The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has shortlisted six projects that will be competing for the prestigious 2018 Stirling Prize. The award is given to the building “that has made the biggest contribution to the evolution of architecture in a given year.” The shortlisted projects include Foster + Partners’ Bloomberg London Headquarters, Waugh Thistleton Architects’ Bushey Cemetery in Hertfordshire, MUMA’s Storey’s Field Centre and Eddington Nursery in Cambridge, and projects by Henley Halebrown, Niall McLaughlin Architects, and Jamie Fobert Architects with Evans & Shalev.RIBA President Ben Derbyshire said: “This shortlist illustrates why UK architects and architecture are held in such high regard around the world.” He added that “in these challenging and turbulent political times, we must celebrate how the UK’s architectural talent can help to improve local communities and their quality of life.” “Years of thoughtful design, collaborative working and a desire to nurture the human spirit has resulted in six buildings of real integrity and purpose. I am sure they will continue to inspire those who experience them, for decades to come,” he added.Foster + Partners’ Bloomberg, London, is a “highly-innovative new workplace in the City of London, commissioned by an ambitious civic-minded client, which pushes architecture’s boundaries and seeks to enhance the neighboring public realm,” stated the award jury. Waugh Thistleton Architects’ Bushey Cemetery in Hertfordshire is “an extraordinary spiritual building formed of natural rammed earth walls, oak and rusted steel, with the beliefs and customs of the Jewish faith at its heart,” commented the jury.  Henley Halebrown’s Chadwick Hill, University of Roehampton in London features “three new, intelligent buildings which surround the Grade II-listed Georgian Downshire House and provide high-quality student housing for Roehampton University, built on a modest budget,” described the jury. New Tate St Ives in Cornwall, designed by Jamie Fobert Architects with Evans & Shalev, is “an ingenious reconfiguration and extension of the Postmodern art gallery which doubles the exhibition space, creates a new public walkway connecting the town to the beach and helps St.Ives attract a growing number of international visitors.” The jury described MUMA’s Storey’s Field Centre and Eddington Nursery in Cambridge as “a breath-taking building, commissioned by the University, for the new community of North-West Cambridge. Inspired by the college cloisters and courts of the City, this project has a sustainability agenda at its core.” Niall McLaughlin Architects’ The Sultan Nazrin Centre, Worcester College, Oxford, also made it to the shortlisted projects. It is “a floating auditorium crafted from classic Oxford stone and natural oak to blend exquisitely into the established landscape of Worcester College,” stated the jury.The prestigious award was won by dRMM’s Hastings Pier last year. This year’s winner will be announced in October, noted ArchDaily. http://www.blouinartinfo.comFounder: Louise Blouin  Read more