The Shard is the only commercial building shortlisted for the UK’s top architecture award. The London Bridge Quarter tower – designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano – features alongside two civic buildings, two educational institutions and a pool built for the London 2012 Olympic Games on the six-strong shortlist for RIBA’s Stirling Prize, which was revealed today.
Western Europe’s tallest building has made a dramatic impact on the capital’s skyline, shifting the focus from the cluster of towers in the City to the South Bank. This month a further three tenants have signed leases,amounting to over 27,000 sq ft, taking the total number of occupants to nine.
Explaining the Shard’s inclusion on the shortlist the judges said: “To make a tower on such a tight site a thing of great beauty is a rare achievement. Six uses occupy multiple floors: health clinic, offices, restaurants, hotel, apartments and viewing gallery to create a ‘vertical village’.”
The Shard is joined on the shortlist by Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre, Manchester School of Art, the Library of Birmingham, the LSE Saw Swee Hock Student Centre and the London Aquatics Centre.
Bookmaker William Hill has immediately installed the Shard as the 6/4 favourite to scoop the prestigious prize. The winner will be announced on 16th October.
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