Galway Harbour Ideas Competition, Irish Building Project, News, Architecture Design, Property
Galway Harbour Competition, Ireland
RIAI Contest Galway, Ireland design by architects JM Konrad Milton and Carl Jägnefält
16 Oct 2009
Galway Harbour Competition
Swedish Architects win Open House Galway Architectural Ideas Competition
Swedish architects JM – Konrad Milton and Carl Jägnefält have won the Centre Pier, Galway Harbour Ideas Competition with their entry entitled ‘The Sky Pier – Unity in Duality’ coming out on top of a field of 117 entries. The judges described JM’s submission as creating a compelling architectural image with a linear building along the northern edge of the pier which then rises vertically to form a tall thin tower at the point where it meets the sea. The fact that the stage is powered hydraulically from a pool on the top level of the tower adds to the delight of this scheme.
On winning their majority share of the €10,000 competition prize fund, JM architects said they were delighted have won a competition which had attracted such a wide variety of diverse ideas from architects globally.
Centre Pier Competition Winner Category A – JM Konrad Milton and Carl Jagnefalt:
Centre Pier Competition Winner Category B – Laura O Brien and Faela Guiden:
Local knowledge proved useful in the student category as two Galwegians Laura O’Brien and Faela Guiden took first place. Recently graduated from UCD, their winning design was described by the judges as a lucid and evocative response to the site, the brief, and the character of the place. The building steps out of the harbour into the sea off the southern shore to release and frame the centre pier as a public space in the foreground of the city of Galway.
The centrally located site on the Centre Pier of Galway Harbour attracted over 100 entrants with huge variety in creative designs. The submissions ranged from those which sought to build on the entire site to those which stowed the entire accommodation required below ground.
Pat McCabe chairperson of steering group delivering Open House Galway: “We are delighted with the huge public interest there has been in following the progress of the ‘Ideas’ competition and look forward to hearing the public’s opinion on the winners and other entrants. We would like to extend our thanks to the RIAI for administering the process and the Galway Harbour Company for their vision in engaging with Open House Galway to bring such an evocative project to the public arena.”
John Graby, Director of the RIAI said that the competition “shows a huge, suppressed creativity among architects, which should be used to help shape a better future for the built environment in Ireland. This very important initiative by the Galway Harbour Company shows the importance of approaching significant urban and infrastructural projects using 3-D technology and design.”
Judging took place in-situ on the Centre Pier where the existing building has been transformed into an exhibition site. While the jury of architects and non-architects found the process of selecting winners from such a wide field initially daunting, the decisions to award first prizes in both categories of entry were unanimous. Eamon Bradshaw, CEO of Galway Harbour Company was one of the judges, “I found the process to be as creative as the entries themselves.
Discussions on the merit of entries ranged from the use of material, to matching of the brief to courage of design. We are delighted with the winners in both categories and feel that these buildings would prove a visual and cultural landmark for Galway’s Harbour keeping a strong maritime tradition at the heart of our city.”
The Galway Harbour Company is eager to get the public’s reaction to the choice of winners and are inviting them to cast their own votes. All entries will be on display at the Centre Pier building, from 12-4 on Saturday, 17 October and Sunday, 18 October.
The Centre Pier, Galway Harbour ‘Ideas’ Competition is part of the Open House Galway programme taking place this weekend from 16 – 18 October. Architect-led building tours, free children’s workshops and guided walks are also available during Galway’s first architectural festival that invites you to explore the city. Open House Galway is delivered in partnership with the Irish Architecture Foundation.
The simple but powerful concept of Open House – opening buildings of architectural quality to the public and providing an educational and enjoyable experience – was conceived 16 years ago in London by founder Victoria Thornton. In Ireland, the Irish Architecture Foundation initiated Open House Dublin in 2006, which took place this year from October 8 to 11 and approx 15,000 people participated in its architecture building visits, walking, boat and cycling tours.
Centre Pier Galway Harbour Competition images / information from RIAI
Location: Galway, Ireland
Irish Architecture
Irish Architecture Designs – chronological list
Centre Pier, Galway Harbour Ideas Competition, Ireland
The RIAI (Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland) is administering a single stage ideas competition on behalf of the competition promoters, Galway Harbour Company.
Galway Harbour Site:
photo from RIAI
Galway Harbour Company is seeking ideas for a significant building to be located on the Centre Pier, in Galway Harbour. The building should reflect Galway’s importance as a maritime and cultural city and offer a clear image and potential branding for the City of the Tribes. Competitors should assume a budget of €3,000 per m².
Competitors will be asked to design a building which incorporates a public stage, exhibition area, retail space, marina facilities, tourist information kiosk and commercial offices.
There will be two separate categories
for submissions. Category A is open to architects. Category B is open to recent architectural graduates and current students.
A Prize Fund of €10,000 is to be awarded at the discretion of the jury in Category A.
A Prize Fund of €1,000 is to be awarded at the discretion of the jury in Category B.
Eligibility:
Architects
The competition is open to architects holding a qualification listed in the EU Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC.
Students / Architectural Graduates
Entry is open to students who are currently pursuing an architecture degree or are recent graduates of architecture.
Centre Pier Galway Competition Jury
Eamon Bradshaw, Chief Executive, Galway Harbour Company
Sebastian Feldmann, Senior Executive Architect, Galway City Council
John McLaughlin, Director of Architecture, Dublin Docklands Development Authority
Garry Hynes, Artistic Director, Druid
Marcus Donaghy, Donaghy + Dimond Architects
Location: Ireland
Irish Architecture Designs
Contemporary Architecture in Ireland
Irish Architectural Designs – chronological list
A recent Galway building on e-architect:
Another Galway building on e-architect:
Galway Engineering School Building for National University of Ireland
Design: RMJM Architects
National University Ireland Building
RIAI Design Contest : Loreto Sports Hall Competition, Dublin
Buildings in Western Ireland – Selection
Clare County Library, Ennis, Co. Clare
Design: Keith Williams Architects
images courtesy of architects
Clare County Library Building
Beaufort Maritime and Energy Research Laboratory, Ringaskiddy, Cork
Design: McCullough Mulvin Architects
photo © Christian Richters
Beaufort Maritime and Energy Research Laboratory in Cork
Comments / photos for the Galway Harbour Ideas Competition Irish Architecture page welcome
