Photos from around the world on 4 October
Court overturns convictions of Knox and Sollecito
Attack in the Somali capital, Mogadishu
Hundreds camp out in New York's financial district
Libyan transitional authority troops ceasefire
Anti-Wall Street protest march
Nalgae makes landfall in Philippines
A selection of pictures from this week's news
Anti-Gaddafi fighters capture Sirte airport
Photos from around the world on 29 Sept
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The Evelyn Grace Academy was praised for its "imaginative" design A secondary school in south London has won the UK's most prestigious architecture award.The Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, has been given the Royal Institute of British Architects' Stirling Prize.
It beat the favourite, the London 2012 Olympic velodrome. Hadid has now won the Stirling for two years in a row.
The prize is awarded to the best new European building that has been built or designed in Britain.
The other nominated buildings included the renovated Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Folkwang Museum in Essen, Germany.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) described the ￡37.5m academy as a "highly stylized zig-zag of steel and glass".
Zaha Hadid has also designed the London 2012 Aquatics Centre and Glasgow's Riverside Museum Riba president Angela Brady, who chaired the judging panel, praised the way the "imaginative" design was "expertly inserted into an extremely tight site".
The architects had to accommodate four schools under a single academy umbrella.
With a relatively small location and sport as one of the academy's "special subjects", they put a 100-metre running track through the middle of the site, under a bridge between two school blocks.
"The Evelyn Grace Academy is an exceptional example of what can be achieved when we invest carefully in a well-designed new school building," Ms Brady said.
The annual award is given to the architects of the building that has "made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture in the past year".
Zaha Hadid's London-based practice won for the Maxxi contemporary art museum in Rome last year.
The consecutive victories confirm her as one of the country's leading architects, with the London 2012 Olympic Aquatics Centre, Glasgow's Riverside Museum and Cardiff Bay Opera House also to her name.
Hadid grew up in Iraq before leaving at the age of 17. She has not been back to the country for 30 years but will soon return to design Baghdad's Central Bank - a prospect she describes as "very emotional".
Continue reading the main story
Evelyn Grace Academy, London, designed by Zaha Hadid ArchitectsAn Gaelaras, Derry, by O'Donnell and Tuomey The Angel Building, London, by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany by David Chipperfield Architects Olympic Velodrome (pictured), London, by Hopkins ArchitectsRoyal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres, Stratford-upon-Avon, by Bennetts AssociatesShe set up her own practice in London in 1980 but the academy was its first major project in the capital. "It's not for me to say why this is the first," she told BBC News. "It's not for lack of trying."She said she believed that architecture could have an impact on behaviour and education.
"I think there's no question that the environment impacts on everybody, whether it's schooling or housing or hospitals," she said. "Wellbeing and architecture are connected, there's no question about it."
Discussing the philosophy behind her projects, she added: "The most important thing is to inspire people. And that's why schooling and education is the most important [thing]."
The academy's principal Peter Walker said students were positive about the building and that it may inspire them to go on to great things. But he added that a beautiful building was of no benefit unless the education was up to scratch.
"High standards of behaviour and very high aspirations in terms of academic achievement are at the heart of what we're about, and having an aspirational building supports that drive," he said.
"I'm sure there are students who will be inspired to look at design and perhaps at architecture through attending the building, but fundamentally they won't get there unless what we provide in our classrooms is of high quality for their learning."
Hadid, who will receive a cheque for ￡20,000, was in the US and so missed the ceremony at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, which won the prize in 2001.
The other shortlisted buildings were An Gaelaras, a cultural centre in Derry, and The Angel Building, a renovated 1980s office block in Islington, London.
The prize was set up in 1996 and is named after the late British architect Sir James Stirling.
The ceremony will be broadcast on The Culture Show on BBC Two on Sunday.
Photos from around the world on 4 October
Court overturns convictions of Knox and Sollecito
Attack in the Somali capital, Mogadishu
Hundreds camp out in New York's financial district
Libyan transitional authority troops ceasefire
Anti-Wall Street protest march
Nalgae makes landfall in Philippines
A selection of pictures from this week's news
Anti-Gaddafi fighters capture Sirte airport
Photos from around the world on 29 Sept
Bus, the sport of women, the implementation and 13 beam-driven school skip dogs. It's the week weird and wonderful video stories odd in the Newsbeat with Dominic Byrne.
The first three pictures are from Stella McCartney's 1995 graduation show (Rex Features). The last three are from her latest autumn/winter collection (Getty Images) A large number of the designers showing at London Fashion Week have passed through Central Saint Martins. But why does this school dominate?Even if you're not hugely into fashion, chances are you'll have heard of Stella McCartney, John Galliano and the late Alexander McQueen.
They're fashion superstars, celebrities of haute couture, newsworthy personalities in their own right, as Galliano's recent trial for racial slurs showed. But what also unites them is their alma mater, as all three studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
To name drop a bit more, its fashion alumni also include Katherine Hamnett, Bruce Oldfield, Jenny Packham, Matthew Williamson and Christopher Kane.
But it has not just spawned great British designers. Riccardo Tisci, the Italian creative director of Givenchy womenswear and among those tipped to take over from Galliano at Dior, went there.
Others include American Zac Posen, worn by Natalie Portman and Beyonce among others, and Greek-born Mary Katrantzou, whose print dress adorned Keira Knightley at this year's Venice Film Festival.Only the fashionistas will have heard of Kane and Katrantzou, and only the hardcore will have heard of the Central Saint Martins designers who don't have their own label but who help power the world's biggest fashion houses, such as Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
CSM, as it is known to staff and students, has been around a long time but its reputation as one of the world's top fashion schools was forged in the 1980s. Its fees are in line with other fashion schools but it is notoriously hard to get a place, with the MA in fashion receiving 600 applications for 50 places.
