Work experience programme with students from King Saud University, Riyadh
5/7/2012
As part of a pilot 3 week work experience programme, Scott Tallon Walker Architects recently took three architectural students from King Saud University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The students, Yazeed Hussein, Naif Alhaydan and Alaa Mahrous have recently completed their 3rd year of Architecture and were accompanied by their professor Dr Imad Otahbachi for initial part of their stay.
During their time here Yazeed, Naif and Alaa gained some understanding about the way we work and also about the systems we have put in place that help us to deliver projects of the highest quality. We felt it was important that they go away feeling enriched, inspired and eager to share their experience with their families, lecturers and fellow students.
Ronan Phelan was their mentor and he produced a very detailed programme, which included practical participation in existing projects, attending in house training/seminars and visiting sites of recently completed projects and existing projects under construction in our Dublin, Cork and Galway offices.
Yazeed, Naif and Alaa were particularly interested in sustainable design and developed their knowledge of Sustainability through an analysis of the King Saud University Sports Campus and Fitness College in Riyadh, making proposals on what benefits the introduction of sustainable measures might bring to a major project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To assist in the development of their ideas, Pat Kirwan & Rich DePalma of our sustainability group held a number of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshops which were open to all STW staff.
At the end of the work experience programme on Friday 29th June, Yazeed, Naif and Alaa presented their work and experiences to STW staff.
This work experience programme is a very important initiative by STW that has great potential to be rewarding for both STW and students undertaking the programme. Our intention will be to increase the number of students in the following years and hopefully develop a very successful, worthwhile relationship with King Saud University and other participating universities. Preliminary discussions were held also held with the UCD School of Architecture regarding potential programmes KSU Post Graduate students might be eligible to participate in.
We hope that the students have obtained great benefit and experience from working at Scott Tallon Walker Architects.
STW supporting the Volvo Ocean Race Grand Finale 2011-2012
29/6/2012
The Volvo Ocean Race Grand Finale 2011-2012 is an 8 day festival of marine, sport, culture and arts, entertainment and food. Scott Tallon Walker Architects are pleased to be providing conservation advice to the Volvo Ocean Race Galway Grand Finale event and the Global Village at the Claddagh. We are delighted to be among the event patrons who have contributed to the success of this event.
The 2012 Volvo Ocean Race event in the historic landscape of Galway Docks and Corrib Estuary is making a vital contribution to the economic sustainability of our heritage. This event can enhance the enjoyment of countless visitors of the Harbour’s built heritage and protected landscape. The festival site this year is extended to include the Global Village across the harbour which will add to the entertainment and hospitality focus of the Race Village.
The temporary bridge structures needed to facilitate this event have been carefully positioned and designed by LetsDoItGalway to protect sites and landscapes of heritage importance. This recognises not only the organisational issues associated with the very large crowds expected for this occasion but will temporarily enhance the significance of a protected landscape and the contribution of its setting.
Carrolls's Factory refurbishment wins RIBA Award
25/6/2012
Continuing from the success of Aviva Stadium in the RIBA Awards in 2011, Scott Tallon Walker Architects has again taken an RIBA Award, this time for the refurbishment of Carroll's Factory, previously design by Scott Tallon Walker.
It is not often that a firm gets a chance do a makeover of one of their masterpieces. The Original Carroll's Factory which was completed in 1970 has received architectural recognition as one of Irelands finest modern industrial buildings designed in a Mesian style. The original building became a symbol of Ireland’s emerging industrial base and the shift towards improved working environments.
In 2002, the building was acquired by Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT), to accomodate teaching and administrative facilities for the departments of Informatics and Creative Arts.
The challenge was to accomodate 10,000 sq metres of accommodation for the Institute’s School of Informatics & Creative Arts without comprimising the architectural integrity of a building which is designated a protected structure while increasing the energy rating from G to B1.
The refurbishment of the PJ Carrolls factory in Dundalk is an example of how the best principles of sustainable design may be applied to a protected structure.
RIBA Award 2012 - Project Information
5/12/2011 - Paragon of Sustainability - From the ashes of a cigarette factory
21/2/2011 - The PJ Carroll & Company factory has now been opened as the DkIT School of Informatics & Creative Arts
RIBA Awards - PJ Carrols Factory, Ireland
Journal.ie - Wexford council HQ and Dundalk factory named among EU’s best buildings
Building Design - RIBA award winners halved
King Saud University, Riyadh - Progress
9/5/2012
Scott Tallon Walker Architects were appointed in late 2010 to develop the concept design and construction documentation for both the new 14,600 sq.m. College of Movement and Sports Science and the 40,000 sq.m. Sports Campus suitable for international events, at King Saud University, Riyadh by Saudi Bin Laden Group.
Our role was to liaise directly with the end users and KSU Projects Office to agree the project brief, then to deliver the full detail design for both buildings while working closely with our client SBG to manage costs and program.
King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from Scott Tallon Walker Architects on Vimeo.
The College Building consists of laboratories, classrooms, lecture theatres, offices and common social areas and was instructed to be designed in keeping with the overall masterplan requirements for material and colour selection.
Start on site date: April 2011 Completion date: September 2012.
The Sports Campus, being a centre for international events as well as college use, breaks the rules of the masterplan and is essentially two buildings connected at lower ground floor. It includes a 7,000 seat indoor athletics arena, racquet courts, mats, gymnasium, student facilities and 50m & 25m Olympic swimming pools, all to FINA standard.
Start on site date: September 2011 Completion date: December 2013
The first phase opening of the €284 million Mater Campus Hospital Development is unveiled
27/4/2012
HEALTH Minister, Dr James Reilly today announced the first phase opening of the new €284 million Mater Campus Hospital Development which is designed by Scott Tallon Walker Architects in conjunction with YRM. The hospital’s glass-fronted main entrance on the North Circular Road and its outpatients department were on display and will be open to the public in six weeks time. Completion of final works will be in May of 2013.
