Hastings Pier scoops UK’s top architecture prize – 2017 Stirling Prize

A pier rebuilt after a devastating fire in a town famed for one of England’s most famous battles won the most coveted prize in British architecture Tuesday night.

RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architecture, awarded the 2017 Stirling Prize to Hastings Pier. The award was announced at a glittering ceremony at the Roundhouse in London when six short listed projects were in the running for the prestigious prize, described as the most coveted award in British architecture.

The old pier, built in the days of Queen Victoria when thousands of people thronged to seaside resorts, was destroyed seven years ago.

It has taken the Hastings Pier Charity since then to see the pier rise from the ashes.

Designed by dRMM Architects, the pier has again become a major attraction in Hastings, famed as the scene of the Battle of Hastings which took place in 1066, with a famous victory for William the Conqueror, starting the Norman Conquest of England.

In their citation, the judging panel said, “It has taken a seven-year heroic collaboration to turn a smoldering pier in disrepair and decline into a vibrant public space with a palpable sense of ownership”

The judges said the decision not to follow tradition by deciding there would be no buildings at the end of pier was an extremely powerful move.

“The large open space provides a sense of calmness and delight, with a strong connection to the sea and the seafront,” the judges said.

The citation said from a conservation perspective, the project has reinvigorated a firedamaged historic structure and facilitated a contemporary and appropriate new 21st century use.

Material from the original pier has been incorporated in the new design, with the process of restoration used to help train a new generation of craft specialists.