Award for 'high art on grotty street'
A black rubber-clad house on the shingle at Dungeness, Kent, a college of art and design described as "like a dalmatian that has swallowed a billiards table", and a dental surgery in Chelmsford designed by a former dentist are some of the winners in this year's Royal Institute of British Architects awards, announced last night.
The awards - all 63 of them - form the longlist for the Sterling prize, which is announced on October 16. The most famous and striking new buildings of the past 12 months are represented, including Daniel Libeskind's graduate centre for London Metropolitan University on Holloway Road, north London, described by the judges as "a high-art object" on "one of the grottier high streets of inner London".
The so-called Erotic Gherkin by Foster and Partners in the City of London - officially 30 St Mary Axe and the headquarters of Swiss Re - is honoured, as is Frank Gehry's much-praised Maggie's Cancer Caring Respite Centre in Dundee.
But there are also some less well-known projects in the mix. The Hoyle Early Years Centre in Bury, Lancashire, built by DSDHA, is a building brought to fruition largely via the enormous determination of its headteacher, Clare Barker.
According to the judges, it "does not shout about its architectural ambitions but it is an exemplary building that works for the staff and children, all of whom are much less stressed than before". The original building had been subject to repeated damage.
Another community-based project is the Grange-over-Sands swimming pool, overlooking Morecambe bay. Again it was achieved through the determination of individuals: local residents clubbed together and won funding for the pool. Designed by Hodder Associates, the building creates "a sense of joy", according to the judges.
The dental surgery in Chelmsford, Essex has especially impressed the judges. Rarely has a building of this function been described as "a pleasure to visit". Richard Mitzman, the architect, practised as a dentist for 14 years before becoming an architect. Patients, as they lie in the chair, have a view through a carefully positioned skylight of the clouds above.
The Dungeness project is one of several inspiring domestic buildings in the awards: this one was originally built as a fishing hut in the 1930s. The judges note its "delightful but carefully controlled witticism".
Buildings from overseas are recognised, including Zaha Hadid's Rosenthal Centre for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, Ohio, a work described as "architecture played like high drama". Will Alsop's dalmatian-spotted Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto is "courageous, bold and just a little insane", according to the judges.