A building which has “smashed the ceiling” of office design has scooped a top UK architecture award.
Bloomberg, London, designed by Foster And Partners, has won the 2018 Riba Stirling Prize for best new building.
It beat Tate St Ives in Cornwall and a cemetery in Hertfordshire to the annual award.
Two buildings connected by a bridge sit either side of a new public arcade, which re-establishes an ancient Roman road.
The scheme also incorporates new access to Bank Underground station, cafes and restaurants, and a museum displaying the Roman Temple of Mithras, which was discovered on the site 60 years ago.
“This building is a profound expression of confidence in British architecture – and perfectly illustrates why the UK is the profession’s global capital. This role and reputation must be maintained, despite the political uncertainty of Brexit.”
Riba also announced that Old Shed New House, the “radical” transformation of a farm shed in North Yorkshire by Tonkin Liu Architects into a sustainable new home, has won the 2018 Stephen Lawrence Prize.
It was awarded in 1998 in memory of Lawrence, who was taking steps to become an architect before he was murdered in 1993.