Irish Architecture Awards

Quality in Architecture
The Irish Architecture Awards are now in their 15th year, and the strength of the output of Irish building continues to be evident in the quantity and quality of entries.

This year there were 195 entries: 22 were given awards of which seven
got a special award and a further 47 were selected for exhibition. We are now
in the third year of the Government programme for Action on Architecture,
which runs from 2002 – 2005.

One of the main strands in the programme is the promotion of public awareness of architecture, and the Irish Architecture Awards are a major part of the RIAI’s contribution to achieving that objective.

The exhibition will travel to 20 venues in Ireland, north and south, and will travel also to London.

Government Policy on Architecture
The public importance of architecture was reflected at the awards in the
presence of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,
Mr. Martin Cullen, who presented the special awards, to which his own
Department had contributed the ‘Most Sustainable Building Award’.

The RIAI values the assistance of the OPW in hosting the awards ceremony
and the Heritage Council for its sponsorship of the special award for ‘Best
Practice in a Conservation Project’. The DOE/H/LG, the OPW and the Heritage
Council are all of key importance in delivering the objectives of Action on
Architecture.

Awards - Public Information
The awards are a vehicle for showing the public what can and is being achieved across a whole range of building types and services. They recognise the significance of good architecture, not only for the immediate end users but also for its contribution to quality of the built environment and its impact on the wider public.

The fact that such a variety of successful buildings has won awards this year
is testament to the continually rising standard of building design across the
spectrum in Ireland.

It is the successful interaction between the client and the design team that
makes a building great. The awards recognise the key importance of clients –
both private and public – in promoting and achieving high quality in architecture.

Good quality architecture adds value, both economically and socially, not just
to an individual project, but to the whole community in which the building is
located. By promoting and producing high quality buildings, architects are
making a very real contribution to the social, economic and cultural life of the
country. It is recognised that well designed urban centres stand the test of time.

Vast sums of money are due to be spent on construction in this country over
the next ten years. It is incumbent upon the state and the developers to see that this money is as well invested as possible, with the highest possible standards being applied, in order to maximise both the economic and the social benefits of development to local communities and to Irish society as a whole.

The Architect’s Role
It is important to recognise the complexity of the tasks involved in creating these buildings: user requirements, legislation, time and financial constraints, health and safety and, of course, brief and design objectives all impact on the quality of the building.

There are unique demands on the architectural profession to support the quality of education, training and experience needed to ensure that all the facets of a project are managed effectively. The forthcoming Building Control Bill which will register the title “Architect” will be important in protecting the public.

It will do this by ensuring that those calling themselves architects have the proper training, experience and adherence to a code of conduct aimed at protecting the client’s needs to achieve the optimum outcome.

Architecture & Urbanism
It is clear from this year’s awards that the Irish Architecture Award system has had a significant role in implementing the aim of the Government Policy on Architecture “to place architecture higher on the political and cultural agenda and in so doing to remove impediments to the achievement of a built
environment of good quality”.

However, while the standard of building design has improved dramatically
since the inception of the awards, projects designed by qualified architects
represent only a small proportion of the overall built environment. This has had a very negative impact on the quality of our urban areas.

Quality architecture, incorporating the full principles of sustainability is a prerequisite for an attractive, viable built environment that responds to the actual needs and legitimate aspirations of all citizens. It must be considered to be an essential ingredient of well thought-out urban policies and not merely the icing on the cake.

The RIAI Council has initiated a series of policy initiatives aimed at promoting
quality in urban design and urbanism to ensure that future renewal and
extensions to our villages, towns and cities are well designed and sustainable.
Among the objectives of this policy are:

• The increased use by local authorities of Area Action Plans, Framework Plans and mixed-use zoning
• The provision of more widespread and integrated educational courses in
  urban design and urbanism for the built environment professions.
• The publication by Government of an Urban & Regional Settlement White
  Paper which addresses economic, social and environmental policy
  requirements for the planned growth of our towns and cities, co-ordinating the activities of all relevant Government departures and institutions.
• The establishment by Government of an Urban Regional Policy Board, which combines national, regional and local leadership in driving urban and regional policy at all levels of government.

The RIAI will work actively to encourage the creation of new policies for the
urban environment and will expand its award system to put Urbanism on the
public agenda.

Although 70% of Irish people live in towns and cities and spend 90% of
their time in buildings, in Ireland we do not yet have an Urban Policy. The efforts of our towns and cities and regions to improve their attractiveness for citizens and investors are leading to a new perception of architecture, which is
increasingly seen as a key factor for new business ventures choosing a location.

Tá mé ag dúil le cur I bhfeidhim na mbeart seo agus le leanúint d’fhorbairt
a dhéanaimh ar ár bpolasaí ailtireachta agus cathrachta d’fhonn feabhas a chur de réir a cheile ar ár dtimpeallacht.