British architect David Chipperfield’s Jacoby Studios office in Germany will compete against a museum in China and a social housing project in Spain to be named the world’s best building by the RIBA International Prize.
Jacoby Studios, which was completed in 2020, was originally built as a monastery but turned into offices for a family-run company by David Chipperfield Architects.
It has been shortlisted for the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) biannual International Prize, which the organisation says is “awarded to a building that demonstrates visionary thinking, originality, excellence of execution, and makes a distinct contribution to its users, surrounding environment and communities”.
Also shortlisted this year are Modulus Matrix: 85 Social Housing in Cornellà, Barcelona, Spain, by Peris + Toral Arquitectes and Lianzhou Museum of Photography, Lianzhou, China, by O-office Architects.
The shortlisted projects were chosen for their focus on sustainability.
“The conservation of the planet’s resources and the provision of the best housing in which people can grow and thrive remain two of the central concerns of architects around the world,” RIBA President Muyiwa Oki said.
“From a timber-framed social housing building with an inventive use of space, to two projects focused on the repair, restoration and transformation of buildings to create new and useful space to work or participate in culture, these three inspiring projects demonstrate the ability of architecture to meet shared, global challenges head-on,” he added.
Jacoby Studios was nominated for “the beautiful execution in mixing repair and restoration with disciplined new-build”, the jury said.
For Modulus Matrix: 85 Social Housing, the jury noted its “clear intentions as a commentary on space and construction” and the efficient use of cross-laminated timber.
The Lianzhou Museum of Photography, meanwhile, was commended for the way it blended into the community.
“The jury praised the physical and spiritual integration of the project into the fabric and community, together with its visceral beauty,” RIBA said.
This year’s jury was chaired by Lu Wenyu, co-founder of Amateur Architecture Studio, and also included Tosin Oshinowo, founder and principal of Oshinowo Studio and curator of the Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023, and Paola Antonelli, senior curator at the department of architecture and design, and director of research and development at The Museum of Modern Art.
The last winner of the RIBA International Prize was architect Kashef Chowdhury for his Friendship Hospital in Bangladesh. The winner of the award will be announced on 27 November.
The photography is courtesy of RIBA unless otherwise stated.
