Double award winner
June 2015

Dun Laoghaire Lexicon Library and Cultural Centre, Dublin, has won both the Overall Excellence Award and the Sustainability Award in the 2015 SCHUECO Excellence Awards, organised in conjunction with RIBA Journal.

The winning €29.5m, 6,327 m2 building, designed by Cork practice, Carr Cotter Naessens Architects, was described by the judging panel as ‘a beautifully made, beautifully crafted building that looks like it’ll be here for a long time. An excellent piece of architecture’.

The Library and Cultural Centre makes extensive use of Schueco systems, including FW 50+ SG structural glazing, a variety of Schueco AWS windows and AWS 70.HI motorised inward-opening vents. Steel sections also utilise the Schueco Jansen VISS façade system.

A key overall design priority of the client, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, was longevity so the architects built in a minimum design life of 60 years for components and 100 years for the building structure.

Officially opened in April, the Dun Laoghaire Lexicon Library and Cultural Centre is now fully operational. Main contractor for the project was John Sisk and Sons, while Billings Design Associates were the consultants for the main façade.

The winners in the other award categories were: the Turnmill office building, Clerkenwell (Best Commercial Building); Library of Birmingham (Best Cultural Building); JW3 Community Centre, north London (Best Education Building); Dorset Shepherds Bush Hotel, London (Best Refurbishment Project); Calvin Street, Shoreditch (Best Residential Development); Reid Building, Glasgow (Best Steel Project) and The National Graphene Institute, Manchester (Lakesmere Group – Best Specialist Contractor).

mkinfobox@schueco.com