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Buildings in Kilrea and Ballymena in running for top UK architectural award

deviation from the usual script: Ballymena Health and Care Centre was described as a “delightful” building designed with flair and skill
deviation from the usual script: Ballymena Health and Care Centre was described as a “delightful” building designed with flair and skill deviation from the usual script: Ballymena Health and Care Centre was described as a “delightful” building designed with flair and skill

TWO buildings in Northern Ireland have won a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) regional award and now go forward to compete for national recognition in the the most highly regarded architecture prize in the UK.

The winning buildings are Fallahogey Studio in Kilrea, designed by McGarry Moon Architects, and the Ballymena Health & Care Centre designed by Keppie Design and Hoskins Architects

Fallahogey Studio was designed to accommodate a small but growing architectural practice in Kilrea led by Jessica McGarry and Steven Moon who have created the shortest commute to work by setting the new studio within the garden of their home – an award winning project itself. The studio was completed in January for £160,000.

The judges said: “This is a precisely crafted, confident and delightful building which provides a series of beautiful spaces for its users, engages with its site and local context, and which clearly demonstrates the ‘can-do’ attitude, enthusiasm and evident skill of its architects.”

The Ballymena Health and Care Centre was completed last November at a cost of £14m. The project was designed through collaboration between two large Scottish practices, Keppie Design and Hoskins Architects, following a competition by Northern Ireland’s department for health.

The big challenge in the design was how best to accommodate both NHS and Council run services alongside six GP practices in order to make the services more integrated and accessible to the community.

The judges said: “Externally, simple and controlled detailing corresponds with an assured and restrained selection of materials, resulting in a building that has the potential to endure and develop as a key element of the town’s public realm.”

Ciarán Fox, director of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA), said: “What this year’s award winners demonstrate most clearly is that it doesn’t matter if the overall project budget is small or large, it pays to invest in good design.

“Architecture impacts on all our lives. At its best it results in projects like these which enhance our landscape. Here we have one project providing an uplifting place of work and the other a vital range of caring services in a bright, healthy and vibrant environment.

"We hope these projects can help inspire the private sector, government departments and our local councils to put design quality at the centre of their future building plans.”