Voting opens to help stunning Laois convent housing project win Ireland's Favourite Building title
It’s time to get county proud and vote for a transformational Laois housing project as Ireland’s Favourite Building.
The former Presentation convent and school in Portlaoise has become a carefully restored community space with gardens and a modern housing development giving 52 social homes for older and vulnerable people.
The convent includes a restored historic tower that is as old as the 16th century Fort Protector Portlaoise across the road. It had been boarded up for years. Sophia Housing in partnership with Laois County Council drove the project which cost over €27 million in public funds. The architect is OBFA. See pictures here.
Convent Lands Portlaoise is now on the shortlist of the 2026 Public Choice Awards by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) and voting opened on Friday, May 29.
It is the second award this year in which the project was chosen as a finalist. It was already one of four finalists in the Irish Building & Design Awards Building Project of the Year 2026, but was pipped at the post.
In total, 44 projects have been shortlisted for this year's Public Choice Award, which features projects from 12 counties as well as six international projects by Irish architects. The public has until 5pm on Monday, June 15 to cast their vote for this year’s winner. Link to vote below.
The Public Choice Award is unique in that it is the only architectural award in the country decided by public vote. It is an opportunity for the public to reflect on how well-designed buildings and places can positively impact the quality of their daily lives by carefully considering the needs of our communities.
In total, the RIAI received 174 entries across categories such as public use, urban design, conservation, adaptation and re-use, housing and sustainability. Five architectural research projects were also shortlisted for the RIAI Awards and will be recognised in the awards presentation on 18. Last year’s awards were tightly contested, with 14,000 votes cast by the public.
The shortlist includes the University of Limerick Student Centre, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland’s new building on St Stephen’s Green, a state-of-the-art special educational needs school in Letterkenny, Barretstown Medical Centre and the conservation and reopening of the Magazine Fort in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.
RIAI President, Fionnuala May said, “From health and education to heritage and housing, this year’s awards demonstrate how outstanding architecture actively shapes the success of public buildings, infrastructure projects and places where we live. This is an excellent opportunity for the public to reflect on how public buildings and designed spaces impact on their enjoyment and quality of their daily lives. These awards show that good architecture is more than beautiful design, it is a societal investment – one that delivers lasting cultural, social, and economic returns for our society.”
Visit https://www.riai.ie/public-choice-award-poll to cast your vote and learn more about the shortlisted projects.