{"id":496660,"date":"2026-06-12T20:54:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T20:54:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/496660\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T20:54:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T20:54:12","slug":"its-time-to-vote-for-irelands-favourite-building-or-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/496660\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s time to vote for Ireland’s favourite building or space"},"content":{"rendered":"

From a medieval holy island in Co Clare \u2014 complete with a monk\u2019s cell \u2014 to a sleek centre for scholars of the present and the future, there\u2019s no shortage of opportunity to venerate and learn as we select Ireland\u2019s favourite building or space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The designs represent 12 counties across Ireland, alongside six projects by Irish architects internationally \u2014 from Okinawa to Ontario.<\/p>\n

Squaring the Circle is one of 44 structures and spaces shortlisted for the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) 2026 Public Choice Awards.<\/p>\n

Acclaimed architect Valerie Mulvin adored working on the monastic site in Lough Derg, Co Clare, where her practice McCullough Mulvin Architects, Dublin, created the Inis Cealtra Visitor Experience for Clare County Council in the repurposed old rectory. \u201cIn addition to conservation and energy upgrade, a brick-vaulted room like a monk\u2019s cell completes the missing corner of the plan, a \u2018found\u2019 space, like those on the island,\u201d says Valerie.<\/p>\n

Voting closes on Monday, June 15, at 5pm, and we can choose from public architecture, including school and university sites, hospitals, social housing and passenger infrastructure, as well as eye-catching homes and the conservation of historical sites. \u201cThe Public Choice Award is unique in that it is the only architectural award in the country decided by public vote,\u201d says RIAI president Fionnuala May.<\/p>\n

\"SquaringSquaring the Circle, McCullough Mulvin Architects. Picture: Fionn McCann<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an opportunity for the public to reflect on how well-designed buildings and places can positively impact the quality of their daily lives by carefully considering the needs of our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Havelock,Havelock, Scullion Architects. Picture: Peter Molloy<\/p>\n

The RIAI received 174 entries across categories, including public use, urban design, conservation, adaptation and re-use, housing and sustainability. Five architectural research projects were also shortlisted for the RIAI Awards and will be recognised in the awards presentation on Thursday, June 18.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s awards were tightly contested, with 14,000 votes cast by the public. \u201cThis year\u2019s shortlist powerfully illustrates how architects shape the quality of everyday life, not just in individual buildings, but in the collective civic fabric of our country,\u201d adds Ms May.<\/p>\n

\"UniversityUniversity of Limerick Student Centre, Cotter & Naessens Architects. Picture: Ste Murray<\/p>\n

Besides Squaring the Circle, Co Clare, two other Munster buildings, both in Limerick, are shortlisted. The University of Limerick Student Centre by Cotter & Naessens Architects is conceived as a block from which rooms and spaces are carved, enclosed or open to the sky.<\/p>\n

The centre was born of a vision for a place at the very heart of university life, transforming the student experience by providing social spaces, places for encounter and exchange, and a place on campus that students can call their own.<\/p>\n

\"BonBon Secours Hospital, Limerick, eddy A+U and HOK. Picture: Donal Murphy<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the biophilic, low-carbon design for the Bon Secours Hospital, Limerick, by Reddy A+U and HOK (Design Architect) features durable materials and aims to enhance wellbeing and wayfinding. Its sweeping curved form creates a distinctive silhouette, with two volumes separated by courtyards and linked by glazed bridges.<\/p>\n

\"O-House,O-House, Lawrence and Long Architects. Picture: Bernadette Keating<\/p>\n

In housing, we see an alternative to mews housing in Dublin\u2019s O-House. This project, by Lawrence and Long Architects, wraps the living areas around a central garden, rather than to the front and rear.<\/p>\n

The configuration prevents overlooking issues at three boundaries, while introducing additional daylight and ventilation into the plan through first-floor terraces and roof lights.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The primary timber structure was prefabricated off-site using cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glulam elements.<\/p>\n

\"OO House. Picture: Bernadette Keating<\/p>\n

The shortlist features education projects such as the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland\u2019s new building on St Stephen\u2019s Green and a state-of-the-art special educational needs school in Letterkenny, which display how exceptional architecture elevates the daily learning, health, and lives of citizens.<\/p>\n

\"QuaysideQuayside Water Sports Centre, Urban Agency Architects. Picture: Donal Murphy<\/p>\n

The inclusion of Barretstown Medical Centre and other key medical sites demonstrates how smart design influences the delivery of critical healthcare services.<\/p>\n

\"BellevueBellevue Heights, REIR Studio. Picture: Peter Molloy<\/p>\n

The conservation and reopening of the Magazine Fort in Dublin\u2019s Phoenix Park shows how architects can transform once-inaccessible sites into vibrant and active public spaces.<\/p>\n

Improving everyday lift is the aim of the exercise, according to the RIAI president. \u201cFrom schools and educational buildings such as Project Connect at RCSI and the Special Educational Needs School in Letterkenny, to community and healthcare projects like the East Meath Civic Centre and Barretstown Medical Centre, these works demonstrate the lasting value of investing in quality design,\u201d adds Ms May.<\/p>\n

See Riai.ie\/public-choice-award-poll<\/a> to cast your vote and learn more about the shortlisted projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From a medieval holy island in Co Clare \u2014 complete with a monk\u2019s cell \u2014 to a sleek…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":496661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[32816,32817,61,60,43],"class_list":["post-496660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-home-improvements","tag-home-interiors","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/496661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}