Pictures: Royal Society of Ulster Architects reveal the nine projects shortlisted for Northern Ireland’s best architecture in 2024

The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) has announced the final nine contenders for the best works of architecture in Northern Ireland in 2024.

An experienced panel of architects from Ireland and Great Britain evaluated 20 submissions to determine the shortlisted projects for the RSUA Design Awards. Each project will now be visited by the panel for a rigorous round of judging that will lead to the winners’ announcement in early May 2024.

Ciarán Fox, director of RSUA, commented: “Our built environment has a significant impact on our daily lives. Each new architectural addition must be crafted with great care for the needs of the client and the end user, as well as the wider community and the natural environment.

“I congratulate the architects, clients, and the wider teams involved in delivering these nine projects. After assessing this year’s submissions, our distinguished judging panel has concluded that each of these works of architecture demonstrates an element of delight, invention, or ambition deserving of a more thorough examination.”

Housing dominates this year’s shortlist. Once again Northern Ireland’s love of the private house in the countryside is reflected in the list but two urban social housing projects are also in the running in 2024.

Budgets range from the £100m restoration of the Bank Buildings in Belfast’s City Centre to a few hundred thousand for a shipping container home built on ruins as featured in the BBC show, Restoration Rescue.

Belfast practice, Hall Black Douglas has had an outstanding year with four projects still in the running for an award.

The nine shortlisted projects are:

Bank Buildings, Belfast – Major restoration work completed following Primark fire by Hall Black Douglas Architects and JCA Architects

Barneys Ruins, Maghera – Shipping container home built on cottage ruins by Patrick Bradley Architect

Gardenmore Green, Dunmurry – Urban social housing project helping to tackle the housing crisis in West Belfast by Hall Black Douglas Architects

House in the Woods / Lough Road House, Lisburn – One-off house built in woodland setting by Studio idir

House on Redbrae Farm, Ballynahinch – One-off house built on rural farmstead by McGonigle McGrath Architects

Longhurst, Belfast – One-off house built with views of Lagan Valley Regional Park by McGonigle McGrath Architects

Moylinney Court, Newtownabbey – Social housing scheme for the elderly Newtownabbey by Hall Black Douglas Architects

St. Comgall’s, Belfast – Restoration of former 1930s school to community centre by Hall Black Douglas Architects

Ulster University Belfast Campus – Ulster University’s 12 year project bringing the Jordanstown campus to Belfast City Centre by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios with McAdam Design, Scott Tallon Walker and White Ink Architects.

Ciaran added: “Projects submitted for this year’s awards were required to be in use for at least one year before being considered. This allows the judging panel to better evaluate the sustainability and overall performance of these projects, ensuring the competition remains the most robust measure of the best emerging architecture in Northern Ireland. RSUA will continue to focus not only on the projects’ aesthetics but also on design considerations, including environmental impact and carbon footprint.”

In March, the judging panel will visit each of the shortlisted schemes. The winners of this year’s RSUA Design Awards will be unveiled at a ceremony on Thursday. May 9 at The Mac in Belfast. Designed by Hackett Hall McKnight (now Hall McKnight), The Mac won a prestigious RIBA National Award in 2013.

All of the shortlisted projects are potential RSUA Design Award winners. If they are successful, they will be in the running to win the Liam McCormick Prize – Northern Ireland’s building of the year and will be considered for a UK-wide RIBA National Award in recognition of their architectural excellence, the results of which will be announced in June.