Paddington's Prize: From Pole to Cube for Stirling Award

Paddington Square, a development by Irvine Sellar and designed by Renzo Piano, has been recognized with a place on the shortlist for the Stirling Prize, the UK's most prestigious architectural award. The project, originally conceived as the much taller 'Paddington Pole' residential tower, was redesigned into an 18-storey office building following planning objections. This revision resulted in a crystalline, glass-clad structure now known as the Cube. Beyond its architectural form, Paddington Square significantly reconfigures the public space at Paddington Station, replacing a dismal underpass with an open piazza. This aims to better integrate the station into its surroundings. The transformation is seen as a vindication for Sellar, who passed away in 2017. The Stirling Prize shortlist notably features a prevalence of brick buildings, making Paddington Square, with its glass facade, a conspicuous outlier. Other shortlisted projects include Fairmead House, Lion Green Road housing, and schemes for Pembroke and Clare Colleges at Cambridge, along with a theatre transformation in Hertford, many of which are characterized by their traditional brickwork. The selection has prompted discussion about architectural homogeneity and geographic diversity within the awards.