Madrid Airport Wins Architecture Oscar

Madrid Airport Wins Architecture Oscar
Madrid's Barajas International Airport was awarded Britain's most prestigious architectural award, dubbed by some as the "Oscars of architecture."

The airport, designed by Richard Rogers Partnership, beat out five other contenders to snatch the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize.

It marks the first time Richard Rogers Partnership -- which has also designed the Welsh National Assembly in Cardiff, another nominee for the award this year, and the Pompidou Centre in Paris -- has won the award.

The judges said of the colourful 1.2 kilometre-long (0.75 mile) airport: "Whatever the means of approach, by air or by land, the sheer scale and complexity of what has been tackled and achieved here cannot be over-estimated."