Irish Times - New Mater hospital section unveiled
Herald - Mater prepares to show off first stage of €284m revamp
Business Post - The new Mater hospital: green and tech-driven
Independent - First phase opening of €284m new Mater adult hospital announced
The new emergency department, 444-space underground car park, operating theatres, intensive care unit, radiology and 120 single en suite rooms will be rolled out in the second phase, between July and December 2012. By the end of the year the hospital will also have the country’s first out patients “self-registration” check-in service. The development will result in reduced waiting times for theatre, outpatient and accident and emergency services and will provide increased privacy, dignity and comfort for patients, according to hospital management. And the addition of 100 per cent single rooms will benefit cardiothoracic, orthopaedic-spinal and oncology patients and will play a significant role in fighting the spread of infection.
RTE Player - The first patients attended outpatient clinics at the new Mater Hospital yesterday - Skip to 31.40
Mater Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Mr Brian Conlan, noted: “This is a great day for all our patients and staff. We now have state-of-the-art, eco-friendly accommodation and facilities, creating a perfect environment for delivery of top class care to our patients provided by the best professionals in the business.”
Scott Tallon Walker Architects are very proud to have been appointed to design this prestigious project which has been a successful collaboration with all others involved the client, planning authority, design team and contractors. We very much hope that this development will be well received by the public, patients and dedicated staff of the Mater Hospital.
Photos coutesy of MCO Projects
STW Architect is second of 475 entries for NYC AIDS Memorial Park Competition.
24/4/2012
In conjunction with Architizer and Architectural Record, AIDS Memorial Park launched a design competition, chaired by Michael Arad the designer of the the National September 11 Memorial, to generate ideas for the memorial park design. Yin Mau Ooi's competition entry was the runner up of 475 teams from around the world who submitted designs to create a new neighborhood park and meaningful memorial.
Mau, who was born and raised in Malaysia, graduated from University of South Australia School of Architecture and is currently working at Scott Tallon Walker Architects.
Judges Comments:
A number of entries featured submerged exhibition spaces and sunken courtyards, but few were as simple and serene as Ooi Yin Mau’s “forest.” A flight of stairs descends from the park’s southeast corner, landing at the foot of a shallow pool hugging against the east wall. A second pool runs along the northern edge of the site, narrowing at it terminates at the northwest corner. The two pools frame a small memorial space that sits under the robust forest at ground level.
Architects Comments:
The architect graciously accepted the jury’s commendation, saying: ”It is a great honor for me to be a runner-up in this competition. I was initially shocked by the scale of AIDS crisis in New York, in which over 100,000 lives were taken away in three decades. My design is mainly about memories and hope; these experiences are universal. It is part of our life, and our driving force to move forward. I hope my design will touch the heart of many. I feel extremely proud to be part of this competition, and I am grateful to the organizer and all involved.”
Nanotechnology Research Building at the Riyadh Techno Valley (RTV)
23/4/2012
Scott Tallon Walker have been retained by the International Contracting Company ABV Rock Group to work with them on the delivery of a 10,000m2 Nanotechnology Research Building at the Riyadh Techno Valley (RTV) development, which is part of the overall King Saud University Campus in Riyadh.
Scott Tallon Walker are designing the laboratories and adapting the existing concept design to work as a nanotechnology research facility with integrated structure servicing and research concepts accommodated in a highly futuristic circular building plan form.
The building, which has commenced on site, will be completed in 2013 and will be known as the KAIN Building (King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology).
Picture Caption: Dr Zeid A. Alothman Deputy Dean of the King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology pictured signing off the Laboratory Layouts for KAIN with Peter Dudley and Charles Julienne of Scott Tallon Walker.
Apple, one of the world's leading companies announce a new office building in Cork city which is designed by Scott Tallon Walker Architects
20/4/2012
Scott Tallon Walker Architects are appointed to design the new office building for Apple next to their existing plant in Cork city. Apple has had operations in Cork's Holyhill since 1980 and currently employs 2,800 people in the city. It was the company's first base established outside of the U.S. The new office building will cater for the expansion of Apple's business in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa. The company plans to increase its workforce in the city by 500 to support growing business across Europe. Further information will be available shortly on this exciting project.
RTE News - Apple promises 500 new jobs for Cork.
Irish Times - Apple to create 500 jobs in Cork.
Reuters - Apple announces 500 new jobs in Ireland.
Apple Insider - Apple expanding operations in Europe, will create 500 jobs in Cork, Ireland.
University College London Hospital - Proton Beam Therapy
5/4/2012
Award winning practice Scott Tallon Walker Architects with Edward Williams Architects & Tsoi Kobus & Associates have been appointed for the development of a £250m scheme for University College London Hospitals.
The central London project will incorporate the world’s most advanced form of radiotherapy, Proton Beam Therapy, after the government today announced up to £250 million of funding to bring this innovative technology to the UK.
Building Design Magazine - Architect appointed for £250 million radiotherapy unit.
The joint proposal with The Christie Hospital in Manchester, will offer the first PBT service in the UK, allowing unparalleled access for patients and their families from all over the UK. Around 1,500 patients will be treated with Proton Beam Therapy, every year.
The UK service will bring together some of the world’s leading specialists in complex cancers. Together, UCLH & The Christie will see more children and teenagers with cancer than almost any other centre in the world, and more adults with brain cancers than any other centre in the UK.
The two trusts will also be able to drive forward research into what remains a relatively new treatment. In addition the proposed scheme will incorporate clinical space for other Hospital departments as part of the overall development
University London College Hospital - Proton Beam Therapy coming to UCLH.
Sky News - Energy Beams To Zap Cancer Coming To UK.
Department of Health - Centres selected to host cutting-edge cancer services.
thejournal.ie - Irish architects score major London project.
Better Building Healthcare - £250m centre brings Proton Beam Therapy to the UK.
Independent.ie - Proton therapy avoids a lot of the side-effects.
Pairc Ui Chaoimh - Redevelopment of Stadium as a Centre of Excellence
09/01/2012
Scott Tallon Walker Architects are delighted to have been appointed by the Cork County GAA Board to provide architectural services for the redevelopment of Pairc Ui Chaoimh Stadium, Cork as a Centre of Excellence.
