The RIBA has highlighted ‘heritage and education themes’ at the heart of its shortlist for the prestigious 2012 Stirling Prize, which celebrates the best of new British architecture.
RIBA says:
The shortlist features six exceptional and completely different buildings from across the country which will now go head to head for architecture’s highest accolade and a £20,000 prize from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The RIBA Stirling Prize is now in its seventeenth year; the 2012 winner will be announced at a special event in Manchester on Saturday 13 October.
The seemingly simple yet highly innovative London Olympic Stadium, the thoughtful and intimate Maggie’s Cancer Centre in Glasgow, the stunningly original Hepworth Wakefield gallery in Yorkshire, the beautifully detailed and rule-breaking Sainsbury Laboratory for plant science in Cambridge, the New Court Rothschild Bank in London that rises high whilst opening new views at street level, and the crafted and careful reincarnation of the Lyric Theatre on a small suburban site in Belfast are all in the running for the 2012 RIBA Stirling Prize.
The buildings on this year’s shortlist are all highly-crafted buildings and use rich materials, with exceptional attention to every detail. These are buildings that clearly value the individual and visitor’s experience; from the very personal and peaceful Maggie’s Cancer Centre to the new Olympic Stadium, which despite its enormity has an atmosphere of intimacy for every spectator.
Heritage and education are strong themes in this year’s shortlist with the success of the Sainsbury Laboratory housing Darwin’s collection, New Court’s careful integration of the Rothschild’s art collection into its design and both the Lyric Theatre and Hepworth Wakefield skillfully creating exceptional new homes for regional arts.
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