Today, the Royal British Institute of Architects (RIBA) announced Foster + Partners’ Bloomberg headquarters in London as the winner of this year’s Stirling Prize.  This is the third time that the London-based firm has received the prestigious award, which recognizes the best building in the United Kingdom based on design vision, innovation, and originality. The firm last won the prize in 2004 for the bullet-shaped skyscraper The Gherkin.

The project, which comprises two buildings connected by bridges, features a sandstone frame consisting of protuberant fins with built-in vents. Spanning over 3.2 acres, the 10-story headquarters has been credited as the world’s most sustainable office building, and it is rumored to be the largest stone building in London next to St. Paul’s Cathedral. The facility was also a recipient of the RIBA London Award, which celebrates architectural excellence in England’s capital.

The other shortlisted projects were: Bushey Cemetery by Waugh Thisleton Architects; the new extension to the Tate St Ives by James Forbert Architects; Henley Halebrown’s Chadwick Hall at the University of Roehampton; the Field Centre and Eddington Nursery at the University of Cambridge by MUMA LLP’s Storey; and Niall McLaughlin Architects’ Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre at Worcester College.

Last year, the Stirling Prize was awarded to dRMM Architects’ Hastings Pier, a multi-purpose dock in England’s East Sussex county.