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As part of 2007's RIBA Stirling Prize celebrations we've teamed up with the Architects' Journal to bring you their 50 favourite buildings from this millennium! Take a look through their picks and see if you agree with their choice of 50 British architectural gems.
Below are 5 of the best new buildings - click "next page" at the bottom to see the rest of the selection.
Downland Gridshell
Sussex
Edward Cullinan Architects
Runner-up for the 2003 RIBA Stirling Prize, and winner of numerous other prestigious awards, the Gridshell is a highly unusual structure forming part of the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum. The museum places a collection of almost 50 reconstructed historical buildings in a beautiful stretch of countryside in the South East. The Gridshell is a central storage space, research facility, and working conservation unit that employs complex techniques to create a modern bulding which does not jar in character with the historical exhibits surrounding it. The building, designed by Buro Happold and Edward Cullinan Architects, was the first of its kind in Britain. Popularised in the 1940s by German architect Frei Otto, a gridshell is a highly elaborate piece of work employing supportive double curvature in a lattice structure. Locally-sourced wood was used in the construction of this particular gridshell, and its undulating curves also ensure that it’s a perfect aesthetic match for its surroundings.
Sussex
Edward Cullinan Architects
Runner-up for the 2003 RIBA Stirling Prize, and winner of numerous other prestigious awards, the Gridshell is a highly unusual structure forming part of the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum. The museum places a collection of almost 50 reconstructed historical buildings in a beautiful stretch of countryside in the South East. The Gridshell is a central storage space, research facility, and working conservation unit that employs complex techniques to create a modern bulding which does not jar in character with the historical exhibits surrounding it. The building, designed by Buro Happold and Edward Cullinan Architects, was the first of its kind in Britain. Popularised in the 1940s by German architect Frei Otto, a gridshell is a highly elaborate piece of work employing supportive double curvature in a lattice structure. Locally-sourced wood was used in the construction of this particular gridshell, and its undulating curves also ensure that it’s a perfect aesthetic match for its surroundings.
Photo courtesy of Edward Cullinan Architects, photographer Gareth Mantle
Laban Centre
Deptford, London
Herzog & de Meuron
Combining cutting-edge facilities with an organic-feeling design that gives as much to the local community as it takes, the Laban Centre is one of the world’s most respected contemporary dance conservatories. Its dancers’ innovative moves are imitated in the fluid styles employed by visual artist Michael Craig-Martin, who previously worked with Herzog & de Meuron on the illuminated tip of the Tate Modern’s chimney. The Laban’s revolutionary semitransparent multicoloured exterior allows passers-by to catch glimpses of the semi-visible activities inside by day, and it projects atmospheric light into the surrounding streets by night. Its reciprocal integration with its Deptford environment is completed by the incorporation of a special ‘brown roof’ in the main structure, a purpose-designed habitat for one of the country’s rarest birds.
Deptford, London
Herzog & de Meuron
Combining cutting-edge facilities with an organic-feeling design that gives as much to the local community as it takes, the Laban Centre is one of the world’s most respected contemporary dance conservatories. Its dancers’ innovative moves are imitated in the fluid styles employed by visual artist Michael Craig-Martin, who previously worked with Herzog & de Meuron on the illuminated tip of the Tate Modern’s chimney. The Laban’s revolutionary semitransparent multicoloured exterior allows passers-by to catch glimpses of the semi-visible activities inside by day, and it projects atmospheric light into the surrounding streets by night. Its reciprocal integration with its Deptford environment is completed by the incorporation of a special ‘brown roof’ in the main structure, a purpose-designed habitat for one of the country’s rarest birds.
Wembley Stadium
Wembley, London
Foster & Partners
For much of the decade following the demolition of the iconic twin towers of the old stadium in September 2002, Wembley meant little more than a mysterious white arch, very publicly symbolising years of overspending and missed deadlines. Finally opened to the public in Summer 2007, though, the stadium has quickly replaced its predecessor in the hearts of the British public. The 133-metre tall arch, another step in Norman Foster’s evident ambition to redesign the entire London skyline, is the longest single roof structure in the world and ensures that there are no load-bearing pillars blocking views. 90,000 seats also make the new Wembley the largest football stadium in the world. Reassuringly though, there are also 2,618 toilets, meaning you’re unlikely to miss that crucial last minute penalty after a few too many overpriced lagers.
