Public to vote for favourite building in the country

The public have until June 17 to have a say in naming the Pavilion of Light in Fitzgerald Park as Ireland’s favourite building.

The central feature of the €2.3m Mardyke Gardens project is among 36 projects shortlisted for the RIAI Irish Architecture Awards.

Now in its eighth year, the Public Choice Award gives the public the opportunity to vote for their favourite shortlisted project, which is then named Ireland’s favourite building 2015.

Other projects named on the shortlist include Rosie Hackett Bridge in Dublin; Dalkey Heritage Centre and Town Hall in Dublin; and Athlone Community College.

Director of Darmody Architecture, Tim Darmody said the Pavilion of Light had helped to reinvigorate Fitzgerald Park.

Mardyke Gardens in Cork nominated for Irish Architecture Award

“The redevelopment of Fitzgerald Park has created a state of the art public facility in the heart of the city. The thoughtful reimagining of the space, driven by the relocation of the bandstand to the front lawn was integral to the success of the scheme and reinvention of the park,” he said.

This year’s awards received 120 entries in 16 categories. There are also awards for best research and for the best emerging practice. The winners will be announced at an awards’ ceremony on June 18 in the Wood Quay Venue at Dublin City Council Civic Offices.

Chair of the judging panel Ali Grehan said the panel had been struck by the high-design quality across the board.

“This year we received the most entries in the house, and house extension categories, showing us that people are really investing in their homes and working with their local architect.

“We were struck by the high-design quality in these areas and across the board, a testament to the enlightened clients and the collaborative process,” she said.

The public can vote for their favourite building online at www.riai.ieor on Facebook.