Stanton Williams’ Sainsbury Laboratory wins the 2012 RIBA Stirling Prize!

2012 : Sainsbury Laboratory / © Hufton+Crow

RIBA President Angela Brady has awarded Stanton Williams the 2012 RIBA Stirling Prize for their Sainsbury Laboratory. The Stirling Prize – the UK’s most prestigious architecture award – is presented annually to the “building that has made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture in the past year”. Sainsbury Laboratory was selected over five other shortlisted candidates, including the London Olympic Stadium which was awarded the “People Choice” in Observers’ Stirling Prize online poll.

Beautifully integrated within the University of Cambridge’s Botanic Garden, the Sainsbury Laboratory provides world-leading scientists engaging in plant science research a working environment of the highest quality that is capable of continuously adapting to the ever-evolving needs of the scientific world. Despite high energy demands, the buildings has achieved a BREEAM excellent rating with the aid of 1,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels and extensive natural lighting.

Learn more with our comprehensive overview of the Stirling Prize-winning project, here on ArchDaily.

2012 RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlist Revealed

London Olympic Stadium, London / Populous © LOCOG

The Royal Institute of British Architecture () has released the shortlist for this year’s , the ’s most prestigious architecture prize that is presented annually to the ‘building that has made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture in the past year’. This year’s six shortlisted projects range from seemingly simple yet highly innovative London Olympic Stadium to the thoughtful and intimate Maggie’s Cancer Centre in Glasgow. The winner will be announced in October at the RIBA dinner.

Follow the break for the complete shortlist and more details about the RIBA Stirling Prize.

Zaha Hadid wins 2011 RIBA Stirling Prize

© Luke Hayes

For the second year in a row, was announced as the winner of the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize.  Often labeled as the ’s most important architecture award, Hadid will be awarded £20,000 for her design of the Evelyn Grace Academy in London.  Recognizing the ‘architects of the building that has made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture in the past year’, to be considered the project must be built in Britain or the architects head office must be in the UK.

Zaha Hadid’s Evelyn Grace Academy was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize along with O’Donnell and Tuomey’s An Gaelaras, David Chipperfield Architects’s Folkwang Museum , AHMM’s Angel Building, Bennetts Associates’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and the Velodrome by Hopkins Architects.  Last year Hadid was awarded the prize for her design of the MAXXI Museum of Modern Art in Rome.

This year’s award was a bit controversial; former president of the RIBA, George Ferguson’s reaction, ‘This is an appalling result and the worst decision since the Magna Centre beat Girmshaw’s Eden Project to win the Stirling Prize in 2001. It’s a great big own goal. It is also the worst possible message to send to [education secretary] Michael Gove. In fact it reinforces his case. A good school is one that can be replicated. But this can’t. It’s a one-off. The prize [has become] an award from architects for architects. It makes me angry.’

More reactions regarding the 2011 Stirling Prize can be found at the Architects Journal.

RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlist 2011 Revealed

Evelyn Grace Academy / Zaha Hadid Architects © Luke Hayes

The Royal Institute of British Architecture () recently released the shortlist for this year’s Stirling Prize, the UK’s most prestigious architecture prize. Presented annually to the architects of the ‘building that has made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture in the past year’ this year’s six shortlisted projects range from the most expensive city academy school every built to a 1932 refurbished theater.  The winner will be announced in October at the dinner, held at the Magna Science and Adventure Centre in Rotherham, winner of the 2001 .

Follow the break for the complete shortlist and more details about the RIBA Stirling Prize.

Video: King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) / Zaha Hadid Architects

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Here is a video about one of Zaha Hadid‘s latest project, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSRC) in Riyadh, .  This project has a holistic approach unifying architecture and engineering, landscape and building artist expression and environmental responsive design.  It is intended to not only be a leading research facility, but also a LEED Platinum certified building upon its completion.

We recently featured , as she won this years esteemed RIBA Stirling Prize for the design of the MAXXI National Museum in Rome. Full coverage of the RIBA Stirling Prize along with photographs of the MAXXI can be found here.

Also you can check our previous coverage of Saudi Arabai – in particular last year ArchDaily personally visited Saudi Arabia for the opening of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, an international graduate-level research institution.  Photographs and a write up on KAUST here.

RIBA Stirling Prize 2010: MAXXI Museum / Zaha Hadid

© Iwan Baan

A few weeks ago we told you about the short list for this years RIBA Stirling Prize. And once again our readers got it right, as the majority of your comments favorited Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI Museum in Rome, which has been announced as the winner of the prestigious british award.

You can check our previous coverage of the MAXXI Museum.

RIBA Stirling Prize 2010 Shortlist

© Iwan Baan

Now in its 15th year, the RIBA Stirling Prize is awarded to the architects of the best new European building ‘built or designed in Britain’. The winner will be announced at the Dinner on 2 October, and broadcast live on BBC Two’s The Culture Show at 6.30pm, presented by Kevin McCloud.

Complete shortlist after the break.

Richard Rogers wins Stirling Prize for Maggie’s Centre

© José Miguel Hernández Hernández
© José Miguel Hernández Hernández

The RIBA is given each year to one selected building. And this year’s prize went to the Maggie Center by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.


Richard Rogers on the Maggie’s Center building, by The Architects’ Journal

This small buildings has a great inside/outside integration, given by the combination of several transparent planes and the independent roof, as you can see on the photos.

After the break, more photos by architectural photographer José Miguel Hernández Hernández, and a short video by AJ.

RIBA Stirling Prize Shortlist 2009

1251126620-portadaThe Shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2009 has been announced. The six shortlisted schemes were chosen from a midlist of 22 RIBA Award 2009 winners.

The RIBA 2009 winner will be announced at the RIBA 2009 Dinner on 17 October 2009 at Old Billingsgate, London.

You can see the six chosen schemes after the break. For more information, click here.