• Weaver Park, Dublin 8 selected as overall winner of the 2019 competition winning an award of €5,000 towards further enhancement of the facility
•  Very high standard of entries from all over the country to the inaugural competition
•  Two projects identified for special commendation

ULI Ireland and commercial property specialists CBRE held an event in Dublin on 16 May 2019 to announce the winners of the inaugural ULI Ireland ‘Excellence in Placemaking’ awards. The awards were established to reward organisations and communities throughout Ireland that make genuine efforts to improve their local communities through the initiation of placemaking projects that add to the public realm and make these places better places in which to ‘live, work and play’.

The competition, which was first announced at the ULI Ireland conference in Dublin late last year sought to shortlist the best examples of placemaking throughout the four provinces of Ireland and received a large number of entries from all over the country. Judges, which included esteemed planners, architects & academics and the internationally renowned architect, urban designer & planner Daniel Ringelstein, all commented on the calibre of entries received and the extent to which the importance of Placemaking is now gaining momentum in the Irish market.

According to Tom Dunne, Chairman at ULI Ireland: “These awards tie in with some of the key objectives of the Urban Land Institute in terms of identifying, showcasing & celebrating good design & placemaking in urban landscapes. The projects that have particularly appealed to the judges are those that promote health & wellbeing, offering ‘connectivity, permeability and accessibility’ for all whilst also promoting the best in architecture and design. The projects that particularly resonated with the judging panel are both architecturally beautiful and strong on design”.

Myles Clarke, Managing Director of property consultants CBRE Ireland, who sponsored the competition, added: “It is so important for the future of our built environment that we understand and champion great placemaking efforts. I am delighted that CBRE is working with the ULI to formally recognise & reward those who are building communities & creating amazing places and I look forward to ongoing collaboration with ULI on this project into the future”.

The winners of the various categories are as follows:

Dublin

• Overall Winner – Weaver Park, Dublin 8

• Special Commendation – The Dublin Port Precinct project, Dublin Port

Rest of Leinster

• Midlands Amenity Park, Moate, Co. Westmeath

Connaught

• The Promenade project, Mulranny, Co. Mayo

Munster

• Ballincollig People’s Park, Ballincollig, Co. Cork

• Special Commendation – Harpers Island Ecological project, Cork 

Ulster

• The Green, Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal

Overall National Excellence in Placemaking Award Winner 2019

• Weaver Park, Dublin 8

Official opening of Weaver Park, Dublin
Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times

The judges in the inaugural ‘Excellence in Placemaking’ Awards said that Weaver Park demonstrates all that is good about placemaking including:

• regeneration of a brownfield site in a high-density urban location;
• led by local government;
• promoting the health & wellness agenda;
• developed for the benefit of the local community;
• an extremely high focus placed on design and architecture

Full details of the winning projects can be found here.