Wembley, London
Foster & Partners
For much of the decade following the demolition of the iconic twin towers of the old stadium in September 2002, Wembley meant little more than a mysterious white arch, very publicly symbolising years of overspending and missed deadlines. Finally opened to the public in Summer 2007, though, the stadium has quickly replaced its predecessor in the hearts of the British public. The 133-metre tall arch, another step in Norman Foster’s evident ambition to redesign the entire London skyline, is the longest single roof structure in the world and ensures that there are no load-bearing pillars blocking views. 90,000 seats also make the new Wembley the largest football stadium in the world. Reassuringly though, there are also 2,618 toilets, meaning you’re unlikely to miss that crucial last minute penalty after a few too many overpriced lagers.
All construction & final photography: Nigel Young/Foster & Partners
New Walsall Art Gallery
Walsall, West Midlands
Caruso St John
An unashamedly minimalist home for the arts in the West Midlands, New Walsall Art Gallery was built with £21 million of public funding, largely provided by the National Lottery. The building, with unpretentious ‘living room height’ ceilings and basic lighting, houses the permanent Garman Ryan collection of work by highly-regarded modern masters, notably Jacob Epstein. It also plays host to rotating exhibitions which have featured pieces by artists as diverse as Van Gogh and Damien Hirst. The distinctive terracotta-clad building also gives back to the local area by hosting free events for children, and community events such as Diwali Celebrations and an Islamic Arts Festival.
Walsall, West Midlands
Caruso St John
An unashamedly minimalist home for the arts in the West Midlands, New Walsall Art Gallery was built with £21 million of public funding, largely provided by the National Lottery. The building, with unpretentious ‘living room height’ ceilings and basic lighting, houses the permanent Garman Ryan collection of work by highly-regarded modern masters, notably Jacob Epstein. It also plays host to rotating exhibitions which have featured pieces by artists as diverse as Van Gogh and Damien Hirst. The distinctive terracotta-clad building also gives back to the local area by hosting free events for children, and community events such as Diwali Celebrations and an Islamic Arts Festival.
Artist’s House, Roche Court
East Winterslow, Wiltshire
Munkenbeck + Marshall
Part of the New Art Centre and permanent sculpture park at Roche Court near Salisbury, the Artists’ House is a multi-purpose ‘idealised living environment’ designed by Stephen Marshall of Munkenbeck and Marshall. Its primary purpose is as a functioning extension to the main gallery, enabling works by modern artists like Gavin Turk to be displayed in an intimate ‘domestic’ setting, divorced from the alienating context of a traditional art gallery environment. Beyond this, it also offers amenities for visiting guests and, most interestingly, can act as a place of residence and even work for artists exhibiting at the gallery. The open-plan modern Scandinavian feel to the former dairy is dominated by large frameless glass sheets, letting in views that change its character with the seasons and complete its harmonious relationship with the picturesque traditional surroundings.
East Winterslow, Wiltshire
Munkenbeck + Marshall
Part of the New Art Centre and permanent sculpture park at Roche Court near Salisbury, the Artists’ House is a multi-purpose ‘idealised living environment’ designed by Stephen Marshall of Munkenbeck and Marshall. Its primary purpose is as a functioning extension to the main gallery, enabling works by modern artists like Gavin Turk to be displayed in an intimate ‘domestic’ setting, divorced from the alienating context of a traditional art gallery environment. Beyond this, it also offers amenities for visiting guests and, most interestingly, can act as a place of residence and even work for artists exhibiting at the gallery. The open-plan modern Scandinavian feel to the former dairy is dominated by large frameless glass sheets, letting in views that change its character with the seasons and complete its harmonious relationship with the picturesque traditional surroundings.
