they are valued – is what every school should and could be. The unique design, expertly inserted into an extremely tight site, celebrates the school’s sports specialism throughout its fabric, with drama and views of student participation at every contortion and turn. Evelyn Grace Academy is a very worthy winner of architecture’s most prestigious award and I am delighted to present Zaha Hadid Architects with this accolade.”

The Evelyn Grace Academy is run by ARK (Absolute Return for Kids) Academy organisation, a charity set up by Arpad “Arki” Busson, the hedge-fund multimillionaire. ARK aims to offer exceptional opportunities to local children in inner cities with the aim of helping to close the achievement gap between children from disadvantaged and more affluent backgrounds.

Peter Walker, Principal of the Evelyn Grace Academy said: “This visually stunning building makes a powerful statement to our students every day they attend school. As a new academy setting the highest expectations for all students, it is fitting that we have such an aspirational environment. The internal structure of the building supports the innovative nature of Evelyn Grace Academy’s small school system exceptionally well.”

Zaha Hadid said: “It is very significant that our first project in London is the Evelyn Grace. Schools are among the first examples of architecture that everyone experiences and have a profound impact on all children as they grow up. I am delighted that the Evelyn Grace Academy has been so well received by all its students and staff.”

Stirling Prize Winner 2011 – Evelyn Grace Academy Brixton : further information

Evelyn Grace Academy was chosen from the following outstanding shortlisted entries:

• An Gaelaras, Derry by O’Donnell and Tuomey
• The Angel Building, London by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM)
• Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany by David Chipperfield Architects
• Olympic Velodrome London 2012 by Hopkins Architects, supported by the Olympic Delivery Authority
• Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres, Stratford by Bennetts Associates

RIBA President Angela Brady announced the winner, editor of The Architects’ Journal, Christine Murray, awarded the £20,000 cheque and Peter Santo, Head of Benchmark presented the certificate to architects Patrik Schumacher and Lars Teichman, and school principal Peter Walker.

The 2011 RIBA Stirling Prize judges were RIBA President and Chair of the judges, Angela Brady; Sir Peter Cook – architect and academic, formerly of Royal Gold Medal winning Archigram; Hanif Kara – engineer, Adams Kara Taylor; Dan Pearson – landscape designer and RIBA Honorary Fellow and Alison Brooks – architect and winner of the RIBA Stirling Prize 2008 with Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Maccreanor Lavington for the Accordia housing scheme.

The winners of the RIBA Lubetkin Prize and two special awards were also announced this evening:

• The Met, a sixty-six storey residential skyscraper in Bangkok, Thailand by WOHA architects won the prestigious RIBA Lubetkin Prize for the most outstanding work of international architecture outside the EU by a member of the RIBA.

The Met in Bangkok, Thailand
WOHA architects

photograph © Patrick Bingham-Hall

• St. Patrick’s School Library and Music Room in north-west London by Coffey Architects won the RIBA’s 2011 Stephen Lawrence Prize. Set up in memory of Stephen Lawrence who was setting out on the road to becoming an architect when he was murdered in 1993 and funded by the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, the prize rewards the best examples of projects that have a construction budget of less than £1 million and is intended to encourage fresh talent working with smaller budgets.

St. Patricks School Library and Music Room
Architect: Coffey Architects

photograph © Tim Soar

• The Royal Shakespeare Company won the 2011 RIBA Client of the Year supported by the Bloxham Charitable Trust. The award recognizes the role good clients play in the delivery of fine architecture.

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Bennetts Associates

image © Peter Cook

Stirling Prize – Public Vote Winner in 2011

Olympic Velodrome, Stratford, east London
Hopkins Architects

image from RIBA

1st: Olympic Velodrome London 2012 by Hopkins 62.9%
2nd: An Gaelaras, Derry by O’Donnell and Tuomey 24.8%
3rd: The Angel Building, London by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris 4.5%
4th: Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford by Bennetts Associates 3.3%
5th: Evelyn Grace Academy, London by Zaha Hadid Architects 2.8%
6th: Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany by David Chipperfield Architects 1.7%

So the Stirling Prize Winner – Zaha Hadid Architects – only received 2.8% of the vote.

The disparity between the public and the judges is marked. We thought the Olympic Velodrome was most likely to win as it is an elegant form, neatly expressed and although the school is captivating and energetic we questioned whether its sculptural eye-catching qualities took priority over ergonomics within.

Many within the profession have already criticised the Stirling Prize shortlist and the overall process. This massive differance between the direction of the judges and the public will only put further pressure on the awards. It will also make many members of the public yet again see the profession as being out of touch with them, given that the judges are supposed to represent the architectural profession.
Adrian Welch, e-architect editor

Views welcome at info(at)e-architect.com

London Velodrome – Stirling Prize Winner of the Public Vote in 2011:

photo from fd

The RIBA Stirling Prize is awarded to the architects of the building that has made the greatest contribution to British architecture in the past year

23 Sep 2011

Stirling Prize Public Vote

Which building should win the RIBA Stirling Prize? You decide

RIBA launches public vote to find the nation’s favourite Stirling Prize nominated building

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is inviting the nation to vote for its favourite building on the shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2011.

The online poll was launched today on www.architecture.com and will run for one week only, closing on 30 September. The results of the public vote will be announced on Saturday 1 October before the RIBA Stirling Prize judges choose the official winner, so make sure your favourite gets your vote!

In 2010, the public vote went to Ashmolean Museum, Oxford by Rick Mather Architects, but the Stirling judges were most impressed with MAXXI, the National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome by Zaha Hadid Architects.