The Daily Telegraph's fashion correspondent Hilary Alexander says the school nurtures the free-thinkers, the mavericks, the people who think outside the box.
Alexander McQueen's work: His 1992 graduate collection, pictured first, was bought by the late fashion icon Isabella Blow (Copyright: CSM and Getty) "The training is very anti-establishment. But that is underpinned by a knowledge of pattern cutting and how clothes hang. It's not an anarchic free-for-all, there's a rigour in terms of the disciplines that go towards making a designer."
It would be impossible to put a monetary value on the school's contribution to global fashion, she adds.
"It must be millions and millions when you think of the influence, inspiration and sales of people like McQueen, Galliano, Williamson, McCartney... the list goes on and on and on."
Continue reading the main story It formed in 1989 from the merger of the Central School of Arts and Crafts (founded 1896) and St Martin's School of Art (founded 1854)St Martin's was internationally renowned for fashion and fine art, while Central was well-known for theatre, industrial and graphic designIts non fashion-designer alumni include artists Lucien Freud and Antony Gormley, designers Sir James Dyson and Sir Terence Conran, actors John Hurt and Colin Firth, and singers PJ Harvey and Jarvis CockerIn 1999, Drama Centre London (founded 1962) merged with CSMCSM is part of the University of the Arts London, which brings together six colleges across the capitalIt was spread across 11 buildings on six sites but it's moving to a new base at King's Cross and an existing site in Archway this yearIts fees are set by the University of the Arts London. From next year, an undergraduate course will cost ￡9,000 per yearIt is undeniable that Saint Martins has produced more than its fair share of big name individuals.Out of the 86 brands showing during London Fashion Week (LFW), 41 involve CSM designers. It is also the only college deemed professional enough to have its own show at LFW.
Savannah Miller is one of the many CSM graduates preparing for this year's LFW, which kicks off on Friday 16 September. She runs her Twenty8Twelve label with her actor sister Sienna Miller.
The fashion designer Miller, who specialised in knitwear and graduated in 2004, says it has a very hands-off approach to its teaching.
"They leave you to get on with it and that made you so free. There were people who couldn't handle that kind of freedom - they wanted classes and structure but you only saw a tutor once every two weeks.
"I was in from 8.30 in the morning to 8.30 at night. There was a handful of us doing that and it was those people who have gone on to do well. "
And if she wasn't studying, she was working at the McQueen label.
"We didn't have any free time to hang out in the pub. We did have fun but fashion is a competitive environment and you had to put in the work."
Of course, one might argue that the school benefits from a virtuous circle. It produces the top designers so it garners the attention that helps it produce top designers.
John Galliano's work: His French Revolution-inspired 1984 graduation collection was bought by London boutique Browns (Copyright: CSM and Getty) Its reputation enables Saint Martins to attract the best tutors and talent, as well as interest and investment from the industry. Its alumni feed back into the college, with former students returning to give talks and offering work experience.
Its professional reputation also means global brands, such as Puma, are keen to sponsor projects providing both industry experience for the students and revenue for the college.
Fashion consultant Andrew Tucker says there are plenty of other fashion schools in the UK, such as the faculties at the University of Brighton and Newcastle University, the Royal College of Art (RCA) and London College of Fashion.
Savannah Miller (left) launched a fashion label with her sister Sienna He says each has its strengths and there is no resentment about Saint Martins having the highest profile.
"Central Saint Martins is genuinely brilliant and I think that's particularly down to the course directorship of Louise Wilson. It's a bit like Fame and someone like Louise is almost a celebrity in her own right. You get people who just want to go there and nowhere else.
"It is the place for someone who is very individual, who wants to be a fashion designer, who has their own message."
Head of MA fashion Prof Wilson is adamant that her job is not to produce labels but to teach her students the skills they need to succeed wherever they choose to pursue a career in the fashion and wider creative industry.
"British Fashion Week is the bane of my life. I've got far more students all round the world in high positions of the fashion industry which is far more satisfactory."
Former CSM student Bruce Oldfield's client list includes everyone from the late Diana, Princess of Wales and Queen Rania of Jordan to Jemima Khan and Rihanna.
He contemplated going to Kingston, Saint Martins or the RCA as they were the "most hi-vis colleges where you would be noticed if you had something to say".
Stella McCartney's graduation show included a few of celebrity friends Oldfield says he wasn't very sociable, kept his head down and grabbed all the opportunities Saint Martins offered. He found the atmosphere and language a "bit precious".
"I floundered on some of the over-intellectualised projects that I do recall. I just got on with designing what I wanted to do and they seemed happy enough with me."
Jenny Packham's dresses are worn by Hollywood A-listers and royalty - the Duchess of Cambridge has worn three of her creations this summer - and she says it was "survival of the fittest" at CSM.
She describes the teaching style as "passive aggressive" and says the tutors are all "without exception committed and enthralled by their subject".
"One day in one of our history of fashion lectures I sat in the front row. I turned round to find that out of a class of 30-ish I was the only one awake. The lecturer was so passionate about his subject that he had just continued."
CSM is currently in the throes of moving to a new base in King's Cross. Many of its old fashion graduates have been lamenting the loss of its Charing Cross Road building, which was deep in the heart of fashionable Soho but a complete dump internally, by all accounts.
Despite the buildings decrepitude, the crumbling corridors fostered an array of talent.
