stirling prize

[what?]

anyone see the stirling prize last night?

i thought they would give it to the eco housing, but until someone can manage to produce an eco building that doesnt look like noddytown im glad they didnt. fosters court is a spectacular space that isnt done justice, at all, by photos. tiree is a beutiful little project but dont think it displayed enough architecture to win it. i personally liked the eric parry office block(shades of terrangi alright,but a subltley modern counterpart in a historic square). ritchie's building had a great material on the performace rooms (better than the material on the spike!) but that was about it.

i think the best building won, herzog an de meuron seem set for world domination if they can keep producing projects of such poetry coupled with really relevant social planning.

what do other people think? should another building have won? one that wasnt even shortlisted?

[GregF]

Aye .....saw that too ....the winning entry was quite ''funky '' to use a trendy buzz word, quite a remarkable building with it's rainbow wall effect etc... All the entries were quite good in their own way.
Have'nt the Brits got a great architectural outlook at the mo producing some wonderful eye catching buildings. Norman Foster is a tour de force of British architecture .......his museum creation was fantasitic despite it being somewhat slated by the critics.
His ''Gherkin'' building is a great modern landmark for the London landscape.
We can only look on and cry!

[GregF]

boo hoo

[alan d]

Judging by how the images appeared on the screen last night there was only one winner for me: Foster.

Strange though that the British Museum was universally slated by the critics..... although the RIBA President who has a neat line in red trousers, made the most telling remark saying that this building will be looked back at in one hundred years and highly praised.

As usual, the non architects on the judging panel made the most sense

[ro_G]

on behalf of laymen everywhere, i'd say Fosters was the people's choice. Magnificent.

[GrahamH]

His gherkin is beautiful.

It demonstrates how buildings can be unusually shaped and distinctive whilst not indulging in the ridiculous contortion and stylisation currently fashionable.

I know others love these structures - I don't.

[what?]

i must say im surprised everyone likes fosters gherkin so much. i think its far too much of an alien object for a city like london. it assaults your eye as you glance accross the skyline. far too scaleless and self-referential for my liking, loydds does a far better job of being progressive and interesting yet still having a scale and textural relationship with its surroundings.
i think the gherkin is a ego trip for foster in his old age and swiss re bank. neither of them seem to care about the city