The Strule Arts Centre is a 4,000 sq m arts facility with auditorium, lecture theatre and associated facilities. The centre boasts a 400 seat auditorium, gallery and exhibition space, café, tourist information centre, print, ceramic and art workshops, darkroom and digital photography suite, 120 seat theatre designed for cinema and film projection, music recording studios, and a dance/rehearsal studio.

The stunning project, which also won the Regeneration section of the awards, saw off competition from three other category winners to claim the top prize. Bagenal’s Castle, Newry (Building Conservation), The Orchard Building at Stranmillis University College, Belfast (Sustainability) and The Grand Opera House Act II, Belfast (Community Benefit) were winners in the other categories.

Congratulating the winners, Brett Martin Director of Building Products, Joe Doyle, says: “The winners of these awards demonstrate the hugely positive impact that innovatively designed and constructed buildings can have in the communities in which they are based. We are delighted to help recognise the creativity and quality of Northern Ireland’s construction industry and to reward projects which add significant value to life in Northern Ireland.”

RICS Northern Ireland Vice-Chairman, David Duly, says: “The winners, in addition to demonstrating excellence in their specific category and a positive contribution to the community, should also demonstrate how professionals working in the built environment have used their skills to develop, regenerate and conserve the world in which they live, work and play”

“Strule Arts Centre is a key component in Omagh District Council’s wider master plan and its flexible and innovative design mean that it has a wide variety of uses which ensures maximum benefit to the local community,” he continues.

 “The council’s objectives of creating a nighttime economy; opening up back areas and making better use of the river as a feature, have all been achieved and special considerations regarding flood levels and sky lines successfully resolved,” Mr Duly adds. 

RICS Northern Ireland Awards judging chairman, Alex Mackay, says that the local winners will go through to compete in the overall RICS Awards, the winners of which will be announced in London on October 17 at London’s Millennium Hotel.

“The Northern Ireland winners will highlight the world-class development taking place in the local built environment on a national and international platform. With property in Northern Ireland accounting for a significant proportion of carbon emissions, it is particularly pleasing that some of the winners include impressive environmental considerations,” Mr Mackay adds.

Past winners of the overall RICS Awards have included prestigious projects such as the site of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the Bullring in Birmingham, London’s Royal Opera House and the Eden Project in Cornwall.

The RICS NI Awards recognise building projects completed in Northern Ireland during the last three years within Regeneration, Building Conservation, Sustainability and Community Benefit categories. The winner of the overall award is selected from the four category winners.

RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) is the mark of property professionalism worldwide. It covers all aspects of property, construction and associated environmental issues. RICS has 140,000 members globally and represents, regulates and promotes the work of property professionals throughout 146 countries. RICS is governed by a Royal Charter approved by Parliament which requires it to act in the public interest. It is also a professional regulatory body approved by Government (HM Treasury).

Best known in Northern Ireland for its drainage products, Brett Martin employs over 800 across seven facilities in the UK and is a market-leader in the manufacture of specialist plastic products for construction, roofing, engineering, print and display.  A global player, the company exports over 50% of its £110 million turnover to more than 70 countries world-wide.

Brett Martin supplies to many of Northern Ireland’s most significant public and private sector development schemes. Recent projects in Northern Ireland include Victoria Square in Belfast and at the Royal Group of Hospitals. Some of its contracts outside of Northern Ireland have included supplying the specialist roofing for Wembley Stadium and the Kennsington Oval in Barbados, where the last Cricket World Cup final was staged.

More information on the company can be obtained from www.brettmartin.com.