The Stirling prize has been rescued by the Marco Goldschmied Foundation, which is stumping up the 拢20,000 prize money after the RIBA struggled to find a sponsor for the prize

The foundation established by the former RIBA president is now responsible for funding the two largest architecture prizes in the country, the Stirling and the Stephen Lawrence prize, which is worth 拢5,000. The foundation will also donate 拢20,000 to the Amnesty Arts Fund.

The RIBA, which organises the prize, has struggled at times this year to keep the Stirling afloat. In July, the Chinese company, Crystal CG, specialists in 3D animation, stepped in to offer funds to keep it going.

At the time, Sunand Prasad, then RIBA president, defended his decision to offer a foreign company the sponsorship. He said: 鈥淚t would have amounted to a boycott to say we will not deal with a Chinese firm,鈥� he said.

Goldschmied was a founding partner of Richard Rogers Partnership in 1977, but left the practice in 2004. An ensuing legal dispute ended with Goldschmied acquiring the 拢30m west London site of Rogers鈥� headquarters.

Rogers has been nominated twice for this year鈥檚 Stirling prize.

Topics