ON Saturday the city is hosting the biggie – the Stirling Prize – for the first time, with a civic reception at the town hall and the award dinner itself at Manchester Central.
No TV coverage from Channel 4 this year or Kevin McCloud, but journalist Mark Lawson, of Radio 4’s Front Row, is doing the honours and it’s still a coup for the team at Central to get the RIBA here.
The shortlist of six finalists is varied – The Hepworth, Wakefield; Lyric theatre, Belfast; Maggie’s Centre, Glasgow; New Court, London; Olympic Stadium, London and Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge.
It is probably a tad parochial to wish that the Brockholes Visitor Centre at Preston, by Adam Khan Architects, a building perfect in its place, had made its way from the midlist to the short, but still I wish it had.
Brockholes - Preston
Details of the finalists are here. Aand you can see each scheme in detail at two road shows, on Saturday at Salford Quays and Sunday in Albert Square. Both 10am to 3pm.
It is The Booker of the building world, different genres being judged simply on their design excellence.
So how do they chose the winner and does it really matter?
The only North West building to win the Stirling Prize is Centenary Building at Salford University, which took the inaugural award in 1996.
There are photographs here taken by Dennis Gilbert.
Centenary Building
Did you know? Does it make you view the building any differently? Does it perform better, did it set new standards, was it copied?
The building was designed by Hodder + Partners and Stephen Hodder, though obviously chuffed, has since reflected that he wishes the honour had come later when its profile and prestige were more established.
Because really that’s what it’s all about.
Profile.
Not just the profile of the designing architect or practice or even the building itself but the profile of architecture generally, and in 15 years the Stirling has succeeded in raising public awareness of what can be achieved.
Along with huge amounts of kudos the winner also gets a welcome £20,000.
Meanwhile, the national RICS Awards, which has a lot more contenders shoe-horned into four categories, are being announced next week. Click here - and at least Brockholes makes an appearance for the North West here.
Before then, at The Midland Hotel on Thursday, we have The Chamber of Commerce’s Greater Manchester Building of the Year competition.
Last year Media City won the title which perplexed some people - click here.
No such confusion likely this year with heavyweight contenders Chethams School of Music and the new Co-op HQ up against more quirky projects like 42nd Street building in Ancoats.
Shortlisted - Chethams
My money is on Sir Howard Bernstein handing over the title to Roger Stephenson for Chethams and in tough times it is good to know that Manchester and region can produce buildings of such individual merit and prestige. Cause enough for celebration
The five finalists are:
Ronald McDonald House on Hathersage Road, Manchester; The Space Youth Intervention Centre for 42nd Street, Manchester; Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester; Essa Academy, Lever Edge Lane, Bolton; and the Co-operative Headquarters, Angel Square, Manchester.
*The Ronald McDonald House has been nominated for its striking appearance at the gateway of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and for the service it provides. The charity responded to the challenge set by the Planning Authority to design a building fitting of its location, built with quality materials providing a safe, homely environment for families.
Shortlisted - Ronald Mcdonald House
*The Space is a new facility for the charitable trust, 42nd Street, which provides support services to young people under stress. It has been created through a process driven by change management and a desire to create a legacy for 42nd Street into the future.
42nd Street
*Chetham’s School of Music is the largest music school in the UK and is unique to the region. The building comprises purpose-built performance spaces, a full academic school and a plethora of state-of-the-art music teaching and practice spaces.
*The Essa Academy in Bolton is a new educational building, which has made a significant contribution to the regeneration of the area. It is a well-designed building, which was delivered on time and to budget and is an exemplar of how quality design can respond to specific educational goals.
Shortlisted - Essa Academy
*The Co-operative Headquarters on Angel Square shows the commitment of the Co-op to Manchester, and is a major investment in the city in challenging economic times. As part of the NOMA project, it will make a significant contribution to the regeneration of this part of the city and is a stunning addition to Manchester’s skyline.
NOMA
But to put them in perspective this is what the rest of the world is doing. And some of the most interesting are the residential projects.
World architecture festival awards - click here.
You can follow Jill Burdett on twitter here.
