Westmeath building wins international architecture award
The Irish Life Science Global HQ building, located at Moydrum Business Park, Athlone was one of a number of Irish winners at the International Awards for Technical Excellence in Architecture, taking home the prize for the Small to Medium category, at a ceremony recently held in London.
The awards, presented by the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT), recognise the exceptional contribution that architectural technology practices and professionals make to the built environment.
The Irish Life Sciences building was designed by Athlone architect, Mel McGerr, Director at MMA Architects.
This win, combined with wins at the Athlone Business Awards and the ICE Awards, has capped a memorable year for the the local business. Other Irish winners included the Guinness Storehouse Extension by RKD Architects, and Irishman Craig O’Halloran MCIAT, who was honoured as Chartered Architectural Technologist of the year.
In its citation on the Athlone building, the judging panel noted that the thoughtful material selection and the impressive range of sustainability measures set a high standard for responsible development and significant carbon reduction.
They further described it as a striking building which was a worthy winner of the category. Commenting on the win, Mel McGerr, Director at MMA Architects, stated he was extremely proud of the recognition for the practice and it was due reward for the dedication shown by the MMA design team.
He thanked the client team led by local businessman Declan O’Rourke for the faith and trust they showed in using a local architect to deliver on their vision.
A delegation from the UK will visit the building later this month and present a plaque to commemorate the achievement to Declan and the team.