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Hopkins scoops both Building of the Year and Contribution to the Profession awards at the AJ 100

date added: 19.05.2011

Last night, Hopkins Architects celebrated a hat trick of award wins at the annual AJ 100 member’s dinner and awards ceremony.

Sir Michael Hopkins, one of the founding partners of the practice, received the prestigious peer award Contribution to the Profession, voted for by architects entered into the AJ100, while the practice’s London 2012 Olympic Velodrome scooped the Building of the Year award from among a shortlist of eight very impressive projects. This is the second year in a row that Hopkins has claimed the Building of the Year prize.

Hopkins Architects also received a commendation in the Most Sustainable Practice award category, adding a third prize on the evening for the practice, which has climbed two places to 39 from last year in the AJ100 ranking.

Building of the Year, the Olympic Velodrome, is one of the four permanent venues on the Olympic Park and designed for the indoor track cycling events at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The facility was unilaterally agreed upon by judges for the prize due to its “near perfect synthesis of form and function”, as described by jury member Patrik Schumacher of Zaha Hadid Architects.

The jury, which also comprised Frank Duffy (DEGW) and Christine Murray (AJ editor), were particularly impressed by the beauty of the cedar cladding, the ingenious lightweight double cable-net roof, the dominance of natural light and the Velodrome's beauty in section.

Last year, Hopkins’ Kroon Hall at Yale University received the Building of the Year award.

Meanwhile, this year’s Contribution to the Profession winner Sir Michael Hopkins CBE received the popular vote from among his peers for his significant contribution to UK architecture since he founded the Hopkins practice in 1976. During his career, he has been awarded a CBE and Knighted for Services to Architecture, and also won the RIBA Gold Medal for Architecture in 1994 (with partner Patricia Hopkins).

The Hopkins practice has been at the centre of British architecture since the practice was established, and has a track record for delivering acclaimed, award winning buildings of the highest architectural standards.

Paul Finch, Editorial Director, The Architects’ Journal, said:

“Our sincere congratulations to Hopkins Architects, not only for Michael’s much deserved Contribution to the Profession award but also for the impressive achievement of securing the Building of the Year award for the second year on the run. This year’s AJ100 awards is also most definitely Hopkins’ night, and I trust that their friends, peers and colleagues will come together to warmly congratulate them.”

Undertaken by the Architects’ Journal, in collaboration with Imperial College London, the annual AJ 100 survey provides a vivid insight into the performance and success of the architectural sector and its value to the UK economy. The survey is completed by the vast majority of UK practices, who in addition to providing statistics on the number of qualified architects employed also submit information on their commercial performance.

The AJ100 Awards took place on Wednesday 18th May at the Grange Hotel St Paul’s London, and were organised by The Architects’ Journal magazine, published by Emap. Supporters and sponsors include Hilson Moran, Bespoke, BST Global, Kalzip, Saint-Gobain, Samsung, with category sponsors Schüco and Griffiths & Armour. FD is the Official Communication Partners to the AJ100.