13 August 2024
Belfast City Council and Falls Community Council are one of only four project clients to have been shortlisted for a UK-wide architecture award for their role in the regeneration of St Comgall’s school in Belfast into a thriving community hub. The project was designed by local architects Hall Black Douglas.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Client of the Year Award honours the key role that a good client plays in the creation of fine architecture.
The UK-wide recognition comes on the back of St Comgall’s winning both an RSUA Design Award and Northern Ireland’s Client of the Year Award at the Royal Society of Ulster Architects’ awards in May.
Simon Henley, RIBA jury chair commented that with St Comgall’s, “The client group are using the building as a unifying and positive force within the neighbourhood.”
The RSUA judges stated that, “St Comgall’s exemplifies architecture in the service of a community.”
“The new St Comgall’s creates a shared, flexible, light-filled complex of spaces to host social, educational, economic and cultural initiatives at varying scales. Both the conservation works and the new interventions are assured and appropriately modest, enabling the work of the Falls Community Council to take centre stage.”
Ciarán Fox, RSUA Director, said “This is great news for Belfast. The successful collaboration between the client and the architect is key to any project, and it is clear in the regeneration of St Comgall’s that this was a winning team. We need more relationships like this to breathe life into disused buildings across Northern Ireland.”
A spokesperson for Hall Black Douglas said, “Hall Black Douglas as architects and conservation architects, are delighted that the contribution of our clients Belfast City Council and Falls Community Council have been recognised for their shared vision for the restoration and revitalisation of this derelict school building into a vibrant community hub.”
“A close working and collaborative approach with the design team allowed the client’s ambition to be delivered via a combination of conservation of the original fabric and retrofit of the internal courtyard to form new gathering spaces for both the local community and beyond.”
“The intensive community use and success of the building to date demonstrates the inherent sustainability of the client’s approach and opportunities afforded by the innovative reuse of listed buildings.”
The four shortlisted projects were selected out of hundreds of projects. The three other clients shortlisted for the RIBA Client of the Year award are Derbyshire County for Alfreton Community Special School, Shakespeare North Trust and Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council for Shakespeare North and Nick Read for Wraxall Yard.
Simon Henley he added, “This is a truly inspiring shortlist. It celebrates four clients who have each shown huge courage and determination in commissioning and stewarding their buildings to fruition. Each brings with it incredible social value to its communities and constituencies.”
The winner of the RIBA Client of the Year Award will be announced live at the Stirling Prize ceremony on 16 October 2024 in London.