Now in its 16th year, the RIBA Stirling Prize is awarded annually to the architects of the best new European building ‘built or designed in Britain’. This year’s shortlist comprises of the beautifully simple Velodrome by Hopkins Architects in London’s Olympic Park; the carefully crafted remodelling of the Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres in Stratford upon Avon by Bennetts Associates; the Evelyn Grace Academy, a highly imaginative London school on a tight urban site by Zaha Hadid; An Galeras, an innovative and vibrant cultural centre in Derry by O’Donnell and Tuomey; the transformation of an unremarkable 1980s office building in London into The Angel Building an elegant new office and retail space by AHMM, and David Chipperfield’s breathtaking extension of the Folkwang Museum museum in Germany.

The winner of the £20,000 prize will be announced on Saturday 1 October at Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham and will be broadcast on a special edition of BBC TWO’s The Culture Show on Sunday 2 October, presented by Kevin McCloud.

21 Jul 2011

Stirling Prize Shortlist 2011

Angel Building, north London
Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

photograph © Tim Soar

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Bennetts Associates

image © Peter Cook

Museum Folkwang Essen, Germany
David Chipperfield Architects

photo : Christian Richters

Evelyn Grace Academy, south London
Zaha Hadid Architects

picture : Luke Hayes

Velodrome, Stratford, east London
Hopkins Architects

photo from fd

An Gaelaras, Derry – Irish Language Arts and Cultural Centre, Derry, Northern Ireland
O’Donnell + Tuomey

photo from RIBA

e-architect will post betting odds as soon as they materialise

Stirling Prize Comment

Once again Chipperfield is pitted against Hadid. Last year in the Stirling Prize many thought Chipperfield might just win with his Neues Museum but Hadid’s MAXXI won in the end.

Of course David Chipperfield and Zaha Hadid have also both won the Stirling Prize in previous years, in 2007 and 2010 respectively.

Some major architects have missed out on the Stirling Prize shortlist – including world-famous architects such as Foster + Partners, Jean Nouvel and FOA.

Comments on the Stirling Prize Shortlist for 2011 welcome : info(at)e-architect.com

Stirling Prize shortlist : six buildings

21 Jul 2011

Stirling Prize Shortlist for 2011

Angel Building, north London
Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
(3rd nomination for Stirling Prize)

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Bennetts Associates
(3rd nomination for Stirling Prize)

Museum Folkwang Essen, Germany
David Chipperfield Architects
(7th nomination for Stirling Prize + former winner – 2007)

Evelyn Grace Academy, south London
Zaha Hadid Architects
(5th nomination for Stirling Prize + former winner – 2010)

Velodrome, Stratford, east London
Hopkins Architects
(3rd nomination for Stirling Prize)

An Gaelaras, Derry – Irish Language Arts and Cultural Centre, Derry, Northern Ireland
O’Donnell + Tuomey
(3rd nomination for Stirling Prize)

e-architect will post betting odds as soon as they materialise

Stirling Prize Comment in 2011

photo : Christian Richters

Once again Chipperfield (above) is pitted against Hadid (below). Last year in the Stirling Prize many thought Chipperfield might just win with his Neues Museum but Hadid’s MAXXI won in the end.

picture : Luke Hayes

The shortlisted buildings are mosly fairly rational, sedate buildings with the exception of the wild school by Zaha and the simple organic form of the Velodrome by Hopkins.

photo from fd

In fact the Velodrome (above) is probably the most readable building on the shortlist and is also surely to be the prime contender, but let’s see what the bookies come up with.

Three buildings are in London, one in Northern Ireland, one in the Midlands and one in Germany. There are no Stirling Prize shortlisted buildings in Scotland, Wales or northern England.

Adrian Welch, e-architect Editor

Here are some of the contenders, selected by e-architect, that missed out on the Stirling Prize shortlist – including world-famous architects such as Foster + Partners, Jean Nouvel and FOA:

Faustino Winery, Ribero del Duero, Spain
Foster + Partners

picture : Nigel Young_Foster + Partners

Ravensbourne, London
Design: Foreign Office Architects

photo : Morley von Sternberg

City of Westminster College, London W2
schmidt hammer lassen architects

picture from architect

Comments on the Stirling Prize Shortlist for 2011 welcome : info(at)e-architect.com

20 Apr 2011

Stirling Prize 2011 Judges News

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is pleased to announce the judges for the 2011 RIBA Stirling Prize:

Angela Brady, Chair of the Judges – RIBA President (commencing Sep 2011)
Sir Peter Cook – architect and academic, formerly of Royal Gold Medal winning Achigram
Hanif Kara – engineer, Adams Kara Taylor
Dan Pearson – landscape designer and RIBA Honorary Fellow
Lene Tranberg – architect, Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter, Copenhagen

Angela Brady – President Elect of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA):

photo from RIBA
The RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist is selected from buildings that have won a 2011 RIBA Award. RIBA Awards are for buildings in the UK by RIBA Chartered Architects and RIBA International Fellows or for buildings in the rest of the EU by RIBA Chartered Architects.

The RIBA Stirling Prize Dinner 2011 will take place on Saturday 1 Oct at Magna, Rotherham, Sheffield.

Location: UK

Stirling Prize Winner

Stirling Prize winner in 2010 : MAXXI, Italy – Zaha Hadid Architects
Having been shortlisted for the Stirling Prize many times, and with few buildings in the UK, Zaha Hadid at last wins the UK’s premier architecture award.

Stirling Prize 2010

RIBA Stirling Prize 2010 Opinion
Stirling Prize Shortlist 2010 – thoughts by Joyce Hwang for e-architect

RIBA Awards

Pritzker Prize architects – Architect Winners

RIBA Stirling Prize contenders – RIBA Awards

Stirling Prize Awards background : shortlist / buildings / architects / odds / favourite

Comments re Stirling Prize 2011 welcome