RA dishes out annual architecture prize to Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio

The sad and sorry truth is that most buildings aren’t worthy of comment. Think about the sheer amount of utterly unremarkable works of architecture that you stroll, stomp, and sprint past on a daily basis. There are thousands of bland houses, pointless pubs, and semi-invisible shops that make up every town and city in the country. Dreadful isn’t it?

Good architecture, however, is as good for the soul as a bowl of chicken soup is on a gusty Friday in early February. This morning the Royal Academy tipped its collective hat to the brightest and best of contemporary architecture, doling out gongs at the annual Royal Academy Architecture Prize ceremony.

The big winners were Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio who were awarded the overall prize in honour of their “inspiring and enduring contribution to the culture of architecture.” Just last month, the pair, who work as part of highly-regarded practice Diller Scofidio + Renfro, unveiled grand plans for a massive new concert space at the Barbican in London.

Alan Stanton, academician and chair of the jury, says that the decision to give Elizabeth and Ricardo was a “unanimous” one, noting that their “extraordinary architectural projects…resonate with our ethos here at the Royal Academy, formed as it is by both artists and architects.”

The dynamic duo will be celebrated with a week-long series of series of public events held at the RA, set to include talks, activities, and workshops, which we’re assured will, “create cultural exchange between international and local practitioners and students aimed at both the public and the profession.”