The future is bright

civic3

The Courts of Justice and a building at Sandford Park School in Dublin and the Westmeath County offices and library are among the high-profile buildings on the 55-strong shortlist for the RIAI (Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland) awards. The winners will be announced on June 21st. There were 182 entries for this year’s awards across 14 categories. Last year, a shortlist of 35 was chosen from 225 entries. One prize is for the public’s favourite building, which can be voted for online at http://www.irisharchitectureawards.ie.

“The diversity of the shortlist shows that architectural skill and design adds value not just to large and corporate and public projects but at the scale of the family home,” said chair of the judges Eddie Conroy,

Civic buildings on the shortlist are by established practices and include Cork County Library HQ by Shay Cleary Architects, a scheme in Co Limerick by ABK Architects and Rush library by McCullough Mulvin, which has opened a new chapter fora former church. Well-known design-led practices are also responsible for the few new educational projects on this list, including the Lios na nà“g Gaelscoil by A&D Wejchert and Partners and buildings at Sandford Park School by DTA Architects.

The Irish Times