RIBA president says Cambridge scheme is 鈥渟ophisticated, generous, architecture that has been built to last鈥�
N铆all McLaughlin Architects鈥� The New Library at Magdalene College in Cambridge has been named as the winner of the 2022 Stirling Prize.
RIBA said the 鈥渆xquisitely detailed鈥� new building for the 700-year-old college honours the rich history of its site and would 鈥渟tand the test of time鈥�.
Speaking on behalf of this year鈥檚 Stirling Prize jury, RIBA president Simon Allford said the library was 鈥渟ophisticated, generous, architecture that has been built to last鈥�.
Completed by Suffolk firm Cocksedge 黑洞社区 Contractors, it is the first new-build structure on the main Magdalene College site since David Roberts鈥� and Geoffrey Clarke鈥檚 masters lodge in the 1960s.
The college鈥檚 brief required that the building should be designed to last at least 400 years, a challenge which Allford said N铆all McLaughlin Architects has risen to with the 鈥渦tmost skill, care and responsibility鈥�.
鈥淭he result 鈥� a solid and confident, yet deferential new kid on the college block,鈥� he said.
The library, located within the city centre of Cambridge, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provides students with a range of study spaces from shared zones to private nooks.
It replaces the library鈥檚 previous premises in cramped rooms in the adjacent grade I-listed Pepys 黑洞社区, which dates to the 17th century.
The new building consists of a grid of rectangular spaces supported by brick columns and topped by vaulted lantern skylights.
A passive ventilation system carries warm air up the columns, which rise out of the roofline of the building in the form of chimneys in a visual reference to nearby historic buildings.
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The scheme was a work of 鈥渕any hands and many minds鈥�, Niall McLaughlin said.
鈥淭he College created the possibility for success in the way that they initiated and managed the project,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he appointment of designers, consultants, builders, and craftsmen was treated with care. Throughout the development process, our team was supported and robustly questioned in our decisions. We knew we were building for a client who was motivated to achieve the best outcome. Our responsibility to the history and future development of this learning community was clear. We were asked to build for the long-term using present resources wisely.鈥�
College librarian Marcus Waithe said the college wanted to avoid the building being a 鈥渕ere pastiche鈥� or a passive blending in. 鈥淚t needed to be an inspiring structure 鈥� one that would encourage our undergraduates to aim high 鈥� that still preserved a human scale,鈥� he said.
Waithe said the result 鈥渟ucceeds on all these fronts and more鈥�.
The practice鈥檚 rivals on the shortlist for the UK鈥檚 highest architecture prize were 100 Liverpool Street by Hopkins, Forth Valley College鈥檚 Falkirk Campus by Reiach and Hall Architects, Hackney New Primary School and 333 Kingsland Road by Henley Halebrown, Orchard Gardens, Elephant Park in London by Panter Hudspith Architects and Sands End Arts & Community Centre in London by M忙.
The jury for this year鈥檚 prize was Simon Allford (RIBA President and Chair), architects Glenn Howells (Founder of Glenn Howells Architects) and Kirsten Lees (Managing Partner at Grimshaw), and artist Chris Ofili. The jury was advised by sustainability expert鈥疭mith Mordak (Director of Sustainability & Physics at Buro Happold).
It was the 26th award of the Stirling Prize, which was first established in 1996. Last year鈥檚 winner was
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