Foster + Partners' Bloomberg European Headquarters has been awarded the 2018 RIBA Stirling Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the prestigious annual prize is awarded to the UK’s best new building.

Completed last year, the complex is credited "as the world’s most sustainable office" and is thought as "the largest stone building in the City of London since St Paul’s Cathedral."

Bloomberg Arcade, a pedestrianised dining arcade. Image © Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners

Described as a "good neighbor", as the client Michael Bloomberg wanted to ensure the building sit within the city context, the building features a distinctive architectural language with its facade details and sensitive touch in an ancient Roman road in the city. 

Incorporating three new public spaces, the building opens up this area of the city in sensitive way, handcrafted sandstone exterior and bronze window ‘fin’ details to ensure the building sits comfortably within its surroundings.

Image © James Newton

Foster + Partners won the Stirling Prize for the third time throughout its career with the Bloomberg European HQ, previous awarded projects include: Imperial War Museum, Duxford in 1998 and 30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin), London in 2004.

"After vigorous debate, the jury reached a unanimous decision - Bloomberg’s new European HQ is a monumental achievement. The creativity and tenacity of Foster + Partners and the patronage of Bloomberg have not just raised the bar for office design and city planning, but smashed the ceiling," said RIBA President Ben Derbyshire.

"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."

Image © Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners

Offering a restrained exterior and dynamic interior to encourage collaboration, the building is comprised of two buildings connected by a bridge. Each building sits either side of a new public arcade, which connects an ancient Roman road. 

The complex also provides new access to Bank Underground station, with cafes and restaurants, and a museum displaying the Roman Temple of Mithras, which was discovered on the site sixty years ago.

Two buildings divided by a pedestrianised dining arcade. Image © Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners

Featuring a vast footprint (a whole city block), the building is described as "dynamic and highly choreographed". On arrival, visitors enter the ‘Vortex’ – a dramatic double-height art work formed from three curved timber shells. From here, high-speed lifts carry visitors directly to the sixth floor ‘Pantry’ – a large concourse and café space with views across the City.

Image © Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners

A 210-metre high bronze ‘ramp’ that is wide enough for impromptu conversations without impeding the flow of people, winds down and links the office floors below. 

Bloomberg - bespoke desks in a circular formation. Image © James Newton

Workspaces are clustered in the wide open-plan floors which are filled with pioneering new technologies including multi-function ceilings fitted with 2.5 million polished aluminium ‘petals’ to regulate acoustics, temperature and light.

Image © Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners

"From our first discussions to the final details of the project, Mike Bloomberg and I had a ‘meeting of minds’ on every aspect of the project – its sustainable focus, commitment to innovation and drive to create the best workplace for Bloomberg employees," said Lord Norman Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners.

"The RIBA Stirling Prize is a testament to the incredible collaborative spirit that has underpinned the entire project from start to finish."

Image © James Newton

"Bloomberg is a once-in-a-generation project which has pushed the boundaries of research and innovation in architecture," said Sir David Adjaye OBE, Chair of the 2018 RIBA Stirling Prize.

"The design brief called for a building which could rise-up to the challenge of this loaded site and an information-driven environment. The architect worked exhaustively and collaboratively to design a building which perfectly responds to Bloomberg’s ambitions."

Bloomberg Arcade at night. Image © Aaron Hargreaves

"By building at a lower height than approved at planning, reserving parts of the site for public space, and using highly-detailed, handcrafted materials, Bloomberg shows a high level of generosity towards the City. This is a building of its place. Art has been commissioned as an integral part to enhance people’s experience of the spaces."

"This ground-breaking project demonstrates what is possible through close collaboration between highly-skilled, imaginative architects and a deadly sophisticated, civic-minded client. Bloomberg is an astounding commitment to quality architecture," Adjaye added.

Image © James Newton

The jury for the 2018 Prize was comprised of: Sir David Adjaye OBE (Chair), RIBA President - Ben Derbyshire, 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize winner - Alex de Rijke; former Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre - Jude Kelly CBE and Almacantar Property Director - Kathrin Hersel. Architect Simon Sturgis was appointed as sustainability advisor.

The shortlisted projects for the 2018 RIBA Stirling Prize included: Bushey Cemetery, Hertfordshire by Waugh Thistleton Architects, Chadwick Hall, University of Roehampton, London by Henley Halebrown, New Tate St Ives, Cornwall by Jamie Fobert Architects with Evans & Shalev, Storey's Field Centre and Eddington Nursery, Cambridge by MUMA, The Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, Worcester College, Oxford by Niall McLaughlin Architects.

Last year, dRMM Architects' Hastings Pier won the 2017 Stirling Prize for its "carefully and creatively renovation of the Victorian pier as a contemporary multipurpose space."

Top image: The Bloomberg entrance on Queen Victoria Street. Image © Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partner

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