Our appointment includes a project masterplan study for the entire grounds and environs and the detail design of Phase 1 of the development which provides a 2 tier covered stand replacing the existing covered stand.
The new stand will increase the capacity from 43,500 to 45,000 persons.
Scott Tallon Walker Architects were the joint Architects with Populous for the redevelopment of Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin.
The Design Team includes:
- Project Manager: Malachy Walsh and Partners
- Architect: Scott Tallon Walker Architects
- Engineering Consultants: Malachy Walsh and Partners
- Planning Consultant: Cunnane Stratton Reynolds
- Quantity Surveyor: Michael Barrett Partnership
New Páirc will be second only to Croker, says Cork GAA chairman
Plans to develop an event centre on the site of the old Beamish and Crawford site given the green light by An Bord Pleanála
06/01/2012
Plans to develop an event centre on the site of the old Beamish and Crawford site has been given the green light by An Bord Pleanála.
The site of the proposed development occupies the decommissioned Beamish and Crawford Brewery located on South Main Street in the old medieval centre of Cork City.
The scheme by Scott Tallon Walker Architects has been designed along strong urban design principles of reintroducing a variety of Public Spaces and permeability to this large riverfront site. The urban design strategy unlocks the site to the public by re-opening two long extinct medieval laneways and introducing a wide variety uses to create significant street frontage activity. This will provide a much needed boost to this very historic, but long neglected quarter of the city. The centrepiece of the development will be the creation of a new formal square off South Main Street, which will provide a suitable setting for the protected Counting House structure.
Irish Times - Cork brewery plan
Cork Independent - Old brewery site gets event centre go-ahead
Paragon of Sustainability - From the ashes of a cigarette factory
05/12/2011
The original Carroll's Factory which was completed in 1970 has received architectural recognition as one of Irelands finest modern industrial buildings designed in a Mesian style, and is a designated protected structure.
The modernist landmark has been reborn for Dundalk IT as an avant garde exemplar of wind energy storage and an ingenious approach to integrated heating, ventilation and cooling, as sustainable design expert Chris Croly of BDP explains.
Important features include airtightness improvement of an existing building, the innovative selection of an unusual insulation and airtight layer location, the use of significant load sensing controls to limit plant loads, the use of an ice bank renewable energy storage linked to an on-site wind turbine, and a grid smoothing system. The use of building controls to regulate and smooth building electrical energy demand, providing an example of one possible response to smart metering.
This project clearly demonstrates that there is a potential for buildings to play a significant role in adapting Ireland’s electrical demand to be more suitable for the integration of wind energy
UCC Western Gateway Building wins the SEAI Renewable Energy Award
30/11/2011
University College Cork’s (UCC) Western Gateway Building has won the Renewable Energy Award at the official launch of the Sustainable Energy Awards 2011 held in the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone on Thursday 14th April 2011.
The Western Gateway Building is the largest building on the UCC Complex at 25,000m² (269,100ft²) providing research and teaching accommodation for a range of academic departments such as Computer Science, Biochemistry, Mathematics, Pharmacology, Physiology, ICT and Cancer Research
Judges description: Excellent design, utilising waste heat from computer room combined together with a ground source heat pump to provide a combination of heating and cooling to the UCC Western Gateway building. This strategy, combined with an modern controls package, utilises the most efficient combination based on demand and supply. It has achieved energy savings of 30% when compared to other buildings on the campus.
Sustainability Energy Authority of Ireland
SDAR (sustainable design and research) Journal - September 2011 issue
The annual Sustainable Energy Awards are intended to encourage, recognise and reward excellence in energy management in the industrial, commercial and public sectors. The awards will focus on individuals, groups and organisations who demonstrate a commitment to include energy management as part of their overall management structure and provide an opportunity for organisations, regardless of size, to gain public recognition for their achievements in reducing energy use and emissions. This is the eighth year of this national initiative which is the only awards scheme recognising best practice in energy performance, management and design.
Mater Misericordiae University Hospital - Progress Report
09/11/2011
Now in its 27th month of construction, the Scott Tallon Walker-designed extension to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital is over 80% complete, and is due for completion in the first quarter of 2012.
It is one of the largest and most advanced healthcare projects ever undertaken in Ireland; and furthermore one that has taken place, not on a greenfield site, but on a constrained inner-city campus immediately adjacent to an important acute hospital and a renowned private hospital.
It is anticipated that the new Mater extension will allow the hospital to carry out its critical role in the delivery of healthcare in ‘state of the art’ clinical accommodation suitable for the 21st century, and in surroundings which will uplift and inspire staff and patients alike.
Aviva Stadium wins Best International Project at the British Construction Industry Awards
13/10/2011
Last night Aviva Stadium was awarded Best International project at the British Construction Industry Awards.
More than 900 of the biggest names in the British Construction industry packed out the Great Room of the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane last night for the most anticipated night of the construction calendar.
Photos from the night can be viewed here.
Irish Architecture Foundation - Open House Dublin
6/10/2011
As part of Open House Dublin, Irelands biggest Architecture festival, four of Scott Tallon Walker Architects buildings will be on display this weekend. The Gibson Hotel Point Village, Commissioners of Irish Lights, The Royal College of the Physicians of Ireland and Busaras will be open to the public.
Open House Dublin is Ireland’s biggest architecture festival, allowing you to explore the architecture of the city. Dublin buildings of all types and periods will open up their doors, with special tours by hundreds of professionals and enthusiasts, completely for free!
Please visit Open House Dublin 2011 for further information and bookings.
Green Building Week
16/9/2011
As part of a series of talks for Green Building Week hosted by Irish Green Building Council members, Scott Tallon Walker Architects will lead the discussion on Green Building presenting some of our major projects.
Ronan Phelan, Director with Scott Tallon Walker Architects, will discuss our approach to sustainability in relation to four, very different, recently completed projects.
The projects include the refurbishment of PJ Carrolls Factory for the School of Informatics and Creative Arts, DKIT; Wexford Department of the Environment Offices, a BREEAM Excellent building; the Aviva Stadium; and Point Village – District Centre: a mixed use development in Dublin’s Docklands.
