London
Populous
The Olympic stadium got some sniffy reviews when its design was unveiled five years ago – too plain, too ordinary was the general view. Now, plainness, simplicity and its economical use of steel are seen as virtues, as is the fact that it is partly demountable, and has found its way on to the RIBA Stirling prize shortlist. In theory at least, this should make it easier to reuse after the Games. It is also a handsome, confident-looking structure. The only problems are that its price was not quite as plain and ordinary as its appearance implies, while protracted struggles to find a new use after the Games suggest that it is not as adaptable as all that. These struggles are probably more to do with politics than design, however. Previous form (as HOK Sport, Populous’s former name): Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and sliding roof over Centre Court at Wimbledon Photograph: RIBA
London
Populous
Photograph: RIBA
London
Populous
Photograph: RIBA
London
Populous Photograph: Morley von Sternberg
Belfast
O’Donnell + Tuomey
A beautifully considered and well-made theatre by the Dublin-based O’Donnell + Tuomey, who were shortlisted last year for their An Gaeláras cultural centre in Derry. The design is about progressing from the city outside through the foyers and bars to the performance space at the heart of the building, with views to a river and greenery. It uses a lot of brick and timber, but avoids the worthiness that sometimes goes with these materials. Belfast doesn’t always make headlines for its architectural quality and its new Titanic museum is a contender for the Carbuncle Cup – Building Design magazine’s prize for the year’s worst building. But the Lyric is on the Stirling list on merit. Previous form: National Photographic Archive, Dublin; Photographers’ Gallery London Photograph: Dennis Gilbert
Belfast
O’Donnell + Tuomey Photograph: Dennis Gilbert
Belfast
O’Donnell + Tuomey Photograph: PR
Glasgow
OMA
With its other shortlisted project, OMA shows it can do nice. This is one of the series of Maggie’s cancer centres, where leading architects design places where patients and their relatives can come for advice, counselling, company or simply peace and quiet. They were conceived by the architecture critic Charles Jencks and his wife, Maggie Keswick, who died of cancer, as antidotes to the architecturally depressing spaces in which most treatment takes place. OMA’s centre is less assertive than previous centres such as Zaha Hadid’s in Fife, or the Richard Rogers-designed building in London that won the Stirling in 2009. Instead, it focuses attention on the landscaping, which is designed by Jencks’s and Keswick’s daughter, Lily Photograph: Philippe Ruault
Glasgow
OMA Photograph: Philippe Ruault
Glasgow
OMA
Photograph: Philippe Ruault
London
OMA (with Allies & Morrison and Pringle Brandon)
Given that bankers are only slightly more popular than child-abusers, it would take some nerve by the Stirling judges to give this first prize, even though Rothschild likes to protest its difference from the casino banks of ill repute. On architectural merit alone, it is a contender: it seeks to create the headquarters for a powerful financial institution, while also offering the world outside an arresting open space off a narrow City of London street. It is intricate and sometimes playful, even if not entirely politically correct. OMA is the practice founded by Rem Koolhaas, which, despite international renown, has not troubled the Stirling judges until now. Previous form: Central China TV HQ, Beijing; Seattle Central Library Photograph: Philippe Ruault
London
OMA (with Allies & Morrison and Pringle Brandon) Photograph: Philippe Ruault
London
OMA (with Allies & Morrison and Pringle Brandon) Photograph: Charlie Koolhaas
Wakefield
David Chipperfield Architects
A sober, impressive art gallery named after the Wakefield-born sculptor Barbara Hepworth. It is designed by David Chipperfield, who has several Stirling near-misses to his name and one win, in 2007. His strengths are the attention he pays to light, space and material, but the judges usually end up going for something more spectacular or else for projects that are seen to have more social significance, such as schools or housing. Set next to water and to historic industrial buildings, the Hepworth seeks to address its site and emulate their Yorkshire toughness with a structure of pigmented concrete. Previous form: Neues Museum, Berlin (shortlisted for Stirling in 2010); Museum of Modern Literature, Marbach, Germany (winner 2007) Photograph: Robert Goddyn
Wakefield
David Chipperfield Architects Photograph: PR
Wakefield
David Chipperfield Architects Photograph: Iwan Baan
Cambridge
Stanton Williams
A place where “world-leading” scientists can study plants in the setting of the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden. As well as fulfilling taxing technical demands, the architects Stanton Williams aimed to achieve a “collegial” environment conducive to the sharing of ideas and knowledge. The result is an L-shape, like two sides of a cloister or a college court, that is also open to the landscape. The architectural approach is rectilinear, well-built, with sharp, straight lines offsetting the natural surroundings. The structure has a certain solidity, while also creating a series of layers through which light and views are filtered. Previous form: University of the Arts, King’s Cross; Tower Hill Square (public space next to Tower of London) Photograph: PR
Cambridge
Stanton Williams Photograph: PR
Cambridge
Stanton Williams Photograph: PR
