Northern Ireland's Building of the Year announced

The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) has awarded the Liam McCormick Prize for Northern Ireland’s Building of the Year to ‘House at Maghera’, in Castlewellan, County Down by multi award winning architects McGonigle McGrath.

The family dwelling joins an illustrious list of buildings including the Giants Causeway Visitors Centre and the Lyric Theatre which have previously won the prestigious award named after one of Ireland’s greatest 20th century architects.

Other winning buildings at the RSUA Design Awards 2016 included the uplifting Banbridge Health and Care Centre by Kennedy Fitzgerald Architects in association with Avanti Architects, an innovative social housing scheme in Carryduff for Choice Housing designed by PDP London Architects and the sensitively restored Graduate School at Queen’s University by Consarc Design Group.

Martin Hare, RSUA President said:

“The RSUA Design Awards primary purpose is to promote excellence in the design of our built environment with the view to making Northern Ireland a better place to be. There is no doubt that all thirteen projects that have received awards this year have truly enhanced our landscape and our communities. These projects demonstrate the positive impact good design can have on our society including its critical role in making Northern Ireland a more attractive place for citizens, tourists and investors.”

“I applaud the determination of the clients, architects and everyone involved in the delivery of these projects as they have upheld design quality often against a backdrop of severe budgetary pressures. It shows it can be done and sets down a challenge to everybody involved in creating our built environment to match or even exceed that design quality. We all have a role in creating a brighter future for Northern Ireland and architects are ready to play their part.”

Ends

Notes to editors

The full list of winning buildings is below:

1. Liam McCormick Prize

Winner: House at Maghera, Castwellan, Co.Down by McGonigle McGrath

2. Best Social Housing Project sponsored by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Winner: Killynure Green, Carryduff by PDP London Architects

3. Best Single House or Extension Over £100,000 sponsored by Lowry Building and Civil Engineering

Joint Winner: Grillagh Water House, Maghera, Co.L’derry by Patrick Bradley Architects

Joint Winner: House at Maghera, Castlewellan, Co.Down by McGonigle McGrath

4. Best Public Building Under £3millon sponsored by the Central Procurement Directorate of the Department of Finance

Winner: Home from Home, near Belfast City Hospital by McGonigle McGrath (Also won a RIBA Regional Award and RIBA Regional Client of the Year Award)

5. Best Public Building Over £3millon sponsored by the Central Procurement Directorate of the Department of Finance

Winner: Banbridge Health and Care Centre by Kennedy Fitzgerald Architects in association with Avanti Architects (Also won a RIBA Regional Award)

6. Best Commercial Project up to £3million sponsored by JP Corry

Winner: Creative Industries Building, Weavers Court, Belfast by Doherty Architects

7. Best Public Space sponsored by the Department for Infrastructure

Winner: Lagan Weir Footbridge, Belfast by AECOM

8. Best Cultural Project sponsored by the Department for Communities

Winner: Portico, Portaferry, Co.Down by Maxwell Pierce

9. Best Conservation of Built Heritage sponsored by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council

Joint Winner: The Graduate School at Queen’s University Belfast by Consarc Design Group (Also won a RIBA Regional Award and a RIBA Regional Conservation Award)