28March2024

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Impact of the Decision To Leave the EU

Impact of the Decision To Leave the EU

It is now clear that the British people have made the choice to leave the European Union. The countr...


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UCD Student Centre is Country’s Favourite New Building

The country's favourite new building was built for and funded by students.About one fifth of the 12,500 people who voted in the Irish Architecture Awards picked the colourful 11,000sq metre student centre at University College Dublin. Billed as UCD's epicentre of sport, social and academic life, it opened last June and was the first project on the campus to be funded entirely by students. 

The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI), which ran the competition, ruled out a hijacking of the competition by the student body, comparing it to last year's winner NUI Galway which won with nearly half the year's votes. Eddie Conroy, chair of the judging panel, said the building demonstrates this dynamic piece of Irish architecture.

"The judges felt the use of colour, choice of materials and the simplicity of its layout contributed greatly to its ease of use to the students and staff of UCD as well as to members of the public, regardless of age, size, ability or disability," he said.

The best house in the country is Quarry House at Slievebawnogue in the Dublin mountains designed by Andrew Clancy Architect. It is two dwellings for a brother and sister in a disused quarry built on uncertain ground conditions of discarded spoil, where the house acts as an inhabited bridge between natural and man-made outcrops.

The student centre, designed by Fitzgerald Kavanagh & Partners, beat off competition from contemplation space at the Mater hospital designed by Michael Goan and the Temple Bar umbrellas by Sean Harrington Architects in third place. The UCD building also came first in the best universal design category.

The RIAI's list of the other 11 award winners were:

  • Rutland Avenue, Crumlin, Dublin for Eamon Peregrine Architect for best house extension;
  • Ballyroan Library, Co Dublin, designed by Box Architecture for best public building;
  • Bord Gais Networks Services Centre in Finglas, Dublin, by Denis Byrne Architects for best commercial building and best sustainable project;
  • Luan Gallery in Athlone by Keith Williams Architects for best cultural building;
  • Presentation College Bray, Co Wicklow, by Paul Keogh Architects for best educational building;
  • Phoenix Care Centre, Dublin, by Moloney O'Beirne Architects for best health building;
  • Social Housing, Shangan Avenue Ballymun, Dublin, designed by FKL architects for best housing project;
  • The Photographers' Gallery Soho, London, designed by O'Donnell and Tuomey Architects for best international project;
  • Stephen Mulhall Architects was named best emerging practice.

Source: Independent.ie - UCD Student Centre is Country's Favourite New Building