How do you measure a classical church in the north-east of England, chastely converted into a community centre, against a louche re-creation in a London theatre of a Weimar republic nightclub? Or a shed for a city farm in Northern Ireland against a sumptuous bespoke guest house on a private estate? You can’t exactly. The comparison is not so much apples and oranges as blackcurrants and kumquats, souffles and chips, fish and bicycles. But to choose one from many incomparables is the challenge that faces the judges of the Stirling prize, the award given annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects to the best new building in Britain.
The 131 winners of this year’s RIBA regional awards have been announced over the past couple of weeks, from which national award winners will be chosen, from whom will come in July the shortlist for the Stirling, with the winner to be selected in October. The list offers a panorama of the current state of the more creative end of British architecture: an eclectic collection dominated by no one style or ideology, that offers varying degrees of skill, splendour and social worth. If architecture is a matter of commodity, firmness and delight, the question is how many points should be awarded in each category.
