Wood Quay Venue, the Lir Academy and the Dublin Dental Hospital are among the 34 projects shortlisted for this year's Irish Architecture Awards which were announced today by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI).

The list also includes the Ard na Sidhe Hotel in Kerry, Fota Island Resort in Cork and the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Now in its fifth year, the popular Public Choice Award gives the public the opportunity to have their say by voting for their favourite shortlisted project which has the honour of being named Ireland's favourite new building. The RIAI invites the public to vote for their choice online at www.riai.ie, and on Facebook.

-- Advertisement --

This year’s awards received 120 entries across 16 categories, including best commercial/retail building, best conservation/restoration project, best cultural building, best International and best emerging practice. The winners will be announced and presented with their awards on Thursday 21st June 2012 in Woodquay Venue.

Speaking at the announcement of the shortlist, Michelle Fagan, President, RIAI, said: "It is encouraging to see the wealth of entries in this year’s awards. These projects highlight the uniqueness that is present in Irish architecture which does not just have one generic style or one-size-fits-all approach. The projects on the shortlist show that our architects look at the landscape, the people who will be using the building and the wider community and respond to the individual needs of each space when they are designing, which is something to be very proud of."

(CD)