Writer and broadcaster Deyan Sudjic is among 18 judges for the first Architecture Today Awards. Attracted by the awards’ step away from the “instant charm of newness”, he shares the qualities he would like to see in entries.

Sudjic is the former co-director of London’s Design Museum, where he initiated the annual Designs of the Year Award, exhibitions including a retrospective of the work of Zaha Hadid and oversaw the museum’s relocation from Shad Thames to the remodelled 1960s Commonwealth Institute in Kensington before stepping down after 12 years in 2020.

As a member of our inaugural Architecture Today Awards jury, Sudjic shares his motivation for getting involved and the qualities he will be looking for in entries.

What attracted you to be a judge at Architecture Today Awards?
Apart from Isabel’s impressive powers of persuasion, it was the idea of looking at how a building has stood up to at least three years of use, rather than being distracted by the instant charm of newness.

What qualities will you be looking out for – what will make a project stand out to you?
I am drawn to architecture that has the strength to stand up to change, to accommodate different ideas about how it will be used.

What do you hope will be taken away from the live presentation and judging process?
The chance to talk about architecture from multiple points of view, and to have some fun.

What building would you most like to see among the entries?
The Design Museum, but then I would say that, it was my chance to be a client as well as a critic.

Find out more about the Architecture Today Awards and how to enter by visiting the Architecture Today Awards portal.