Ayrshire firm ARPL Architects win Dublin school design competition

Aug. 2, 2012 - PRLog -- Ayrshire, Scotland, 2 August 2012--A design by ARPL Architects in Ayr for a 1000 pupil secondary school has emerged as the winner in an international design competition organised by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) on behalf of the Irish Government Department of Education and Skills.

The competition was instigated by the Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, to help bring fresh thinking and creativity to the design of schools. The competition attracted 154 entries from 14 countries, the most entries received for a design competition in Ireland.

Congratulating ARPL Architects on their “innovative design”, Mr Quinn said: “Children in Tallaght can look forward to a school space that truly reflects the needs of the 21st-century student.”

The design by ARPL arranges clusters of teaching spaces around a central “public square”,  allowing the circulation to become a series of social or teaching breakout spaces.  These ideas are combined with a colour and art strategy to create a unique arrangement of places and special spaces for the school children.

ARPL director Gordon Fleming commented: “It is encouraging that the Department of Education and Skills took the decision to have such an important project assessed on the basis of design, educational needs and teaching methods rather than the usual public procurement procedures. For ARPL to be successful against such intense competition is a welcome recognition of our design skills and our willingness to engage with the detail and aspirations of  the client group.  

“We now look forward to successfully  delivering the building project with our Dublin-based consultant team of Levins Associates, Waterman Moylan and FLN consulting.”

ARPL Architects Ltd

The directors of ARPL Architects Ltd are Patrick Lorimer, Robert Gilliland, Gordon Fleming, and Rebecca Cadie with John Ramsay, Stewart Glendinning and Kenneth Handley as associates.

The ARPL philosophy is to produce buildings to the highest design standards in close consultation with its clients. Designs are innovative and sympathetic to both the immediate and the broader environment in which they are constructed, with an emphasis on sustainability. Each project embraces the unique nature of the client’s needs and the site.

Over the 36 years since Patrick Lorimer established the original practice, ARPL’s status in the profession has grown steadily in line with its position as a medium-sized practice with a reputation for well executed projects. From its base in Ayr the practice carries out projects over a wide geographical area from the Orkneys and the Western Isles to Ireland.

The firm’s project experience covers the fields of housing, churches, schools, commercial projects, private houses, community and arts buildings. Particular expertise has been developed in contemporary sustainable design, specialist conservation works and design for historically sensitive environments.

ARPL’s work has received wide recognition through numerous design and environmental awards presented over the years for its new build and conservation works. Regular success in design competitions adds to the practice portfolio.

Appointments for church commissions involve a range of denominations and projects from conservation and repair to extensions and new build. The firm is also involved in country houses and estates and the design of new houses for private owners.

The practice typically handles projects with construction values ranging from £100k through to £15m.

ARPL directors have managed to keep their business stable during the current difficult times, and have a busy current workload.

ARPL Architects Ltd
Architects and Quantity Surveyors
11 Wellington Square
Ayr KA7 1EN
Ayrshire, Scotland

Contact: Patrick Lorimer
Tel: 01292 289777
Fax: 01292 288896
E-mail: plorimer@arpl.co.uk
Web: www.arpl.co.uk

ARPL Architects Ltd is a founder member of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle.

THE ELITE AYRSHIRE BUSINESS CIRCLE

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle is an association founded in 2007 by some of the top companies in Ayrshire.

Its purpose is to publicise its members, and to celebrate and promote the wealth and rich diversity of entrepreneurial talent and business excellence that abounds here within the county boundaries of Ayrshire.

Members include the Clydesdale Bank, Ayr Racecourse, Western House Hotel, Turnberry Golf Resort and South Ayrshire Council. Member company activities include broadcasting, building and construction, architectural practice, estate agency and land management, chartered accountancy, insurance broking, legal services, golf club management, marketing services and brand creation, web design and public relations consultancy.

Frazer Coogans Commercial Solicitors senior partner Norman Geddes is executive chairman of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, and managing director is public relations consultancy Fame Publicity Services proprietor Murdoch MacDonald.

http://www.frazercoogans.co.uk

For further information about The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle and to apply for membership, e-mail eliteayrshire@gmail.com  

Website: http://www.eliteayrshire.com  

Issued by:

Murdoch MacDonald
Fame Publicity Services
10 Miller Road
AYR, Ayrshire
Scotland KA7 2AY

E-mail FamePublicity@aol.com
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