LONDON.- The Royal Institute of British Architects announced the shortlist for the 2011 RIBA Lubetkin Prize, given to the best international building outside the EU. This year’s prize has a star-studded shortlist of five magnificent new buildings from around the world.

The Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi by Foster + Partners is a futuristic university campus which operates in the heat of the desert by merging traditional building wisdom with the latest technology; Guangzhou Opera House, China by Zaha Hadid Architects reinvents the traditional opera theatre with its dramatically curving contours; The Met in Bangkok by WOHA is a residential skyscraper incorporating outdoor spaces, balconies and gardens; both Boston Museum of Fine Arts, USA by Foster + Partners and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts by Rick Mather Architects are contemporary galleries built to complement the original museum architecture.

The winner of the RIBA Lubetkin Prize will be announced on the evening of Saturday 1 October at a ceremony and dinner at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham and will be featured in a special edition of BBC Two’s The Culture Show.

The 2011 RIBA Lubetkin Prize shortlist is as follows:
• Masdar Institute, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi by Foster + Partners
• Guangzhou Opera House, Guangzhou, China by Zaha Hadid Architects
• Boston Museum of Fine Arts Boston, USA by Foster + Partners
• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, USA by Rick Mather Architects
• The Met, Bangkok, Thailand by WOHA

Speaking today, Ruth Reed, RIBA President, said: 'The RIBA Lubetkin Prize reflects the international market for talented architects. This year's shortlist is unusual in that they are all big budget projects – each with a contract value over $100 million. The list mixes some of world architecture's most famous names with a younger practice so it will be interesting to see who the judges choose as a winner. It is also exciting that this is the first year that the prize presentation will be broadcast on BBC television.'

The jury was chaired by RIBA President-Elect Angela Brady with architects Deborah Saunt, Jim Eyre and Peter Clegg, and RIBA Head of Awards Tony Chapman.