At the RSUA Architecture Awards Gala Evening on Thursday 14 May 2026, the contributions of Ulster architects in every stage of their careers were celebrated.
This year, three new People and Practice Award categories were introduced to the RSUA Architecture Awards as part of a wider awards revolution. 13 entries were received to these three new awards. The judges chose three winners: one for the Lifetime Achievement Award, one for the Rising Star Award and one for the Practice of the Year Award.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to John Cole CBE, in recognition of a highly distinguished career of over 40 years in the delivery of healthcare buildings and public sector infrastructure across the UK, Ireland and internationally.
The judges said, “John’s impact on public sector architecture in Northern Ireland, particularly in the healthcare sector, is profound. His influence and assistance in client leadership have raised the design quality in the NI healthcare sector and this is evident in the many buildings that have been successful in regional, national and international awards.
He has actively promoted practices in Northern Ireland in collaborating with other UK healthcare architects to assist in sharing knowledge and raising the standards of design quality in healthcare for the benefit of NI citizens. This active promotion of networking and sharing knowledge has also assisted NI practices to be well experienced and established in the field of healthcare design.
John’s contribution to the profession has been extensive and wide reaching with executive roles in Health Estates for the Department of Health influencing and shaping the delivery of NI Health Infrastructure, a long-standing engagement in professional bodies including RIBA, RSUA (as President from 1996 to 1998) and multiple government advisory groups, contributing to educating the sector as an Honorary Professor at Queen’s University Belfast, and as a guest speaker, judge and mentor.
John’s influence has also contributed to the wider built environment by, driving reform and safety in the construction industry in his appointment to the UK Industry Steering Group following the Grenfell Tower Tragedy as well as through authoring major public reports investigating construction failures such as the inquiry into the construction of schools in Edinburgh and, setting new standards of accountability and quality assurance in construction.”
Alex Knowles, architect at FaulknerBrowns’ Belfast studio, was named as the RSUA Rising Star for 2026. This award recognises the often unseen contributions of architects in the early stages of their careers. The judges commended Alex’s ability to balance professional practice with advocacy and heritage work, in particular his work to get the vacant Assembly Rooms in Belfast added to the World Monuments Fund’s list of heritage sites worldwide in need of protection, and in lobbying Belfast City Council to purchase the building.
White Ink Architects was announced as the Practice of the Year. The employee-owned practice is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, and the judges were impressed by White Ink’s commitment to high quality design at scale, its commitment to people through mentoring of junior staff, its commitment to sustainability through the practice’s own Net Zero ’35 strategy and the sustained (and expanded) growth of its Belfast studio.
