The Irish Cult Music Venue architecture competition tasked participants with envisioning a concept for a renovation and programmatic extension of the beloved local pub and live music venue, Connolly’s of Leap, in County Cork Ireland.
The site, located on a steep hill next to the storied ravine and a waterfall, contains the existing music venue building and family quarters, as well as a collection of outbuildings today used for storage.
The jury selected winning proposals that considered the landscape, as well as the integrity and spirit of the existing venue. Source and images Courtesy of Bee Breeders.
1st Prize Winner – The Leap by Ian O’Brien, Enrique Garcia Blázquez, Oliver James
Jury Commentary: The jury found this submission to be buildable, well-suited for its site, and respectful of the existing building. It intelligently reorganizes the music venue, and it’s primary modification is the insertion of a raised glass skylight, allowing natural light to penetrate the event space.
Using materials of timber, local stone, and charred oak, the submission introduces four new buildings, well-situated on the hillside and housing band accommodations, a workshop, a studio, and an exhibition space.
The jury applauds the clarity and unique hand-drawn quality of the participant’s illustrations, and it encourages the designer to further develop the interior experience of these smaller structures.
2nd Prize Winner – Connolly’s of Leap: Shaping the Sound by Kga Architecture
Jury Commentary: In the submission that most challenged the existing site, “Shaping the Sound” carved from the hillside to compose a series of semi-underground spaces with curved shapes that take cues from instrument design.
It proposes a number of viewing points from which to observe the site, and both internal and outdoor events. In the submission’s street elevation drawing it highlights the only interventions visible from the neighborhood to be two timber structures, which anchor the site and give it the potential to become a landmark.
The submission’s sectional drawings are especially provocative. The jury questions the total removal of trees from the site and suggests the designer to consider the site’s existing vegetation.
3rd Prize Winner – Rooted|Rootles by Lisa Mullikin, Kevin Stevens
Jury Commentary: “Rooted/Rootless” focuses the design of the expanded music venue around a central tree. A series of gardens connected by ramps brings visitors from the existing preserved building to a waterfall viewing zone and large new music arena set on the hillside.
The arena is covered by a faceted canopy, the submission’s principle design move. The canopy appears to float above the existing venue, infusing it with a dynamic new form and material. The designer’s hillside section represents well the relationship of spaces and the importance of the existing natural elements in the proposal.
The jury questions the function of the mobile armatures structuring the canopy and supports the designer to expand on this idea in other elements of the project.
BB Student Award+BB Green Award – Bring the Artist and the Audience will follow by Ineta Leonavičiūtė
