The Royal Institute
of British Architects (RIBA) has this awarded the 2018 RIBA Stirling Prize to
Bloomberg, London by Foster + Partners.
The prestigious
annual prize is awarded to the UK’s best new building.
Bloomberg’s
pioneering new European HQ has been credited as the world’s most sustainable
office and is thought to be the largest stone building in the City of London
since St Paul’s Cathedral.
With a restrained
exterior and dynamic interior to encourage collaboration, Bloomberg is
comprised of two buildings connected by a bridge. Each sit either side of a new
public arcade, which re-establishes an ancient Roman road. This complex scheme
also incorporates new access to Bank Underground station, cafes and
restaurants, and a museum displaying the Roman Temple of Mithras, which was
discovered on the site sixty years ago.
Given its vast
footprint (a whole city block), the client, Michael Bloomberg wanted to ensure
the building would be a ‘good neighbour’. Three new public spaces open-up this
area of the city and the sensitive, handcrafted sandstone exterior and bronze
window ‘fin’ details ensure the building sits comfortably within its
surroundings.
The procession
through the building is dynamic and highly choreographed. On arrival, you enter
the ‘Vortex’ – a dramatic double-height art work formed from three curved
timber shells. From here, high-speed lifts carry you directly to the sixth
floor ‘Pantry’ – a large concourse and café space with views across the City. A
210m high bronze ‘ramp’ that is wide enough for impromptu conversations without
impeding the flow of people, winds down and links the office floors below.
Workspaces are clustered in the wide open-plan floors which are filled with
pioneering new technologies including multi-function ceilings fitted with 2.5
million polished aluminium ‘petals’ to regulate acoustics, temperature and
light.
RIBA President Ben
Derbyshire, said: "After vigorous debate, the jury reached a unanimous
decision - Bloomberg’s new European HQ is a monumental achievement. The
creativity and tenacity of Foster + Partners and the patronage of Bloomberg
have not just raised the bar for office design and city planning, but smashed
the ceiling.
"This building
is a profound expression of confidence in British architecture – and perfectly
illustrates why the UK is the profession’s global capital. This role and
reputation must be maintained, despite the political uncertainty of
Brexit."
The jury for the
2018 Prize was comprised of: Sir David Adjaye OBE (Chair); RIBA President, Ben
Derbyshire; 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize winner, Alex de Rijke; former Artistic
Director of the Southbank Centre, Jude Kelly CBE and Almacantar Property
Director, Kathrin Hersel. Architect Simon Sturgis was appointed as
sustainability advisor.
The winner of the 2018
RIBA Client of the Year is the UK property development company, Argent. The
RIBA’s annual award recognises the ‘key role that a good client plays in the
creation of fine architecture’.
Since 1981, Argent has
delivered some of the country’s most impressive mixed-use developments
including residential, educational and cultural projects. They have been key to
the regeneration of many UK cities, in particular Brindley Place in Birmingham
and St Peter’s Square and the Northern Quarter in Manchester.
Argent have received
this honour for their recent award-winning projects, most notably the
regeneration work in London’s King’s Cross including R7 by Duggan Morris
Architects, Gasholders by Wilkinson Eyre, Gasholder Park by Bell Philips
Architects and Victoria Hall King’s Cross by Stanton Williams.
Old Shed New House,
the radical transformation of a farm shed into a sustainable new home designed
by Tonkin Liu Architects, has won the 2018 Stephen Lawrence Prize.
The Stephen Lawrence
Prize aims to encourage new, experimental architectural talent, celebrating and rewarding projects with a
construction budget of less than £1 million. First awarded in 1998 in
memory of Stephen Lawrence, who was taking steps to become an architect before
his untimely death in 1993, the £5,000 Prize has been sponsored by the Marco
Goldschmied Foundation since its inception.
