RIAI celebrates the Rising Stars of Architecture - Winners of the RIAI Future Award and RIAI Student Awards 2023 Announced

RIAI Future Award 2023 and RIAI Student Awards 2023. Photo by Patrick Bolger

RIAI Future Award

Awarded in association with the RIAI Journal, Architecture Ireland, the Future Award seeks to recognise new talent in Irish architecture. This is an award for emerging architects who have been RIAI registered members for ten years or less. The Jury was delighted to see entries that showed exceptional skill and talent in a wide range of areas relating to architecture, such as: design, practice, public engagement, research, writing, and education. 

The Jury, comprising the Architecture Ireland Editorial Board, recognised one Winner, one Highly Commended entry and one Commended entry:

Winner: Lucy Jones, Antipas Jones Architects

“Lucy Jones was chosen as the RIAI Future Award Winner 2023 for her methodical approach to architectural practice, with a strong emphasis on adaptability and sustainability. The winner's diverse portfolio, spanning re-use projects to international collaborations, demonstrates strong design quality and reflects a comprehensive understanding of the discipline of architecture and the complex challenges for the built environment. The entry's perspective on the evolving nature of architecture and its emphasis on ethical considerations offers a thoughtful approach to the profession's future challenges.”
Jury Citation

RIAI Student Awards

The RIAI is delighted to support the next generation of Architects and Architectural Technologists through our Student Awards. All entries are judged anonymously by the juries. The standard of submissions was high and the juries made awards and commendations. All students received cash prizes from our award sponsors.

RIAI Scott Tallon Walker Student Excellence Award

This award fosters architectural excellence among the student body and is open to students of architecture enrolled in their final thesis year. Students are invited to submit a collage on a single A1 sheet, illustrating the work they have completed during their final year. Sponsored by Scott Tallon Walker Architects.

The Jury, consisting of Ali Grehan FRIAI, Gerry Cahill FRIAI and Kevin Bates MRIAI (Chair), was impressed by the ambition shown in the projects and the depth of research presented.

Winner: Daneisha Pile, Technological University Dublin, Relationships with Water through Regenerative Architecture

Winner: David McEvoy, University of Limerick, Unlocking the In-between

Special Mentions:

• Ciara Marlborough, University of Limerick, The Foyer
• Jessica Howard, University of Limerick, Tectonic Experience of Timber as Material
• Ellen Brien, Technological University Dublin, The Reciprocity of Interspecies Living

Selected for Exhibition:

• Kate Carroll, University College Dublin, Symbiotic Structures
• Tara Nic Gearailt, University of Limerick, ‘Traidisiún a Chaomhnú

RIAI Rising Star Award in Architectural Technology Award

This award recognises an individual third-year student of Architectural Technology who exemplifies academic excellence and dedication to the field of Architectural Technology in the national context of the Architectural Technologists' education. The students were invited to submit a single A1 board and summary report which illustrated the work they had completed in that year. Sponsored by SIKA.  

The Jury consisted of Pat Kirwan RIAI (Arch.Tech), Emma Hayes RIAI (Arch.Tech), and Barry Kirwan RIAI (Arch.Tech).

Winner: Killian Collins, Technological University Dublin (Mixed Use Residential Building)

Highly Commended: Mark Leonard, Technological University Dublin, Mixed Use Residential Building

Commended: Colin Devlin, South East Technological University Carlow, Sports Campus

RIAI Student Award for Sustainable Design

This award recognises the awareness and integration of sustainable design principles by students as an inherent part of their design approach, regardless of scale or complexity. Students were asked to submit a single A1 board, with accompanying Sustainability Statement, illustrating a project which they had completed in that year in which the principles of sustainable design were integrated and evaluated. The award is open to all students enrolled in the programmes of Architecture or Architectural Technology. Supported by VELUX.

The Jury which consisted of Aran Quigley MRIAI , Michael Grace FRIAI and Michael Goan MRIAI (Chair).

Winner: Daneisha Pile, Technological University Dublin, Relationships with Water through Regenerative Architecture

Highly Commended: Kate Carroll, University College Dublin, Symbiotic Structures, Blackpitts

Highly Commended: Alexandra Leahy, Technological University Dublin, The Cabra School of Aerial Dance

Selected for Exhibition:

• Megan Carey, University of Limerick, Childcare project
• Rebecca Dolan, University College Dublin, Shared Boundaries, Dublin Docklands
• Kate Madden, CCAE University College Cork, Embodiment, representation, or expression of something in a tangible or visible form
• Sarah Murphy, CCAE University College Cork, School of Engineering, Cork

RIAI and Architecture Ireland Student Writing Prize

The aim of the RIAI Student Writing Prize is to nurture and recognise the importance of writing in architecture. Students are invited to contribute an article of no more than 1000 words on a theme of their choice – whether a building or a book; an architect or a movement; both contemporary and historic subject matters will be considered. Sponsored by Hacketts.

The Jury consisted of Phoebe Brady MRIAI, Nicolas Howden, Shane O'Toole honMRIAI, and Michael K. Hayes MRIAI (Chair).

Winner: Daneisha Pile, Technological University Dublin, My Room, My Primordial Space

Winner: Tara Nic Gearailt, University of Limerick, Bruach na hAille

Winner: Luke Reilly, University of Limerick, The Process of Memory Making

Commended: Kate Hunter Hanley, Technological University Dublin, The Myth of the Motor

Commended: Aoife Bennett Murray, University of Limerick, Ode to Shannon

Speaking of the Awards, RIAI President Charlotte Sheridan, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to be recognising the next generation of architects and architectural technologists at this year’s RIAI Conference. With collaboration being highlighted at this year’s Conference, we’re even more excited to be highlighting the voices of the future and are eager to see the new ways of thinking they bring to the industry. To celebrate the next generation at the biggest architectural event of the year allows us to envision what the future of Irish architecture holds and how societal issues might be addressed. I offer my sincere congratulations to all of the winners and those commended, and look forward to seeing how our industry is changed for the better.”

Congratulations from the RIAI to all our Award Winners and those who received Commendations.