Ireland Could Become Architecture Destination - Huge Variety at the 2008 Irish Architecture Awards
Published: Monday, June 23, 2008
Small house extensions and hairdressing salons to large office and public building projects were among the twelve projects across Ireland which received awards at the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) annual Architecture Awards. President of the RIAI, Sean Ó Laoire said:
“This shows that good design is relevant and possible for all building types not just the ‘grand projets’, including once-off housing. By promoting good quality design of our buildings, as well as our towns and cities we can make Ireland a worldwide Architecture destination for tourists”.
The winners were presented with awards by John Gormley, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. RTE broadcaster Ryan Tubridy hosted the Awards at a ceremony in The chq Building in the IFSC in Dublin. Winning projects included buildings in Cork, Donegal, Dublin and Limerick.
This year the RIAI introduced the Public Choice Award, which invited the public for the first time ever to vote for their favourite building of 2007 from the RIAI shortlist. Tuath na Mara, a house in Donegal, winner of Best House in the RIAI Awards, was also voted Public Choice of 2007. 5,484 people voted on this award.
Speaking on behalf MacGabhann Architects, Tarla MacGabhann explained,
“Tuath na Mara is set in the Donegal landscape, against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean. From the sea, it is virtually invisible. But it is also free-floating, both in the way it captures the light internally, and in the way its design is part of architectural conservation that protects and promotes a balance into the existing landscape”.
Mr. Ó Laoire, said, “The public voted on what they believed to be of real quality as well as what is aesthetically pleasing within the surrounding natural and built environment. Tuath na Mara is a fine example of how a sustainable home and a family needs are clearly at the centre of the design process.”
7 – 9 Merrion Row and the Billets in Dublin 2, designed by Grafton Architects won a special Assessors Award. Chair of the assessing jury, Joan O’Connor, explained, “This very special building did not sit squarely in any category yet could have been placed within four. The fundamental concept of the building is rooted in its immediate urban context, relating to St. Stephen’s Green, the Huguenot Cemetery and the 18th century Georgian streetscape The architectural challenge for The Billets – a long, two-storey ‘mews’ type building - was to incorporate new accommodation, within the character of the existing spaces.
Speaking on behalf of Grafton Architects, Yvonne Farrell, explained,
“The Commissioners of Public Works commissioned this building to provide office accommodation for the Department of Finance to link into the adjacent Government Buildings complex. The Project incorporated The Billets, a 1912 Protected Structure".
The eleven other winning projects include the following:
- Best Accessible Project: ABK Architects for the New Civic Offices Cork;
- Best Conservation / Restoration Project: Michael Collins Associates for The chq Building, Custom House Quay, Dublin 2;
- Best Educational Building: Murray O’ Laoire for the CIT Cork School of Music;
- Best House: MacGabhann Architects for Tuath na Mara, Portsalon, Portsalon, Letterkenny;
- Best House Extension: A2 Architects for One up-One Down-One Deep; 11 Carlisle Street, Dublin;
- Best Housing Project: there was no winner in this category: Two projects were highly commended including: O’ Briain Beary for the Lots Apartments, 16 Capel Street, Dublin 1 and Dublin City Council, City Architects Division for Memorial Court, South Circular Road, Dublin 8;
- Best Leisure Building: Murray O’ Laoire for Tailteann Mary Immaculate College, South Circular Road, Limerick ;
- Best Office Development / Commercial: Bucholz McEvoy for Elm Park Office Buildings, Merrion Road, Dublin 4;
- Best Public Building: ABK Architects for the New Civic Offices Cork;
- Best Retail Building: DePaor Architects for the Salon, 1B Emmet Place, Cork;
- Best Sustainable Project: ABK Architects for the New Civic Offices Cork.
Cork received five Architecture Awards this year, with the New Civic Offices awarded for three categories: best public building, best sustainable project and best accessible project.
John Parker from ABK Architects explained the design of the New Civic Offices, “The three facades of the existing City Hall provide independent access to a variety of civic functions: a concert hall accessed through the north façade facing the River Lee, a Lecture Hall accessed from the east, and the Council Chamber entered from the west. Our proposal was to ‘reveal’ the fourth, ‘back-stage’ elevation as the new administrative entrance to the civic complex”.
Mr. Ó Laoire said, “This year we are delighted with the quality and increased number of entries. There were 217 entries and we have a total of twelve different categories as well as the Public Choice Award. As the shortlist and award winning projects shows, building and urban design has improved significantly over the 20 years of the Irish Architecture Awards.
“Sustainability is the context for the awards and architects are at the forefront of delivering on this. If our commitments to preventing climate change are to be delivered on, then how we design and make our buildings is a critical factor”.
The other members of the jury included Rob Docter, Greg Tisdall, Paul Keogh, Nicki Matthews and Emma Cullinan.
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