Architecture Competitions | Irish Cult Music Venue

Irish Cult Music Venue

International Architecture Competition

BRIEF

The IRISH MUSIC VENUE architecture competition focuses on breathing new life into an existing and iconic music venue in the heart of rural Ireland. For a relatively small country, Ireland has a rich musical history which is incredibly diverse and spanning all musical genres. Connolly’s of Leap is a venue which promotes all types of music; from traditional Irish folk music, to the most avant garde electronic music of today.

IRISH MUSIC AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INDEPENDENT MUSIC VENUE

Ireland is a country steeped in a rich musical heritage.

Flowing from its Celtic roots, Irish music has grown to become something of a tour-de-force on the international scene with bands the likes of U2 and Hozier reaching a huge international audience. Today, Ireland is evolving as both leader and innovator in contemporary music, and continues to produce new and exciting young bands.

The summer and winter months alike are ablaze with music festivals across the length and breadth of the country. Venues throughout Ireland play host to all manner of music and cultural events to a diverse and increasingly international audience. This competition is focused on tapping into this energy through the restoration of a rural, iconic music venue in the hopes that the proposals may act as precedents for other venues, both in Ireland and abroad.

With the ever-increasing digitization of the music industry, and indeed our whole society, it is now more prevalent than ever to acknowledge the importance of the music venue as much more than simply a vessel in which music and culture are exhibited. These are places which are vitally important to the urban fabric.

Currently cities and rural communities alike are seeing a decline in small independent venues for a plethora of reasons stretching from competition with large arenas, property development and increasing property prices, and new town planning and local authority legislation.

Many small venues are falling by the wayside while larger arenas are prospering, however these larger arenas simply cannot foster the kind of artistic innovation and community that occur at small capacity venues. In the words of Shain Shapiro, of the Sound Diplomacy Music Consultancy- “Having a healthy music heritage and system makes cities look good. It increases tourism. It

increases city branding. It makes young people want to stay. If you have a healthy venue, you’re going to have restaurants, minicab firms and bars. It enhances diversity- it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what sexual orientation you are, music is a communicator”.

SCHEDULE

Closing date for registration – 13 April, 2018

Closing date for project submission – 17 May, 2018 (11:59pm GMT+0)

Announcement of the winners – 06 June, 2018

AWARDS

1st prize – US $3,000
2nd prize – US $1,500
3rd prize – US $500

BB STUDENT AWARD – US $500
BB GREEN AWARD – US $500

+ 6 HONOURABLE MENTIONS

FEES

JURY

Alona Martinez Perez – University of Plymouth, United Kingdom;
Andrejs Edvards Rauchut – associate professor at RISEBA and a Fulbright grant recipient, Latvia;
Audrey McKee – Renzo Piano Building Workshop, France;
Brittany Utting – Thomas Phifer and Partners, USA;
Carlos M Guimarães – depA, correspondent of A10 magazine, Portugal;
Collin Anderson – Renzo Piano Building Workshop, France;
Daniel Jacobs – SHoP Architects, New York City, USA;
Daphné Karaiskaki – Renzo Piano Building Workshop, France;
Emeka Nwandu – Principal Partner at ENA Architects, Board of Architectural Education of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Nigeria;
Eva Cildermane – Sustainability and business development advisor, MSc. Candidate in Sustainable Urban Development, University of Oxford;
Gemawang Swaribathoro – OMA, Hong Kong;
Gia-Hy Hoang – Agence Christian de Portzamparc, France;
Jenna Dezinski – University of Texas, Austin, USA; Alterstudio Architecture, Austin, Texas, USA;
John Paul Rysavy – SHoP Architects, New York City, USA; And-Either-Or Austin, Texas and Brooklyn, New York, USA;
John Simons – KPF, USA;
Dr Louis Gyoh – architect and academic, MCIOB, FRSA, United Kingdom;
Marcella Del Signore – Professor of Practice, Tulane University; LEAD practitioner, USA/Italy
Dr Massimo Angrilli – Associate Professor, Pescara University-Landscape expertise, National Prix du Paysage in Paris jury member;
Pangalos Dugasse Feldmann – École Spéciale d’Architecture, France;
Pierre-Henri Baudart – Studio Akkerhuis, France;
Rajiv J. Fernandez – Tamarkin Co, USA;
Simon McGown – CO-office, USA.