The event will take place at the Darc Space, North Great Georges Street, Dublin 1.
Lunch will be provided so those interested must RSVP to info@igbc.ie by Friday 16th September.
St. Patrick's Hospital - A new chapter of hospice/palliative care
22/8/2011
After 141 years of providing care to the sick and elderly, Mary-mount/St Patrick’s Hospital is leaving its historical city home at Wellington Road, St Luke’s Cross, Cork. A new chapter of hospice/palliative care for people with advanced and serious illness opens later this year when a new larger Marymount complex opens off the Curraheen Road /Ballincollig bypass.
Designed by Scott Tallon Walker Architects (in collaboration with JDDK Architects) and built on 10 acres at a total cost of €60m it will almost double the number of beds for vitally needed hospice care for Cork city and county, in a bright, modern environment. Hospice bed numbers will rise from 24 to 44, with a further 75 beds for care of the elderly, as well as a range of specialist services including radiotherapy and oncology.
MORE THAN 1,800 people have signed up for a tour of the new palliative care hospital in Cork before its official opening next month.
Irish Times Article: Palliative care hospital opens to public
UCC’s Western Gateway Building wins CIBSE Ireland SDAR* Awards
19/08/2011
The final of this year’s Sustainable Design & Research (SDAR) Awards was held in DIT Kevin Street. University College Cork’s (UCC) Western Gateway Building was chosen as the overall winner.
The Western Gateway Building (WGB) designed by Scott Tallon Walker Architects is the largest building on the UCC Complex at 25,000m² providing research and teaching accommodation for a range of academic departments such as Computer Science, Biochemistry, Mathematics, Pharmacology, Physiology, ICT and Cancer Research
The SDAR Awards is a joint initiative between DIT and CIBSE, supported by bs news, and sponsored by John Sisk & Son. It is different to other competitions in that it is intended to encourage research, disseminate knowledge gained from this research, and raise the level and quality of innovation in projects.
Case Study for the Integration of Low Temperature Heating & High Temperature Cooling Systems.
The Point Village is included in the sixth annual Open House Dublin 2011
22/06/2011
In these turbulent times, Open House Dublin has adopted the theme 'THE ARCHITECTURE OF CHANGE', exploring how good design can be a catalyst for change and positively touch all our lives: from large scale master planning to small but skillful interventions in residential design.
Confirmed highlights include the Point Village and its destination Gibson Hotel, bespoke home Hedge House by GKMP Architects and skillful conversion Three into Two house in the Liberties by Brian O’Brien of Solearth Ecological Architecture.
Open House Dublin 2011 takes place from 7th to 9th October.
The Tyndall Effect - Queen Elisabeth Visit to Tyndall Institute, University College Cork
20/05/2011
The Tyndall National Institute at University College Cork was the final destination for Queen Elisabeth to complete an historic four day tour of Ireland. The Tyndall Institute, established in 2004, is one of Europe’s leading Nano-Technology research centers specialising in ICT hardware research, the commercialisation of technology and the education of next generation researchers.
The tour included an inspection of the new laboratory research building, sited in the historic Lee Maltings complex beside the River Lee. The new facility, designed by Scott Tallon Walker Architects, was opened in 2009 and provides world-class laboratory and clean rooms for the Institute. A glazed atrium cleverly links an existing listed building with the new facilities, and provides a brightly-lit energy efficient research environment. This approach to energy management for the new facility was so successful, that when audited it showed a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions per researcher.
The Tyndall Institute was named after John Tyndall, the prominent 19th Century Irish physicist, who rose to fame in the 1850s when he invented a method for the destruction of bacteria in food, which he named Tyndallisation. His later work included studies in relation to the scattering of light by particulate impurities in the air, known today as the Tyndall Effect.
University College Cork - Tyndall National Institute
Aviva Stadium wins a Royal Institute of British Architects Award
19/05/2011
Aviva Stadium designed by international practice Populous and Scott Tallon Walker Architects has won a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Award for projects in the European Union region.
Developed on the site of the world’s oldest international rugby ground at Lansdowne Road, the 50,000 seat Aviva Stadium is Ireland’s home for Rugby and Soccer international matches. In addition to being a world class sporting venue, the finished building is a unique addition to Dublin’s urban fabric.
The organic form of the stadium was developed as a response to the site and its surroundings, and sweeps down to a single tier at the North end to maintain daylight to the adjacent residential gardens and so open up the stadium bowl to the city.
The buildings are judged in the first instance by shortlisting panels in each region, who visit schemes individually and meet to produce a list of buildings to be visited by the region's jury.
The RIBA Awards have been running continuously since 1966. No matter the shape, size, budget or location, winning schemes set the standard for great architecture. RIBA Awards are for buildings by RIBA Chartered Architects and RIBA International Fellows. Winners will be considered for the RIBA Stirling Prize.
Scott Tallon Walker Architects & Populous win Green Building Award for Aviva Stadium
15/04/2011
The awards ceremony took place at the Burlington Hotel on Thursday, April 14th 2011. Scott Tallon Walker Architects were shortlisted for 2 categories and were successful in the Green Building Award for Aviva Stadium
The following are the submissions entries:
Despite stiff competition, Aviva Stadium has taken the Overall Award and Best Building Award for 2010 at the Irish Concrete Society Awards.
26/03/2011
The awards ceremony took place on Saturday night, 26th March in the Conrad Hotel, Dublin.
The Irish Concrete Society Awards recognise excellence in the design or construction of a completed concrete building, structure or element.
- Client: Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company
- Architect: Populous & Scott Tallon Walker Architects
- Engineer: Buro Happold
- Contractor: John Sisk and Sons Limited
- Major Concrete Supplier: Kildownet/ Banagher/ Techcrete/ Cemex
The competition has been running since 1979 and attracts a wide range of entries from small and large projects alike. The awards are open to Clients, Architects, Consulting Engineers, Materials Suppliers, Contractors or others directly involved with the nominated project and must refer to completed work, located in Ireland.
The Irish Concrete Society was established in 1973 to cater for the needs of all who have an interest in concrete, in its widest sense. It is the primary organization in Ireland concerned with the technical aspects of design and construction in concrete.
