Magdalene College's The New Library Wins 26th RIBA Stirling Prize

Magdalene College's The New Library Wins 26th RIBA Stirling Prize. The New Library, Magdalene College in Cambridge by Níall McLaughlin Architects is the winner of the 26th RIBA Stirling Prize. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) named the new building at the 700-year-old University of Cambridge college as the winner of their premier prize. The new library – open 24 hours a day – incorporates an archive and an art gallery. Set within the college grounds in Cambridge’s city-centre it honours the rich surrounding history by combining load-bearing brick, gabled pitched roofs, and brick chimneys that fit into Cambridge’s historic settings. Despite its retro looks, it also has futuristic innovations, including highly effective passive ventilation and natural lighting strategies to minimise energy use and materials such as an engineered timber structure to reduce carbon in construction. College Librarian, Magdalene College, Dr Marcus Waithe, gushed: “The College wanted to avoid mere pastiche, or a passive ‘blending in’ it needed to be an inspiring structure – one that would encourage our undergraduates to aim high – that still preserved a human scale” . The New Library, Magdalene College was chosen by the jury from a list of outstanding other shortlisted projects.