The recent policy which has encouraged local authorities throughout the state to open offices around the area under their jurisdiction has, unexpectedly but happily, led to the design of some fine regional buildings.

Last month, for example, the new civic offices at Dunshaughlin, Co Meath by Grafton Architects won a top prize in the latest OPUS Building of the Year awards. And another similar structure in Co Donegal has also been winning prizes; designed by McCullough Mulvin, Dungloe's recently completed district offices not only received a regional award from the RIAI in July but earlier this month also picked up a sustainable award from the Construction Industry Federation.

Running to almost 3,000 sq m and intended to accommodate up to 70 staff, the £2.5 million (3.17m) Dungloe premises is one of six such local authority offices planned for Co Donegal. This scheme has been supported not only by the council and its elected representatives but in addition by the Department of the Environment which provided £5 million (6.35m) funding.

The concept of decentralisation, especially in a large county like Donegal, has been shown to provide the local community with a more efficient service while offering an opportunity for better deployment of the authority's staff and resources.

The Dungloe offices possess merit for a number of reasons, not least their siting in the middle of a narrow cutaway bog between two roads with views across to Mount Errigal. In order to allow this feature of the natural landscape to be preserved, during the building process the living bog was lifted away to a depth of some two feet, carefully preserved and kept moist, before being reinserted when the offices were completed.

In order to achieve this, the building was conceived as "floating" over the ground, supported on a series of piers sunk into the sloping bog. According to the architects, the intention behind this scheme was to retain "a memory of the original landscape of Donegal" and in order to underline this point, a central concourse runs through the building "reminiscent of ancient timber trackways over the bogs".

This concourse separates the office's two distinctively different but complementary blocks. These are slightly splayed to each other and so located as to minimise their impact on the site when viewed from the roads on either side. When fully deployed early next year, they will hold not only a one-stop shop for residents providing information on local, national and European services, but also space for officials dealing with social services, planning and the environment, health and parks.

Statutory and voluntary agencies will be given room, there is a double-height conference chamber with video conferencing links to other county council offices, a public cafΘ and also a creche. Fitz Howard, project manager of the scheme for Donegal Co Council explains that "in terms of the design, we wanted to make sure there would be integration between the different services". The architects have also allowed for the possibility of further growth and change, by making each of the blocks a relatively simple rectangle.

However, this description fails to do sufficient justice to the work's particular appeal which derives in part from the aforementioned sense of it hovering over the bog as well as from the sustainable materials used in construction. Of these, the most significant is a red cedar cladding found in areas of the exterior which have not been rendered in plaster. Untreated, this wood requires no maintenance, has a lifespan of at least 20 years and as it oxidises in natural light fades to a soft, silver-grey colour.

In addition, the manner in which the cladding has been used means that when replacement is necessary this can be undertaken in its entirety or in stages. Both inside and out, the palette has been kept simple, with the natural wood tones and white plastered walls predominating, only relieved by occasional blocks of brilliant red.

The north block, which is the lower of the two, has been given large windows with low e-glazing to reduce heat loss. Finished in a plaster render, its southern equivalent, although also provided with extensive sections of glazing, has a sequence of timber slats to reduce excessive heat gains and glare inside the building. The double glazing has also been treated with a high performance coating to minimise solar gain further.

Acting as a "buffer zone" between the two office blocks and the exterior, the atrium concourse has background underfloor heating. Instead of the now-standard glazed roof, the double-height space has been given four recessed roof lights which cuts down on glare and provides a more diffused natural lighting to the interior. The entire building is very well insulated and is therefore expected to be extremely energy efficient.

Like its equivalent in Dunshaughlin, the new offices in Dungloe show that local authorities can provide a strong lead in promoting strong contemporary design. Here is a building which acknowledges the region's cultural heritage but is not slavishly enthralled by it.

On the contrary, the county council's office is a supremely confident example of current architectural practice and one which, thanks in part to the materials which have been used, ought to age with grace.

The pity both here and elsewhere around the country is that while local authorities offer an excellent example of supporting new architecture, they do not encourage private developments to which planning permission is given to do likewise.