The 2021 Stirling Prize shortlist contains a typically eclectic mix of projects. While I have no issue with architectural prizes in principle, I have sometimes wondered how the Stirling judges are supposed to weigh the merits of such a wide range of different building typologies. 

This year’s list pitches a museum of boats on Lake Windermere against a suburban mosque in Cambridge, and a student study centre in Kingston against a bridge in Tintagel. They are all interesting but are also so diverse as to make direct comparison seem a bit meaningless.

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