Scott Tallon Walker Architects has been shortlisted in two categories for the Green Awards 2011
18/03/2011
The shortlist for the 2011 Green Awards is now published. The awards ceremony will take place at the Burlington Hotel on Thursday, April 14th 2011.
Scott Tallon Walker Architects has been shortlisted in two categories.
In the Green Building Award category, we have been shortlisted for the Department of the Environment Decentralised Offices, Wexford and the Point Vilage. Populous & Scott Tallon Walker Architects have been shortlisted for Aviva Stadium.
Scott Tallon Walker Architects has also been shortlisted for The Green Professional Services Award.
The aim of the Green Awards is to celebrate excellence in sustainability and to encourage green best practice amongst organisations and individuals.
The awards are in 7 categories that broadly reflect an organisations commitment to sustainability, it's key sustainability aspects (waste, energy, chemicals), innovation for sustainbility and the entrants influence on engaging it's supply chain in sustainability programs.
The promotion of environmental sustainability within our practice is one of the key principles central to our philosophy and design approach. The realization of responsible, dynamic, and environmental design is, we believe, central to the creation of healthy, uplifting buildings and environments that benefits us all as a global community.
In 2010 Scott Tallon Walker Architects were awarded certification for their Environmental Management System in compliance with ISO 14001:2004 in the Dublin, Cork Galway and London offices including both design responsibility as well as our office management. Scott Tallon Walker Architects were the first major Architectural Practice to achieve this certification in Ireland.
Staff at Scott Tallon Walker Architects are Qualified Assessors in BREEAM and are Qualified Members of BER (Buildings Energy Rating) and IBEM (Irish Building Energy Model).
The PJ Carroll & Company factory has now been opened as the DkIT School of Informatics & Creative Arts.
21/02/2011
The building which formerly housed the PJ Carroll & Company factory has now been opened as the DKIT School of Informatics & Creative Arts. The transformation has involved an investment of €38 million which according to the Taoiseach represents “a vote of confidence in the Institute’s future and will help further strengthen its capacity to drive economic regeneration in the northeast”. Located on a 45-acre site, the one-time cigarette factory is a listed building having captured national and international attention when built more than 40 years ago to designs by architect Ronnie Tallon of Scott Tallon Walker Architects who was among the distinguished guests at the official opening.
The original building became a symbol of Ireland’s emerging industrial base and the shift towards improved working environments. Having been acquired by Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) for more than €18m in 2002, almost €20m of National Development Plan funding has since been invested in refurbishing part of the building that now provides approximately 11,000 sq metres of accommodation for the Institute’s School of Informatics & Creative Arts. The Carroll’s Building now accommodates more than one-fifth of DkIT’s 6,200 third- and fourth-level students.
Scott Tallon Walker Architects led the refurbishment programme with John Sisk & Son Ltd as main contractors.
STW voted Best architect LAMA 2011
22/01/2011
The LAMA Awards, now in their fifth year recognises excellence in construction at local, county and national level. The annual awards ceremony commends individuals, initiatives, private companies and people for their outstanding contributions and projects of benefit to the community.
The LAMA Awards were held on the 22nd of January 2011 at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry.
Scott Tallon Walker Architects were overall winners in each of the 3 categories in which we were nominated.
Best Architect was awarded to Scott Tallon Walker for a diversity of public/private projects and for our contribution to the community, CSR (corporate social responsibility), sponsorship, committees, voluntary work, lectures and charities.
The National Impact Award recognises large developments from across the country that had an impact on the nation as a whole. Populous & Scott Tallon Walker Architects were nominated by South Dublin County Council for Aviva Stadium.
Aviva Stadium also took the Best Civil Engineering Project Award for Aviva Stadium which was nominated by South Dublin County Council.
The Houses that Ronnie built
6/12/2010
If Sean Lemass and TK Whitaker invented modern Ireland, it was Ronnie Tallon preimently among his peers who put shape on it.
THERE’S AN APOCRYPHAL story about a young architect who joined the staff of Scott Tallon Walker. He was given a project to draw up – it had already been designed, of course – and came to believe that the staircase was in the wrong place. So he sought a meeting with Ronnie Tallon to discuss the matter. Ushered in to the great man’s presence in his grand office on the piano nobile of 19 Merrion Square, the young architect explained his reservations about having the staircase so rigidly aligned on the modular grid of the building, and had the temerity to ask: “Why do we have to do it like this?” Dr Ronald Tallon, in his characteristic halting voice derived from an early speech impediment, simply replied: “Because God . . . is watching.” The young architect might have been in two minds about whether Ronnie was referring to The Man Above, or simply to himself as the autocratic pater familias of Ireland’s leading architects.
Talking over lunch at his modernist glass, steel and concrete brick home in Foxrock – itself an homage to his architectural hero, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, whose Farnsworth House in Illinois provided the template – Tallon laughs at the story and admits that it could even be true. Because, to him, modernism is the one true religion. The flat-roofed house on a beautiful wooded site adjoining Foxrock Golf Club was built in three phases, starting in 1969, and provides a tranquil home for Ronnie and his wife Nora, both now in their early 80s. Amazingly, given its location, he recalls that they bought the then swampy two-acre site in the mid-1960s for just £2,000. Even by then, Tallon was already in the front rank of Irish architects, with two Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) gold medals – one for the RTÉ television studios at Montrose and the other for the GEC factory in Dundalk, both completed in the early 1960s. Now he has won the RIAI’s first James Gandon Medal for lifetime achievement.
At the award ceremony, sculptor Michael Warren spoke of the “exhilarating experience” of collaborating with Ronnie over the past 30 years, while Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan described him as “my most unforgettable character . . . the only man who has consistently changed my mind” – and usually got his own way, in the end. If Seán Lemass and TK Whitaker invented modern Ireland, it was Ronnie Tallon, pre-eminently among his peers, who put shape on it, with a range of major buildings that have (mostly) stood the test of time – along with his mentor Michael Scott, partner in practice Robin Walker, and others such as the late Sam Stephenson and Arthur Gibney.
