Six in contention for RIBA Stirling Prize
The shortlist for the Riba Stirling Prize – the UK’s most prestigious architectural award – has been revealed, with the winner to be announced on Thursday (16 October). The six finalists will now battle it out for the coveted prize, which was last year won by Astley Castle, near Nuneaton.
The shortlist is as follows:
London Aquatics Centre, Zaha Hadid Architects
The London Aquatics Centre, which was home to high drama during the London 2012 Olympic Games, has now been opened as a public swimming venue. For the same price as a dip at a local pool, people can swim in the Zaha Hadid-designed centre, which has also played host to the likes of Tom Daley and Ellie Simmonds as a training facility.
Rated BREEAM Excellent for its environmental impact, the building includes cutting-edge sustainability features and was inspired by the fluid geometry of water in motion, creating spaces and a surrounding environment which complements the river landscape of the Olympic Park.
The Shard, Renzo Piano
The incredibly popular tourism attraction designed by Renzo Piano has become a significant part of the London skyline.
The attraction's viewing platforms sit on levels 69 and 72 of the 1,016ft (310m) landmark building – developed by Sellar Property as part of a £2bn (US$3.2bn, €2.5bn) regeneration project for the London Bridge area.
The structure has six uses – health clinic, offices, restaurants, hotel, residential apartments and the public viewing gallery – with each occupying multiple floors in what the shortlist describes as a “genuine vertical village.”
Saw Swee Hock, Student Centre, LSE, O’Donnell + Tuomey
Of the six finalists, the LSE student centre has the lowest emissions and is the only one rated as BREEAM Outstanding.
The red brick tower is made up of walls that slope and become perforate to give shading and have angles that vary in every direction all suggesting a very considerable imaginative control.
Library of Birmingham, Mecanoo
Dutch-based Mecanoo Architecten designed the 35,000sq m (376,736sq ft) library, which is spread over nine floors and centres on a pivotal atrium at the heart of the building. The design lends itself to being a truly public and civic building, as demonstrated by high visitor numbers – more than 2.7 million people came through its doors over the last year.
The £189m (US$307m, €237m) building offers more than just access to more than a million books; there are spaces for music recitals as well as art exhibitions and conference areas. There is also an elevated, landscaped, brown roof garden with a wildflower meadow, offering a place of sanctuary in an urbanised locality.
Everyman Theatre, Haworth Tompkins
Since it opened in March, the Everyman, designed by Haworth Tompkins, has already won the RIBA North West Building of the Year in April and a National Award in June. It has also been named World Architecture News Best Performance Space 2014.
The £13.3m (US$21.4m, €16.8m) Everyman Theatre saw Gilbert-Ash oversee construction, while CharcoalBlue provided theatre consultancy, Alan Baxter & Associates was structural engineer, and Watermans Building Services was servicer engineer.
Manchester School of Art, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
The school of art, designed to feel as though you are entering a metropolitan art gallery rather than a university department, is open to the public, who can view glimpses of young students’ art in the making.
The major refurbishment of the 1960s tower and new extension to the Manchester School of Art has been carried out by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. Design excellence has been coupled with the brief of a visionary client to break down the traditional art and design units, encouraging staff and students across disciplines to work together and explore the common ground between subjects.
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
BodyHoliday plans 10-15 locations in the next 15 years
Floating wellbeing destination planned for London’s Royal Docks
Aman Group to open second Janu in Dubai with inaugural Janu Club
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
