Winners revealed in Connolly’s of Leap design competition

In November 2017, competition organisers Bee Breeders launched a call for concepts to renovate and expand a beloved local pub and live music venue, Connolly’s of Leap, in County Cork. The venue’s building is historic to the region, having functioned as a pub since 1810, and has championed live music through three family generations - the current owners and operators were both born and raised in the building. Now, the winners have been announced as Ian O'Brien, Enrique Garcia, and Oliver James from the UK, who impressed the jury with a concept considering both the landscape and spirit of the existing venue.

The site, located on a steep hill next to the storied ravine and a waterfall, contains the existing music venue building and family quarters, as well as a collection of outbuildings today used for storage. The first-placed design features a raised glass skylight as its primary modification. Using materials of timber, local stone, and charred oak, the submission introduces four new buildings, well-situated on the hillside and housing band accommodations, a workshop, a studio, and an exhibition space.

Second place went to KGA Architecture from the USA for their design, “Shaping the Sound”, which included semi-underground spaces with curved shapes inspired by musical instruments. Another USA team, Lisa Mullikin and Kevin Stevens, took third place with their “Rooted/Rootless” concept, consisting of gardens connected by ramps underneath a floating, faceted canopy.

Lucy Nordberg

TenderStream Head of Research

This competition was first published by TenderStream on 30.11.2017. See the original brief here

Start your free trial here or email our team directly at customerservices@tenderstream.com