Burntwood School, a large comprehensive girls’ school in Wandsworth, London by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM), won the coveted RIBA Stirling Prize 2015 for the UK’s best new building.
The sell-out event took place at RIBA’s HQ with a sparkling and star-studded evening hosted by Lauren Laverne on October 15th. Now in its 20th year, the RIBA Stirling Prize, sponsored by Almacantar, is the UK’s most prestigious architecture prize.
AHMM’s transformation of Burntwood School reimagines a 1950’s modernist secondary school campus for 2000 girls and 200 staff. The architects created six new faculty buildings and two large cultural buildings linking original buildings by renowned 1950s and1960s architect Sir Leslie Martin. Every building is full of light and air with double height spaces at the end of each corridor to increase natural daylight and create well-framed views. It offers a range of teaching spaces from conventional classrooms to interactive open spaces. Already a very sculptural building, AHMM worked closely with an artist to use large, colourful murals throughout the buildings – cleverly combining signposting with modern art.
Please click the links below to see the BBC videos for Burntwood School and the 5 other shortlisted buildings…
Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre in Lanarkshire
The Whitworth, University of Manchester
University of Greenwich, Stockwell Street Building
Darbishire Place, Peabody Housing
