Our RIBA prize winning highlights

The RIBA shortlist is a major annual event for architects and developers. Getting shortlisted is a sign of design excellence. Winning makes your project even more special.

Here are some of the most impressive RIBA prize-winning projects to use our anodised aluminium finishes in recent years.

Liverpool Everyman Theatre – RIBA Stirling Prize winner 2014

Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre beat competition from Shard, the LSE’s student centre and the Olympic aquatics centre to win the RIBA prize for best building of the year in 2014. It replaced and built on the heritage of an iconic site in the city centre which had previously been home to a 19th century chapel, then a centre of theatrical and political energy from the 1970s.

Architect Haworth Tompkins created a public cultural space for Liverpool made of reclaimed brick, black steel, oak, reclaimed iroko, richly coloured plywood and pale concrete. The building exterior is formed of over a hundred life sized portrait shutters representing ordinary Liverpool residents – made from aluminium plates, anodised with our Anolok® Bronze finish!

The Library of Birmingham – Treble RIBA award winner 2014

The Library of Birmingham is one of the most recognisable buildings in the country and has won three RIBA awards since completion in 2014: the West Midlands 2014 RIBA National Award, the RIBA West Midlands Building of the Year Award and a RIBA West Midlands Regional Award. It was also shortlisted for the Stirling Award in the same year.

The building’s striking cantilevered aesthetic is defined by the gold rotunda which crowns this stunning building. It shines across the city thanks to the Regency Gold anodised finish supplied by United Anodisers.

London Aquatics Centre – RIBA London National Award and Stirling Prize shortlist 2014

The London Aquatics Centre was designed for the 2012 Olympics and its beauty continues to astound. The shape of the exterior reflects the fluidity of water in motion — an awe-inspiring effect which propelled the building to a RIBA London National Award in 2014 and a place on the RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist the same year.

10,000 sqm of curved aluminium was anodised for the London 2012 Olympic Park Aquatics Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. It was the first large-scale anodised project to be installed with aluminium stud-weld fixings, making it an even more groundbreaking achievement.

Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford – RIBA National Award 2016

The Blavatnik School of Government in Oxford was completed a decade ago and has been described as a “modern cathedral of learning”. It won a RIBA National Award in 2016 and has seen more than 1,000 graduates pass through its doors.

Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the building is a complex design comprising glass, pre-cast concrete, iron and an interior aluminium curtain walling skin. That curtain walling was anodised by United Anodisers — explore our full range of anodised aluminium colours.

City of Glasgow College – RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist 2016

City of Glasgow College’s Riverside Campus forms a distinctive civic landmark at the gateway to central Glasgow. Designed by Michael Laird Architects and Reiach and Hall Architects, the project delivers a contemporary response to the city’s maritime and educational heritage.

Its beautiful architecture and advanced specification helped earn it a place as a finalist for the RIBA Stirling Prize and win BCI Building Project of the Year in 2016. The project features anodised aluminium fins and panels finished in Anolok® 541 Pale Umber to provide depth, durability, and contemporary character to the elevations. They were also well suited to the College’s location and environment.

Read the full story here to learn how we did it.

Park Hill, Sheffield – RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist 2013

Park Hill is an iconic example of mid-century British architecture and the largest Grade II listed building in Europe. This celebrated regeneration was led by Hawkins/Brown with Studio Egret West, and was shortlisted for the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize in 2013.

Four United Anodisers Organic finishes were chosen to be used on the sections and panels to give a new look to the building. A vivid palette of brightly coloured shades was supplied, including red, orange, and yellow. The anodising was processed to the Z33 Architectural specification.

Learn more about the project and our anodising process here.

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Want to bring your architectural vision to life and create the next RIBA Stirling Prize winner? Get free samples of our anodised aluminium finishes today and see how we can help you achieve your dreams.