Mayo architects scoop prestigious national award for third time

Field, Stonewall, House in Co. Galway is this year’s winner of the Public Choice category in the annual Irish Architecture Awards.

The house, designed by Castlebar architects Taylor McCarney Architects, was announced Ireland's favourite building by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.

The design was devised as a series of parallel field stone walls that fit within the rural sitting of the west of Ireland.

It beat off considerable competition from a shortlist of 39 projects.

All of the projects on the shortlist were designed by registered architects based in Ireland and completed in 2020.

Only the second house to ever win the Public Choice Award, the design was conceived as a series of parallel field stone walls, that fit within the rural setting in the West of Ireland.

The project considered how such a building could ‘grow’ from the site and in terms of scale, materials, colour and landscape.

Ciaran O’Connor, RIAI president, said: “Congratulations to Taylor McCarney Architects.

"We have all come to realise the importance of good design in our homes over the last 16 months and this project is a prime example of this.

"People invest significant funds in their homes and this project shows how working with a registered architect can lead to quality outcomes.”

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland where the announcement was made, Mr. O’Connor cited Taylor McCarney Architects' continued success in achieving national awards.

This is the third time Taylor McCarney Architects have achieved the accolade of Ireland's favourite building, having previously done so in 2012 and 2017.

Taylor McCarney Architects are the only architectural firm in the country to achieve this award on three occasions.

Taylor McCarney Architects was founded in 1966 and has established a track record in delivering some of the most complex and largest buildings in the country.

Current projects include a new School of Architecture and Engineering at Waterford Institute of Technology, a new Science and Technology building at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, various projects at Institute of Technology Sligo and new projects at Westport House and Hotel Westport.