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Gerard scoops top award at Liverpool awards
ceremony
by NEIL GREENLEES
Gerard Mccreanor receives the Stirling Prize
in Liverpool last Saturday evening.
MILLIONS of television viewers have seen a
former pupil of Friends School being presented with the UK's
most prestigious prize for architecture.
Gerard Maccreanor, who grew up in the
Ballymoat area of Glenavy, received the Royal Insititute of
British Architecture's 'Stirling Prize' on behalf of his
practice 'Maccreanor Lavington'.
The presentation took place at a glittering
ceremony in Liverpool's Arena and Convention Centre screened
live on Channel Four.
 The
�20,000 award recognised the high standard of the firm's designs
for part 01 a new housing development in the university city of
Cambridge called 'Accordia Living', the first ever residential
scheme in Europe to win the prize.
The innovative project by Redeham Homes beat
off stiff competition from five other Schemes including the
Manchester Civil Justice System; the Royal Festival Hall in
London; Westminster Academy; Bijlmer Station in Amsterdam and
Austria's Nordpark Cable Railway. The Award Jury, made up of
architecture specialists and lay judges described it as 'high
density housing at its very best'.
They said it demonstrated volume
house-builders 'can deliver high quality architecture' � and as
a result "can improve their own bottom line.
Mark Bailey, Managing Director of Redeham
Homes said: "We are thrilled that Accordia Living has been
acknowledged as the first ever residential development in the
Award's history recognised for its innovative design which fuses
together top quality layout, specification and landscaping to
produce a variety of inspirational homes appealing to a wide
range of people from investors and young-professionals to
families." Mr. Maccreanor, who left Friends in 1980, has been an
architect for 25 years.
His wife is Dutch and he lives in Rotterdam but
commutes between the Netherlands and his company's London office
several times a week.
His parents Cathleen and Patrick Maccreanor
still live in Glenavy as does his sister Catherine Gallagher.
neil.greenlees@jpress.co.uk
Ulster Star
17/10/2008
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