And the winner will be...

'Doors (yes, doors)': Westminster Academy, AHMM.

Seeing the headline 'Elbow shoulders aside competition..' and so had won this year's (UK) Mercury music prize reminded me of two things: 1. To get their latest album 'The Seldom Seen Kid' (I like their earlier ones but missed this when it came out), and; 2. to check what was happening in the architectural world's (well UK anyway) equivalent, the RIBA Stirling Prize.

Yes I know this was announced back in July and so has been all over the architectural press, but we have been doing one or two other things in the meantime which may have distracted us from the UK architecture scene. Looking at this year's shortlist, apart from thinking Zaha must be hoping 'third time lucky', for the first time in years there are actually several buildings (okay only two out of the six) that I have actually visited, so can have a proper opinion on. One is the Royal Festival Hall, which has had a well deserved and tasteful spruce up (well a lot more than that I know), but the other is my favorite for the prize (and William Hill's at 3/1 apparently) the Naim Dangoor Centre - better know as Westminster Academy -  by architect Alford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM).  [CRW ex-colleagues please now wave out the window at them for me].  

'Global' & 'Strata': Westminster Academy, AHMM

I have to say I think this is a fabulous building, but we also have to remember it is not a template for all schools/academies to follow as it is designed around the particular philosophy and pedagogy of that academy.  Having had the chance to visit (in the name of research in my previous life) it would have my vote. Probably. Unless I found one of the other buildings was better when I visited it....

But what do I know, I'm no Lauren Laverne. Let me know what you think by voting using the thingy in the sidebar before 11 October. 

No, I'm no Kevin McCloud either....