FINAL-YEAR architecture students at the University of Limerick have been awarded joint first prize at an international design workshop in Hamburg where they competed against entrants from Barcelona, Istanbul, Oxford, Sheffield Stockholm, Okinawa and Hamburg.
The award was announced on Saturday following a week-long “Art and City” workshop to generate ideas to connect Hamburg’s docklands area – known as Hafen City – to the city centre. One of the adjudicators was Hamburg’s chief architect and city planner.
Merritt Bucholz, director of the Limerick school of architecture, said they were all thrilled to win such a prestigious prize – especially at a time when architects in Ireland faced such difficult times, with up to 50 per cent estimated to be unemployed due to the recession.
All of the participating design teams had the opportunity to present their ideas to the people of Hamburg during the workshop, and it is intended that their designs will be published in a catalogue for Hafen City towards the end of this year, the organisers said.
Meanwhile, up to 25,000 people attended over 160 events during Open House weekend. There were visits to buildings not usually open to the public as well as walking, cycling and boat tours, exhibitions and special events, as well as a programme for children.
Presented by the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF), Open House Dublin 2010 was made possible by the involvement of 150 architects, architecture graduates and students, who gave up their time for free to act as tour guides, assisted by some 250 volunteers.
The second Open House Galway will take place next weekend. See openhousegalway.ie.