'Low-cost' German museum wins award

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Judges praised the economical building in Marbach am Neckar, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, as both "rich and restrained".

The award is presented to the designers of the building which has been the most significant for the evolution of architecture in the past year.

Saturday night's glittering awards ceremony, in its 12th year, took place at north London's Roundhouse, broadcast on Channel 4.

Sunand Prasad, President of Riba - the Royal Institute of British Architects, announced the winner and Kieran Long, editor of the Architects' Journal presented a cheque for £20,000 to the prize-winner.

The judges commented: "Following reunification, texts of various well-known German authors which had previously been dispersed to east and west have now been brought together in this new museum.

"In a suitably commemorative manner the building forms a small Acropolis attached to the National Schiller Museum on a ridge overlooking the valley of the River Neckar."

The prize is named after the late British architect Sir James Stirling. It is the first time a building designed by David Chipperfield Architects has won.

Visitors to the building cross an open terrace overlooking the valley, negotiating a series of shallow steps and then entering through giant hardwood doors. A staircase descends to the collections with their required diminishing lighting levels.

The judges continued: "It is at this moment of descent that the building shows its pedigree - a sense of a progression to somewhere beyond, combined with a rich but selective palette of materials and illuminated with subdued top lighting."