Location: Cambridge, England.

Architect: Stanton Williams.

The Sainsbury Laboratory, a major new plant science research centre in Cambridge by Stanton Williams, won the RIBA Stirling Prize 2012 for the best building of the year. The architects have created a stimulating work environment, reinterpreting the tradition of the monastic cloister and collegiate court, and designed a stylish new public garden café. The Sainsbury Laboratory sits within a sensitive site overlooking the woods where Darwin walked with his tutor and mentor Henslow. Stanton Williams and their landscape architects have created a new landscape, a courtyard which flows out into the botanical gardens. The building had to balance openness with security, and public access is on the ground floor.

It uses fine materials expertly detailed and integrates works of art commissioned by Susanna Herron, William Pye and Norman Ackroyd. The project’s profound sustainability is impressive, not only in terms of its excellent energy performance but also in its long-term flexibility and adaptability.

Photo credit: Hufton+Crow.