A maritime museum and aquarium on the harbour edge of Alexandria.
For visitors, schools and researchers: galleries of ships and artefacts, a large aquarium, a grand atrium and a harbour-front promenade, with a research wing behind.
Two sweeping, wing-like roofs rest on tapering stone columns above a glazed ground floor that faces the water. Inside, the columns branch into the ceiling of a tall atrium, and the exhibits are lit from the harbour side.
Limestone that belongs to the city, a roof that shades the glass, and an atrium that gives the building a lasting public room.
Manchester, United Kingdom · Civic and cultural
Interlocking stone volumes and a bold cantilevered gallery float above a glazed ground floor, in warm stone, bronze fins and glass. Broad stairs rise from the canal-side to the entrance and double as seating, so the building can be used before anyone steps inside.
Robust stone, bronze and glass that gain character with age, and a flexible plan that can change its programme without changing its structure.
Gairloch, Scotland, United Kingdom · Civic and cultural
Three connected volumes with asymmetrical pitched roofs echo the scale of the village. Local stone, weathered timber and dark metal roofing keep the palette quiet, and large panes of glass frame the loch and the mountains from the main hall.
Robust materials for a coastal climate and flexible rooms that can change use, so the centre can serve the village for generations.
Liverpool, United Kingdom · Civic and cultural
Interlocking limestone volumes and a large cantilever with a timber-batten underside shelter the entrance. Weathering steel, glass and planted terraces answer the red-brick warehouses around the dock without copying them.
Natural stone, timber and weathering steel that gain character with age, in a plan that can change its programme over time.
