RIBA Stirling Architecture Prize 2007

This year six Building Projects by British architects have been nominated out of the many submissions. More notably, four of these are for building projects abroad. This has rightly caused a surge of criticism of the conservative attitudes that architects experience from UK clients. Architect David Chipperfield has established an international practice, and two of the nominations are for his own work, one in Spain and one in Germany. He singled out the absence-of-risk proviso that seems to be inherent in British commissioning. Norman Foster has been nominated for his superb Dresden rail station, reviewed here in Studio International last year. Others shortlisted (who must be RIBA members) include Rem Koolhaas from the Netherlands, Glenn Howells Architects for the Windsor Great Park Pavilion, and Haworth Tompkins Architects for the much-admired refurbishment of the Young Vic theatre in central London. Chipperfield's remarkable double comprises the America's Cup Building in Valencia, and the highly evocative allegory that is the Museum of Modern Literature in Marbach am Neckar, Germany. No less than the current president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, Jack Pringle, has claimed that the situation 'raises questions about the quality of British clients'. Watch this space for the Awards announcement and reviews after 6 October, the Award day.