Two Foster and Partners projects, 30 St Mary Axe and Bexley Business Academy, have been selected for the six project shortlist for the Stirling Prize. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) presents the annual award to the building which has made the greatest contribution to British Architecture in the past year. Having two projects chosen from a list of sixty-three award-winning buildings reaffirms Foster and Partners reputation for producing buildings that innovate and reinvent.
The new Swiss Re Headquarters in the City of London, officially known as 30 St Mary Axe, is the capitals first ecologically progressive skyscraper. Its distinctive aerodynamic form is globally recognised, and the addition of the tower to the London skyline has set a benchmark for a new generation of tall buildings in the United Kingdom.
Bexley Business Academy is the first school completed under the Governments pioneering Academy Programme. It provides advanced teaching facilities, which include an electronic trading floor, cafe, theatre and gym, in a building that is open and transparent to encourage integration, communication and cross-fertilisation between the students and teaching staff.
For the first time, the Stirling Prize Ceremony will be broadcast live on Channel 4. Kevin McCloud, the presenter of Channel 4s Grand Designs, will present the programme on Saturday 16 October from 8pm-9pm. The Stirling Prize is named in honour of the renowned English architect Sir James Stirling (1926-1992) and the winning architect receives 20,000.