Ireland's most influential Architect receives Lifetime Achievement Award
23/11/2010
Dr Ronnie Tallon has been awarded the inaugural James Gandon Medal, a lifetime achievement award, by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. Dr Tallon’s designs are evident all over Ireland, from the Papal Cross in the Phoenix Park, Carroll’s Cigarette Factory in Dundalk; and the O’Reilly Hall, UCD to Spencer Dock Development and the Gate Theatre. Most Irish people will have worked, slept, ate, worshiped in or walked by one of his designs over their lifetime. “Dr Tallon’s impact on the landscape of Ireland is arguably greater than any other person’s of our time. Everywhere you look around Ireland, you can see evidence of his work,” said Paul Keogh, President, RIAI, at the awards ceremony.
Dr Tallon was nominated for the medal by RIAI president, Mr Paul Keogh. The nomination was unanimously passed by the council of the RIAI. The medal is the first life time achievement award that the RIAI have ever bestowed on an individual.
For part of the twentieth century, Dr Tallon and his practice were the only architects in Ireland to gain international recognition for the continuous excellence of their buildings. While Irish architecture has changed dramatically since the 1960s, Dr Tallon’s work still retains a special pre-eminence, not just for his landmark buildings of distinction, but for a large body of work of consistent and continuous quality, produced over a career spanning six decades.
Scott Tallon Walker, Dr Tallon’s practice, is one of the leading architectural firms in Europe and one of the few to have been awarded a prestigious Gold Medal by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Entrusted with important projects commissioned by both public institutions and large private companies, Dr Tallon and his practice has long been recognised for producing well-designed buildings of a consistent high quality
World Architecture Festival Awards
08/11/2010
Two projects, one in Ireland and one in Canada, shared the inaugural ONCE prize at WAF for accessible design. They were the Aviva Stadium in Dublin designed by Populous and Scott Tallon Walker, and the West Vancouver Community Centre in Canada designed by Hughes Condon Marler Architects. All projects shortlisted at WAF were eligible to enter the ONCE awards.
Aviva Stadium was Highly Commended in the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona in the Sport category.
Congratulations to all the winners. Futher information on the World Architecture Festival is available at World Architecture Festival
OPUS Architecture and Construction Awards
03/11/2010
The best of Irish architectural design was honoured at the 11th annual OPUS Architecture and Construction Awards at Plan Expo Green in the Convention Centre, Dublin on Tuesday, 2nd November 2010.
Scott Tallon Walker Architects in conjunction with Populous won an award in the Over €20 million category for Aviva Stadium which was constructed by John Sisk & Son.
Aviva Stadium was praised for being “contextually skillful” in the way its roof rises and falls to fit into its neighbourhood. The stadium was noted as an example of how good design can transform an ordinary brief on a difficult site through a few well-chosen and strategic moves.
Scott Tallon Walker were also commended for in the Over €20 million category for the Gibson Hotel, Dublin constructed by Michael Mcnamara and in the €2million to €20 million category for Humanities and Social Science Building NUI, Maynooth constructed by Walls Construction.
The OPUS Architecture & Construction Awards were devised by the organisers of Plan Expo (Expo Events) to reflect and reinforce the symbiotic relationship between design and construction.
The Gibson Hotel, Point Village, Wins Overall Prize at the ALCI awards
17/10/2010
The Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland have awarded the Gibson Hotel the Overall Award for Landscaping in Ireland. The Bog Oak Trophy was presented at the awards ceremony which took place in Belfast on the 17th of October 2010.
The Judges citation states that the Landscaped Courtyard gardens at the Gibson Hotel are ‘….an excellent example of work completed to a very high standard.’ The adjudicators were also aware of the challenges encountered in developing gardens several floors above the ground in a modern building.”
The Gibson Hotel is part of the District Centre which forms part of the Point Village mixed use development in Dublin’s Docklands. The scheme is designed around a major new civic space, Point Square, which is bounded by the shopping and leisure complex and the O2 theatre.
The hotel is entered through a dramatic atrium which forms a memorable entrance to the pedestrian plaza. A concourse runs across the fully glazed south façade of the main public areas and links the restaurant and bar with the terrace. Two distinct experiences are on offer to the visitor. On the one hand the south facing glazed terrace with views down over the urban theatre of Point Square and all its activities and is a unique experience both by day and by night. On the other hand the bar and restaurant are arranged around a planted courtyard space offering a more intimate experience. Similarly the guest bedrooms offer two different experiences either opening onto a series of three heavily landscaped courtyard gardens or facing the pedestrian street to the west with spectacular view over the square and the city to the west.
Aviva Stadium is awarded a prize at the International Property Awards 2010
24/08/2010
Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, designed as a result of collaboration between global architects Populous and Dublin based architects, Scott Tallon Walker has been awarded a prize in the category of ‘The Architecture Award - Leisure & Hospitality’ at the International Property Awards 2010.
The form of the stadium developed as a response to the site conditions and expresses the several limitations that the site context placed on the project, while also providing optimal sight-lines for spectators and proximity to the pitch. The form allows for the highest tiers and hence the maximum number of spectators to be on the half way lines yet allows the building to sweep down to a single tier at the North end allowing daylight into the adjacent residential gardens and opening up the stadium bowl to the city.
The use of translucent and transparent polycarbonate for the external roofing and cladding allows for maximum light penetration through the building. The building skin reflects the light and the colours of the sky giving rise to a façade appearance that is constantly changing.
The curvilinear form reduces the visual mass and apparent height of the stadium in its residential neighbourhood by having no defined line between wall and roof. The transparent ‘shingled’ skin’s organic form wraps around the concourses, seating tiers and the pitch to enclose the atmospheric ‘cauldron’ of the seating bowl.
The organic form and the transparency of the external treatment dictated the approach to the internal planning and design. Accommodation is held back where possible from the external skin of the building to leave a continuous circulation around the perimeter of the floor plates. The main structural curved reinforced concrete ‘blades’ to the perimeter of the floor plates are expressed, and individually lit appearing as illuminated ‘ribs’ at night contrasting with the six cores rising through the building.
