though exceptional detailing and dynamic domestic design didnot settlefor secondplace.
After digesting what we had viewed that morning, and lunch in The Parson's Nose. we travelled back to Belfast to view two impressive buildings commissioned by Queen's University, Belfast, which. forjust that reason. was awarded Northern Ireland's 'Client ofthe Year',
One Elmwood Student Centre, by Hawkins\Brown and RPP Architects. replaced what was better know to a generation of us as 'the Students' Union'. It is a sizeable and impressive building, especially when one considers the complex brief and schedule of accommodation that sits behind it; bringing together, as it does, facilities for both a new 'students' union· and the university's 'student services', From student counselling rooms to games rooms and everything in between. this is an exceptionally busy building - spatially and functionally, but itis controlled bya rigorous arrangement of accommodation centred around a full-height circulation atrium; while externally it successfully occupies its prominent corner site. gazing across to the unsurpassableLanyon Building.
Not to be confused with the 'Student Centre·. the Queen's Business School Student Hub by TODD Architects was a delight from start to finish; from seeing it on approach, to stroking its board-marked concrete finish internally. As Peter Minnis, partner at TODDs, noted on the night of the awards, it is a fantastic site, but the team have made the mostof it. Viewedfromaroundthegroundsof Riddel Hallor fromthe insideout. the building quietlybut consistentlyand confidently speaksof quality. Quality of design, of siting,of arrangement. of view. of construction, and of detail and finish. It was no surprise that the judging panel easily (I'm going tosay, naturally)cameto thedecisionthatthisproject was also to be the winner of the Liam McCormick Prize for 'Northern Ireland's Building of the Year'.
Ourtrip to'TheMaidenCity'wasrewardedwitha tourround theNewGateArtsandCultureCentre,literallyastone'sthrow from Derry's Walls. This was local architecture doing what it should: bringing new lifeto a redundant. historic building, adding to the built environment with moderninterventions, andfillingthenewlycreatedspaceswithcommunitypurpose and energy that, in this case. can physically burst out to the street through a purpose-built. bi-folding 'cargo door', It was an exciting end to our tour - seeing an award-worthy building acting as a new local landmark and a catalyst for regeneration in thearea.
This year's award winners represent a variety of purpose, scale and complexity. Perhaps one of the trickier aspects of judging is how to take such variations and associated design challenges into account. Additionally, I was also consciousofthe limitationsingettinganythingofsignificant architectural merit built each year in Northern Ireland. Ultimately, however, it was a rewarding experience. I was encouraged to see the seven shortlisted schemes - each with their merits, to enjoy the exploration of the client and design team journeys, to delight in the quality of the best buildingsbeingbuilthere, andto awardthosethatachieved the highest standard ofarchitecturaldesign and execution.
Now, backto that spreadsheet.
Trevor Leaker Head ofArchitecture + Design, UK+/ AECOM RSUA-Appointed Judge, RIBA Awards
