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I was struck by a comment in Jonathan Glancey's blog today in response to the shortlist of the 2007 Stirling Prize. The Guardian's architectural critic writes:
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"As for buildings, perhaps they should only really be offered prizes 20 years after their completion. While we can comment on the merit of the design, look and feel of a particular building when new, and celebrate the intentions of its designers, there is no guarantee that it might not prove to be a failure. Architecture is a slow business, and there should be no hurry to hand out prizes."
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This sounds sensible.
Clearly the value of a building gains with its age and not when it's shiny and new, and it goes without saying that using it for as long as possible in the most efficient way is vital.
It would be interesting to look at recent winners to see whether one would retrospectively judge the prize again. Here's some hasty conclusions from myself on a couple of recent winners:
- 2003 - The Laban Centre - Lots of fine words trotted out by the judges in 2003 for this Herzog de Meuron-designed building in south London. Unfortunately its has failed to live up to the hype, according to an excellent post-occupancy report on it in Building Services Journal. "But while students of architecture continue to coo about the building's daring design and debate the aesthetic merits of polycarbonate cladding, the occupants have been struggling to get the building to work," says the article. Would other buildings shortlisted that year such as the BedZed housing scheme or the new Plymouth Theatre by Ian Ritchie be more worthy winners now?
- 2004 - Swiss Re - Undoubtedly one of the architectural classics of the decade so I would be loathe to challenge whether it should be knocked off its perch. However I'm sceptical about it green credentials. It doesn't have a BREEAM rating and I'm far from convinced that the original conceived natural ventilation system ever actually happened.
Perhaps a short term proposal would be for the Stirling Prize to insist that shortlisted schemes should have a BREEAM rating. This would at least stress that the award would recognise the lifespan of the building not just immediate ephemeral style considerations.
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