WEXFORD OPERA House has won an international architecture award for Excellence in Design – the seventh architecture award the building has received since its opening in 2008.
The award was one of only six given this year by the American Institute of Architects.
The judging panel described the opera house as “an exceptional insertion into Wexford’s skyline”.
It commended the skill with which such a large building had been embedded in the town so that from many angles it was barely noticeable, but from the city’s waterfront “its large scale has been successfully orchestrated through careful arrangement of its forms, resulting in a rich townscape composition alongside Wexford’s two Puginian church spires”.
The panel was also impressed by the scale and elegance of the main auditorium, which only revealed itself after entering a modest entrance door off a small street, heightening the sense of drama on entering the building.
The opera house has also won the 2010 Civic Trust Award, 2010 LAMA Award, the 2009 RIAI (Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland) Best Cultural Building Award, and a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Award.
Chief executive of the opera house David McLoughlin said the building was a showcase for architectural construction and design talent. “This latest highly prestigious architectural award for Wexford Opera House is another ringing international endorsement of the vision, skill and craftsmanship which went into the creation of this . . . addition to Ireland’s cultural infrastructure.”
