The Milk Market Limerick has won the prestigious ‘Public Choice Award’ at the RIAI Irish Architecture Awards 2011. The award was presented to Healy Partners Architects at a special awards ceremony in Dublin yesterday evening (July 11).

The work to develop the Milk Market as an all-weather markets and event venue was commissioned by the Limerick Market Trustees, engaging Healy Partners Architects to design and to help deliver the project.

Welcoming the award, Councilor Michael Sheahan, Chairman of the Limerick Market Trustees, said “We are delighted that the Milk Market has won such a prestigious architectural award and particularly pleased that it was the ‘Public Choice Award’. Congratulations to Healy Partners Architects and to all those involved in bringing our project to fruition.”

“The Limerick Market Trustees vision was to enhance the historic market, weather-proofing it so that it would work better as a markets and event venue, all year-round. The design solution of creating Ireland’s largest tensile structure to cover the courtyard, while still retaining an outdoor atmosphere, has been transformational and has helped us to begin to deliver on our vision”, said Councilor Sheahan.

“The new Milk Market is now open just over a year and, since then, the venue has been attracting increasing numbers of visitors to a wider range of markets and events. In addition to extending the number of markets from one to three per week, and almost doubling attendances, the venue has successfully staged concerts, recitals, craft fairs, fashion shows, family-fun events, product launches, charity events and more, all adding to the vibrancy of the City and supporting a broad base of business, including an increasing number of market traders.”

“There were 134 events vying for the 2011 ‘Public Choice’ Architectural Award with 38 projects short-listed, including the magnificent Aviva Stadium in Dublin. While we are honoured, we are not surprised that the Milk Market won out in a ‘Public Choice Award’, capturing 33% of the votes cast. In a very tangible way the people of Limerick have been “voting for” the Milk Market since it opened, by visiting it, by revisiting it, by staging events and by positively spreading the word. That they are doing so in increasing numbers is the most pleasing thing of all and it is something we will never take for granted as the Milk Market evolves.” added Councilor Sheahan.