The best British buildings

publication date: Jul 4, 2008

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author/source: Jane Driscoll

The RIBA has announced its regional selection of the best new buildings in Britain for 2008.

Allford Hall Monaghan Morris carried off RIBA London’s Building of the Year 2008 for its Westminster Academy at the Naim Dangoor Centre. This distinctive green and yellow school in West London is an early favourite for this year’s Stirling Prize.

Allies & Morrison’s work on the Royal Festival Hall was awarded the London Public Space Award, while St Pancras International, which was designed by Alistair Lansley for Union Railways, was given the RIBA and English Heritage award for Best Building in a Historic Context.

Only one building in Wales received an award the Blaenavon World Heritage Centre by Purcell Miller Tritton - while eleven schemes in the North-west were honoured including the Bluecoat in Liverpool by Biq Architects, Denton Corker Marshall’s Manchester Civil Justice Centreand Chimney Pot Park, Salford, by Shed KM.

 Five Scottish schemes were singled out, including David Chipperfield’s BBC Scotland.

As well as Westminster Academy, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris also picked up awards for the Johnson Building and Sweeps Apartments, Adelaide Wharf, and Sunshine House. Hopkins Architects was honoured three times, for its National Tennis Centre, Alnwick Garden Pavilion and its Sanger Building at Bryanston School. John McAslan was also a three-time winner, for John Galsworthy Building, Kingston University; its Statistics Building at Lancaster University and De La Warr Pavilion. Two-time winners included twenty two over seven, Allies and Morrison, Foster + Partners, Rogers StirkHarbour + Partners, Ian Simpson Architects, BDP, DSDHA and Wilkinson Eyre.

All of the regional award-winning buildings will be put forward for the RIBA’s national awards in June, whose winners are then considered for the Stirling Prize (given to the architect of the RIBA’s overall building of the year), awarded in October.