Stirling Prize 2011

Yesterday the RIBA announced the Stirling Prize winner to be Archiendo’s ‘favourite’ architect Zaha Hadid, with her pointy school the Evelyn Academy.

According to the RIBA this is this year’s best building in Europe designed or build by British architects. Better than the other shortlisted entries; An Gaelaras by O’Donnell and Tuomey, The Angel Building by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), The Folkwang Museum by David Chipperfield Architects, The Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres by Bennetts Associates and The Olympic Velodrome London 2012 by Hopkins Architects.

However the public seems to think otherwise.

Whilst the Stirling Prize winner is chosen by a panel of ‘know it all’ architectural boffs there was this year a public poll held online by the RIBA, in which the general public were asked which of the shortlisted entries they thought to be best.

They gave a resounding victory to Hopkins for his Olympic Velodrome. Of everyone who voted, 62.9% voted for Hopkins whilst only 2.8% of the vote went to Zaha, placing her second from last, just above Chipperfield's Museum in Essen the only building outside of the United Kingdom.

This raises the question of how the Stirling Prize panel can be so out of touch with public opinion when the entries are all public buildings. When over 22 times the amount people are voting for Hopkins over the Stirling Prize winner then maybe the prize has gone to the wrong person.

Maybe next year the panel should listen to public opinion closer, or maybe just not use the Stirling Prize as a way of being bitter about cuts to schools.

I’m unable to find comment from Hopkins about the result, with it only being the morning after, but I imagine it will be “We was robbed.”