RIBA Announces 2012 Stirling Prize Shortlist

Architizer News

RIBA Announces 2012 Stirling Prize Shortlist

July 24, 2012

One of the nominees: The Hepworth by David Chipperfield Architects

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced the 2012 shortlist for its most prestigious award, the Stirling Prize, named after the late British architect James Stirling. The prize is awarded each year to recognize the architect who is seen by the jury to have made the biggest contribution to the evolution of architecture in the last 12 months; the prize can only go to buildings that were built or designed in the United Kingdom.

This year, the jury paired down the ‘midlist’ with around fifty nominees to the shortlist of six. Between now and early October, the jury will prune the list even further, down to one. Among the six contestants remaining are an art museum in a river, an office tower in London, a healing pavilion in Glasgow and a science laboratory in Cambridge. Click through for a roundup of the six shortlist contenders.

The Hepworth, Wakefield. David Chipperfield Architects.

The Hepworth Wakefield, built to house the Hepworth art collection, is approached by a bridge over the River Calder. The museum fits well into its Yorkshire context, capturing the solidity and anchoredness of the surrounding industrial buildings. Though the building at times appears massive, moments of welcome and the human scale exist, as well, crafting a rich experience of dualities. From the exterior, the building appears as a random series of boxes, though the internal order is quite clear with galleries radiating from the central areas which contain the administrative program.