Former bike factory voted Ireland’s favourite new building

A former Raleigh bicycle factory in Dublin’s docklands has been voted Ireland’s favourite new building.

The reimagined office space at 10-12 Hanover Quay secured the majority of almost 30,000 votes in a poll earlier this month by the Royal Irish Architects Institute (RIAI).

It was among 31 projects shortlisted from buildings completed last year that were entered in the public choice category of the annual RIAI Irish Architecture Awards competition.

A judging panel looked at projects in Carlow, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Meath, Westmeath, London, Liverpool and Chicago.

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The winning entry was designed by O’Mahony Pike Architects with Mola Architects.

The RIAI said the building is “an excellent example of how historic fabric can be retained and re-used in an imaginative and sensitive way which forms a contemporary project, retains historical essence and contributes to the sense of place and the industrial aesthetic of the Docklands”.

A former home to the Raleigh Bicycle Company in the mid 1940s, the building now includes a roof terrace, large open plan areas within the warehouse and a new “glass box” section. Views overlook the river Liffey.

Charlotte Sheridan, president of the RIAI, said the shortlist for this year’s public choice award showcased “the incredible architecture designs associated with Irish architects”.

“Our architects are among the best in the world and this year’s competition demonstrates the value that our home-grown architects are adding to all aspects of the built environment,” she said.

“Their work goes a long way to supporting not just design but Ireland’s economic, cultural and social structure.”

Second place in the public choice award went to Cobh Public Realm Urban Design Plan project in Cork.

Designed by Cork County Council, the project was described as “an exemplar in creating sustainable communities through a people first approach”.

Third place was won by another former factory in Dublin: the Bottleworks on Barrow Street.

Designed by Henry J Lyons, the derelict building was replaced with a screened concrete frame “punctuated by five courtyards to draw light deep into the heart of the building”.

“Reference to the site’s history of a glass bottle-works is reflected in the fit-out with fluted details, circular imprints and green accents while the building’s absolute modernity is asserted through contemporary sustainability and biodiversity installations,” the RIAI said.

Later on Thursday, the RIAI announced the remaining winners in 12 categories of the awards, including awards for best home, workplace, cultural project, urban design, adaptation and renewal.

This year’s shortlisted entrants were located the length and breadth of the country in Carlow, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Meath and Westmeath, as well as internationally in London and Liverpool, UK, and Chicago, USA.

The top award this year went to the Honan Chapel Conservation Project in Cork by FMP Architects which the jury deemed a “testament to the wealth of exceptional craftsmanship and conservation skills that can be found in Ireland today.”

In the sustainability category the award was given to The Marshall Building, London School of Economics and Political Science by Grafton Architects and to The Willows, a house by Peter Nickels Architects.

The award for wellbeing was given to the National Forensic Mental Health Service in Portrane by Scott Tallon Walker Architects in association with Medical Architecture.

The award for universal design went to India Buildings in Liverpool by Falconer Chester Hall.

Full details and images of all the winning projects are available on the RAI’s website.