The International Property Awards in association with BLOOMBERG TELEVISION is open to residential and commercial property professionals from around the globe.
Scott Tallon Walker Architects have been shortlisted in two categories in the World Architecture Awards 2010
03/08/2010
Seven buildings in Ireland have been shortlisted for the World Architecture Awards 2010 for which Scott Tallon Walker Architects have been shortlisted in two categories.
The Gibson Hotel at the Point Village in the Dublin Docklands has been shortlisted under the ‘Holiday’ category. The scheme is designed around a major new civic space, Point Square, which is bounded by the shopping and leisure complex, the O2 Arena, and a future 130 metre high landmark tower. The hotel atrium, a dramatic double curved structure of glue-laminated ribs and glass, is flanked by external panoramic lifts that bring guests to the public areas of the hotel and forms a memorable entrance to the pedestrian plaza.
Aviva Stadium has been shortlisted in the ‘Sport’ category. Scott Tallon Walker Architects were appointed joint architects with Populous to create the new international stadium for rugby and soccer at the site of the existing Lansdowne Road Stadium, Dublin, worthy of the history attached to the oldest international rugby ground in the world. The design includes the required 50,000 seating capacity and all the facilities expected in a modern stadium, and all within the existing restricted footprint.
The winners will be announced at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona which takes place between the 3rd and the 5th of November 2010.
The Irish Times - Monday, August 2, 2010 - Seven buildings in Ireland shortlisted for design awards
St. Patrick's Place wins Best Sustainable Project in the RIAI Awards 2010
22 June 2010
"Through its siting, mixed use and considered use of appropriate technologies, this inner city building invigorates a difficult site and seamlessly integrates all aspects of sustainability on a wider socio- economic scale. From re-use of an existing building, to the sourcing of local materials and the impact on the local community it serves as a model of well mannered urban redevelopment with solid environmental concerns integrated into the design." - RIAI Award Jury Citation
Located on a prominently elevated Victorian terrace to the north side of Cork City, St Patrick's Place presents a confident modern design, in harmony with surrounding heritage, avoiding a pastiche solution commonly adopted in such a context. With careful selection of materials, crafted detailing, and sympathetic proportion, it presents a well considered composition to both Wellington Road and the lower city wide context to the south.
Providing quality showroom, office and living accommodation, it includes model solutions in sustainability, and is a welcome addition to this historic part of Cork City. The development potential of the site was realised with innovative use of a car lift, providing access to a double semi basement. Articulating the structural solution with detailed stone pilasters and facia’s, a vertical rhythm is created. The main entrance is announced in composition by extending the stair core to break the parapet line, an eco of the dominant gable of the existing building to the west. The design creates a balance between the aspiration of maximised daylight to the modern working environment, and that of the punched brick facades of the adjacent architecture.
The new Department of the Environment offices in Wexford are officially opened
18 June 2010
Minister for the Environment John Gormley officially opened the new Department of the Environment offices in Wexford on Friday 18th June. Part of the Government’s decentralisation programme, the new offices already have more than 180 staff working on the new campus, with forty additional workers due to transfer over the next three months. The 6,500sq m curved building is on a wedge-shaped site sloping towards the Slaney estuary and was designed to be eco-friendly.
Minister John Gormley congratulated architects Scott Tallon Walker and Peter Dudley, the lead architect. “I have responsibility for promoting environmental sustainability, regulating building standards and promoting architectural quality. This building gives physical expression to these policies…High quality architecture and urban design have a real place in the pursuit of sustainability. I believe this building shows how we get it right when we invest in good quality design and high building standards.”
St.Patrick's Place has been shortlisted for the Public Choice Award 2010
11 June 2010
The Public Choice Award is an important part of the RIAI Annual Irish Architecture Awards. The public are invited to vote for their favourite building from the 55 on this year's shortlist. The building which receives the most votes will be the winner. Voting closes on Friday 18 June. The Public Choice Award will be announced on 21 June 2010 as one of the RIAI Irish Architecture Awards 2010.
The RIAI is the Regulatory and support body for Architects in Ireland. The RIAI works to maintain and develop an environment in which good architecture and a quality built environment can be delivered by architects to the social, cultural, economic and environmental benefit of Ireland.
St Patrick's Place located on a prominently elevated terrace to the north side of Cork City, in an Architectural Conservation Area, this mixed use development presents a confident modern selection of materials, crafted detailing, and sympathetic proportion, it presents a well considered facade to both Wellington Road and the city wide context to the south.
The new development at St. Patrick's Place, Cork was shortlisted for the 2009/2010 Green Awards in the Sustainable Building category.
STWArchitects.com website launches
14 May 2010
Scott Tallon Walker Architects is pleased to announce the launch of their new website http://www.stwarchitects.com.
In collaboration with Redbox Media and Salter Baxter, we have redeveloped our website. The new website is a strategic medium which provides us with the best opportunity to portray the unparalleled expertise our people and the diversity of our projects to the widest audience possible.
The website is optimised for a broad range of browsers including hand held browsers such as iPhones. New and exciting forms of media including Vimeo, Flickr, Twitter and Linkedin are being employed to communicate the work of Scott Tallon Walker Architects.
Aviva Stadium Official Opening
14 May 2010
Aviva Stadium, formally Lansdowne Road Stadium reopens its doors on 14th May 2010 with an all seated capacity of 50,000. The design is the result of a joint partnership between Populous (formally HOK SVE) and Scott Tallon Walker Architects.
The stadium consists of a continuous curvilinear shaped stand enclosing all four sides of the ground. The South, East and West stands has four tiers of seating for spectators. The bottom and top tiers provides the main volume of spectator facilities. The second tier provides facilities for premium ticket holders and the third tier provides facilities for corporate boxes. There are 10,000 seats at premium level and a further 1,300 at box level. The North stand comprises of one low level seating tier, to reflect its proximity to the residential properties at that end of the ground.
The redeveloped stadium has been designed to provide superb facilities not alone for spectators but also for players, the media and the many support personnel needed to stage all events.
