This year, the list of participants could not have been more diverse: the shortlist included an innovative museum and education center, an airport terminal, a small single-family apartment building, a library, a hospital and the parliament building.
This raised certain questions among critics: on what basis are the candidate buildings selected, and, more importantly, on what basis are they compared?
The award, founded by the Royal Institute of British Architects in cooperation with The Architects' Journal, is gradually losing its relevance as a "barometer" of the development of British architecture.
The Brick House by Caruso Saint John is small in size and clearly not designed for fashion and tourist attraction. But he, despite the high quality of performance, is unlikely to be able to really influence what and how will be built in the UK next year or in ten years.
The other five contenders are notable structures created, in addition to their main function, and in order to become a landmark - perhaps even on a global scale.
Among them - two state buildings of the "social sphere" - the already famous "Ideas Store" by David Adjaye in London's Whitechapel district, a modern library that stores a variety of media, and Michael Hopkins' Evelina Children's Hospital, where a small budget did not become an obstacle to the emergence light and bright high-tech style buildings.
The natural science museum "Science Center" Fano " by Zaha Hadid, built by her, unlike the above-mentioned finalists, not in London, but in Germany's Wolfsburg, belongs to the category of buildings for the needs of the population. This cultural institute is designed to visually demonstrate to schoolchildren, first of all, the effect of the laws of physics and chemistry. At the same time, its location in the city center, next to other points of attraction for both citizens and tourists, the invitation of the famous architect to develop the project - all indicate another attempt to create the prerequisites for the "Bilbao syndrome".
The new Terminal 4 at Madrid Barajas Airport and the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff, both built by Richard Rogers, round out the list of Stirling Prize contenders. Like the other finalists, they perfectly fulfill their functions, at the same time, attracting the attention of the public with their originality and beauty.
So far, none of the experts have tried to predict the name of this year's winner, which we will find out on October 14th. But the fact that the influence of the jury's decision on the general situation in the field of British architecture will not be decisive is already clear.
