Renzo Piano’s Shard and Zaha Hadid’s aquatics centre among high-profile schemes to make RIBA Awards list

The Shard

Renzo Piano’s Shard, Zaha Hadid’s London Aquatics Centre and Mecanoo’s Birmingham Library are among the big-name schemes that are all in the running to be shortlisted for this year’s Stirling Prize.

The three are among a total of 56 RIBA National and EU Award winners with the six-strong Stirling shortlist due to be announced on 17 July.

In their citation for the Shard, the judges for the London South region, chaired by Wilkinson Eyre’s Jim Eyre, said: “The building is omnipresent in London. If the architects had illustrated every view where it appears as part of the planning process the resulting material would have filled several fat volumes.

“It is lucky for all of us then that its great virtues are all related to its external appearance.”

Eyre’s practice is also in the running for Stirling with its Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth while other winners include John McAslan’s King’s Cross station scheme in London and Haworth Tompkins’ Everyman Theatre in Liverpool.

“This year’s RIBA National Award winners show that exceptional architecture can be found anywhere – on any high street, in any village or town and with an any budget,” said RIBA president Stephen Hodder.

In all, a dozen schemes from the EU picked up awards including buildings by previous Stirling winners Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners and Foster & Partners.

The winners of the awards will be celebrated at a special event at the Serpentine Pavilion early next month ahead of the Stirling shortlisting. This year’s Stirling Prize will be held in London on 16 October.

This story first appeared on Building Design

King's Cross Station

Source: Hufton + Crow

King’s Cross Station

Olympic aquatics centre