The Shard by Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Photos: Photos: RIBA/PA Wire

Skyscraper The Shard and the London Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park have been shortlisted for British architecture’s top prize.

The Riba Stirling Prize – whose nominees also include Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre, the Library of Birmingham, the London School of Economics, and Manchester School of Art – is awarded annually to the best new building.

Judges compared The Shard to the “Gothic spire of a German cathedral” and said it was “the most significant step forward on the London skyline since St Paul’s”.

They said that making the tower, which is not yet fully occupied but houses a health clinic, offices, restaurants, hotel, apartments and public viewing gallery, “a thing of great beauty on such a tight site” was a “rare achievement”.

They added: “Understanding there are many days when the London skyline reads only as a depressing grey silhouette, the architects have left a substantial part at the top open, adding further to the lightness even in these conditions, not unlike the Gothic spire of a German cathedral.”

Judges said that removing the wings, which had accommodated spectators during the Olympics, from the London Aquatics Centre had “allowed the building... to fly free”. They praised architect Zaha Hadid’s building, which was inspired by the “fluid geometry of water in motion”, as “very beautiful” and “conceptually flawless”.

Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre was built on the site of the old theatre after it was deemed unsuited for productions and the audience in the 21st century.

But the new build has the “ambience of an old building”, thanks to the use of recycled and exposed brick, judges said.

“After nine years’ gestation, Liverpool has a brand new purpose-built theatre of outstanding quality... This is a building that will age gracefully, continually enriched by the patina of daily use. It will both reassure and delight its loyal audience and those discovering this gem for the first time.”

With its “Harry Potter rotunda” and “Willy Wonka-style glass lift”, the Library of Birmingham is described as a “landmark” and “bold addition to the city”.

The building is composed of “three stacked boxes adorned with a glittering filigree screen” and has “shaken the traditional perception of a library”.

Manchester School of Art feels more as though “you are entering a metropolitan art gallery rather than a university department”.

Also shortlisted is the London School of Economics Saw Swee Hock Student Centre – a “startlingly original building”, which is “beautifully constructed” and a “massive contribution to its townscape”.

Riba (Royal Institute of British Architects) president Stephen Hodder said the shortlisted buildings were “poetic”.

“The shortlist comprises no ordinary new swimming pool, office block, theatre, library or university – they are beautiful, inspiring and transformative new buildings that their communities can relish and be proud of,”he said.

All of the buildings are “major new additions to an already dense urban fabric in the cities they serve”.

The winner, picked by a team of judges, will be announced on October 16.

The shortlist for the 2014 Riba Stirling Prize

• Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, by Haworth Tompkins

• Library of Birmingham by Mecanoo

• London Aquatics Centre by Zaha Hadid Architects

• London Bridge Tower (The Shard) by Renzo Piano Building Workshop

• London School of Economics – Saw Swee Hock Student Centre by O’Donnell and Tuomey Architects

• Manchester School of Art by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios