2012 RIBA Stirling Prize Winner

The Royal Institute of British Architects has awarded its Building of the Year—named for famed architect James Stirling (1926-1992)—to the Sainsbury Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. Located on the edge of the University's Botanic Gardens, the building designed by Stanton Williams has been referred to as "the Rolls Royce of science laboratories." One Stirling Prize judge called the stone, concrete, and wood building "a sublime piece of calm and beautiful architecture." The Sainsbury Laboratory beat out five other finalists, which included buildings designed by David Chipperfield and Rem Koolhaas, and one building created for the 2012 Summer Olympics.