The Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) has awarded the Liam McCormick Prize for Northern Ireland’s Building of the Year to the new Queen’s Business School Student Hub beside Riddel Hall on the Stranmillis Road in Belfast.
The centre, designed for Queen’s University Belfast by TODD Architects, joins a list of the finest buildings in Northern Ireland to have won the prize which includes the Ulster University Belfast Campus, the Lyric Theatre and Giant’s Causeway visitor centre.
The judges said, “The new Student Hub at Queen’s Business School is an outstanding achievement in holistic design, skilfully responding to a sensitive site, a complex brief and Queen’s University’s sustainability ambition.”
Situated within the university’s south Belfast campus, the hub stands between the Grade B1 listed Riddel Hall and enclosing mature woodlands of the Stranmillis Conservation Area.
Four other buildings picked up awards from a shortlist of seven. Light House by McGonigle McGrath in Rory McIlroy’s hometown of Holywood was named Northern Ireland’s House of the Year. This is the fourth year in a row the practice has won the accolade but the first time the winner has been a re-use and extend project.
Silver Bark House outside Hillsborough by Marshall McCann Architects was awarded the Sustainability Award for its ambitious reduction of operational energy requirements and for keeping the embodied carbon from its construction to an absolute minimum.
Another Queen’s University Belfast building designed by Hawkins\Brown and RPP Architects won a Design Award. One Elmwood Student Centre replaced the 1960’s student’s union with a multi-purpose vibrant space for students in a prominent location in the city directly across from the University’s main building. For their work on both award winning buildings, Queen’s University was named as Northern Ireland’s Client of the Year.
The final winner was McGurk Architects for its regeneration of New Gate Arts and Culture Centre in Derry which stands on a corner just outside the city’s historic walls.
Ciarán Fox, RSUA Director, said “It is often said that architecture reflects the priorities in society and highlights where investment in the longer-term is valued. On that thinking, it is very reassuring that some of the best architecture being produced in Northern Ireland is for our students. On the back of Ulster University’s Belfast Campus winning the Liam McCormick prize last year, Queen’s University has picked up the mantle of producing Northern Ireland’s Building of the Year.
Belfast is a thriving city but also packed with potential for so much more. Critical to realising that potential is creating an environment where clients and architects are supported to deliver excellence in architecture. Queen’s and TODD Architects have shown what is possible. On a wider scale, RSUA is calling for a City Architect to raise expectations and standards across the board.”
“I commend the clients and architects involved in all seven shortlisted projects and extend my particular congratulations to the five winners.”
The RSUA Design Awards ceremony took place in the Ulster University Belfast Campus, designed by designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios with McAdam Design, Scott Tallon Walker and White Ink Architects, which won the Liam McCormick Prize for Northern Ireland’s Building of the Year in 2024.
During the ceremony, Katie Stringer, architect at Belfast practice Studio idir, was named the inaugural RSUA Rising Star. This award was established to recognise the significant and often unseen contribution made by architects in the early stages of their career.
The judges commended the ‘combination of creative excellence, leadership, and community engagement’ that Katie has already demonstrated in her short career.
The Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons, presented the top prize to TODD Architects. As guest of honour, the Minister said, “Architecture drives progress.”
“It’s not just about what we build. It’s a living testament to our history.”
All entries for the RSUA Awards were required to have been in use for at least one year so that the judging panel could better evaluate the sustainability and real-life performance of the projects. The six winning projects are now in the running for a RIBA national award, celebrating the best of architecture across the whole of the UK.
The awards were sponsored by JP Corry, Metal Technology, the Department of Infrastructure, the Department for Communities, Keystone Lintels, Lowry Building & Civil Engineering and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