Scott Tallon Walker Alumni
22 December 2009
At Scott Tallon Walker, we have always recognised that those who work with us are our most valuable asset. Since 1928, people from all corners of the world, have found a creative home for their talents at 19 and 20 Merrion Square Dublin; a welcome that has grown to all of our regional offices. Working side by side, in the pursuit of architectural excellence, has forged many a friendship lasting a lifetime.
Scott Tallon Walker Architects are now on Linkedin and many of our current staff are already listed on Linkedin. The facilities which are available on Linkedin are available as a professional platform for those that have left our company, and wish to remain in contact with existing or past staff members.
We have been digging through the archives and have published some Archive Photographs which are now available on Flickr. The Scott Tallon Walker Flickr page is a wonderful resource where you can find current images of Scott Tallon Walker staff and their buildings. Of particular interest on our Vimeo site is Poetry of Vision, which was the title given to the innovative series which was initiated by the architect, Michael Scott. Also published is a documentary titled 'Michael Scott – A Changing Man', highlighting Michael Scott's contribution and vision to Ireland's 20th Century cultural heritage.
Please follow us on Twitter for regular updates on publications on our website and other media.
STW Photo Competition 2009
21 December 2009
The finalists of our 2009 Photo Competition are now online at Flickr.
This year's winning images can be found here. Links to the finalists in each category are listed below:
24 Hour Universal Design Challenge
13 November 2009
Neasa Hourigan attended a 24 Hour Universal Design Challenge organised by TrinityHaus and the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) in association with the Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre.
The 24 Hour Universal Design Challenge will invited design professionals in Ireland, from a range of disciplines, to take part on teams of approximately 8 people. Engineering and designer teams were challenged to come up with ideas to allow disabled people to get around Dublin city, writes John Reynolds STRONG COFFEE, intense collaboration and a wide range of ideas and opinions fuelled Dublin’s first 24-hour Universal Design Challenge last Friday and Saturday, and the capital’s streets might soon become a little easier to navigate as a result.
Five diverse teams of web and product designers, architects, engineers, design students and partners discovered that the city presents a surprising number of obstacles to those with disabilities who are trying to get from A to B.
Scott Tallon Walker are qualified BER and BREEAM assessors and are currently overseeing the application of BREEAM Healthcare to our ongoing healthcare projects.
World Architecture Festival
06 November 2009
David Flannery, Ronan Phelan, Philip Jackson & Waikeen Ng attended the World Architecture Festival held in Barcelona on 4th – 6th November 2009. David and Waikeen presented the Cobh Urban Design Feasibility Study.
Following a tender process, Cobh Town Council appointed a team led by Scott Tallon Walker Architects in October 2008 to prepare the "Cobh Urban Study Feasibility Study".
The Draft Cobh Urban Design Feasibility Study is available at: http://www.cobh.ie/files/REP_002.pdf
OPUS Architecture and Construction Awards
03 November 2009
The extension to the Gate Theatre by Scott Tallon Walker and M&P Construction was Highly Commended in the €2 million to €10m million category at the 10th annual OPUS Architecture and Construction Awards, which took place on the opening day of Plan Expo, 3 November 2009 in the RDS, Dublin.
The Gate Theatre is located in part of the Rotunda Hospital complex (1712–1795), an 18th century landmark building and Protected Structure in Dublin’s City Centre.
The project for the New Wing (2007-2008) provided a Rehearsal Room that can double as a small venue; improved get-in facilities; and additional storage and office space. The project involved the removal of several unsightly additions from the 1950’s and 1980’s and the restoration of parts of the North and Eastern elevations including a fine tripartite window and staircase.
The scheme is a modern addition to the classical facade composed of simple geometric forms clad in granite to match the existing buildings. The new addition engages with the existing building yet remains visually distinct from it. The juxtaposition of new and old is clearly articulated with subtle changes in plane and simplicity in detailing. The project was completed for the 80th Anniversary of the founding of the Theatre.
The OPUS awards are the only Irish awards that combine both architecture and construction, with winning designs incorporating striking architecture with high standards of workmanship. Scott Tallon Walker Architects is a registered practice under the RIAI Accreditation Scheme for Conservation Architects and Practices, and carries out all its work on Protected Structures under the direction of its in-house accredited conservation architects, in compliance with the provisions if the ICOMOIS Charters.
University College Cork - Tyndall National Institute New Laboratory Building
02 November 2009
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan T.D, officially opened the Government funded Tyndall National Institute’s new state-of-the-art research building designed by Scott Tallon Walker Architects.
Tyndall National Institute New Laboratory Building on Flickr
Tyndall National Institute New Laboratory Building on stwarchitects.com
The Tyndall National Institute was created in 2004 at the initiative of the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment and University College Cork (UCC) to bring together complementary activities in photonics, electronics and networking research. The objective was to create a world class research institute, which would become a focal point of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Ireland, to support industry and academia nationally and to increase the number of qualified graduate students for the ‘knowledge economy’.
University College London Hospital
14 August 2009
STW have recently been appointed to the Framework of Consultants for University College London Hospital.
In 2009 UCLH achieved the rating of number one Hospital in the UK, scoring 100 per cent on latest patient surveys.
Following the OJEU procurement procedures for such Frameworks, STW scored highest among all submissions of the final six companies selected to tender.
ISO 14001
08 June 2009
Scott Tallon Walker Architects have been awarded the ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management Standard to control and ensure best practice environmental design for all aspects of the design and procurement of its new buildings.
The practice is the first Irish architectural office to be awarded IS0 14001:2004 by NSAI, which they have tailored to address both their own environmental responsibilities as an organisation, as well as the building design process.
For further information or comment please contact:
Andrew Morrison
Head of Sustainable Design.
Tel. 01 6693096
andrew.morrison@stwarchitects.com
Draft Cobh Urban Design Feasibility Study
15 May 2009
Following a tender process, Cobh Town Council appointed a team led by Scott Tallon Walker Architects in October 2008 to prepare the "Cobh Urban Study Feasibility Study".
The Draft Cobh Urban Design Feasibility Study is available at: http://www.cobh.ie/files/REP_002.pdf
Site credits:
Scott Tallon Walker & redbox