Under the Shelter – Competition Results

Architecture Night celebrated 11 entrants to the ‘Under the Shelter of Each Other/ Ar Scáth a Chéile’ Design Competition.

A collaboration between 9ft in Common, RSUA and JP Corry, as part of a Belfast 2024 Comission, the competition challenged designers, makers and anyone with a good idea, to propose creative ideas for a wall-mounted collapsible shelter in a residential alleyway in Belfast. The proposals were to be site-specific, but the concepts transferable to other alleys and walls across the city and beyond.

As part of the generous nature of this project, detailed designs and material requirements for all 11 designs can be viewed on the RSUA website. We encourage anyone with a talent for building things to pick a suitable one and have a go at construction.

View all of the submissions here - (Link opens in new window)

(Winning Design: The Shed: Gather and Grow by Jennifer Speirs, Adrienne Campbell and William Brady)

We were pleased to announce The Shed: Gather and Grow by Jennifer Speirs, Adrienne Campbell and William Brady as the winner of this year’s competition. The team will receive a monetary prize of £1500 and their shelter design will be built in Iris Alley. 

Their winning entry proposed a multi-use shelter that would act as a catalyst for the transformation of Belfast’s disused alleyways into green and vibrant communal spaces where community can flourish. Here’s an extract from their proposal:

'By day, The Shed will act as a hub for gardening enthusiasts, stocked with compost, seeds, and pots, while a sturdy workbench will invite residents to get their hands dirty and nurture their green thumbs. As the sun sets, the shelter will morph into a cozy gathering spot. Neighbours will come together for evening chats, sharing stories and laughter under the soft glow of string lights.'

Commenting on the competition overall they said:

"It’s a fantastic opportunity for young architects and designers to explore their creativity for ways to enhance the local community. As a group of architects, we fully immersed ourselves into the brief, exploring various uses for the shelter, while also ensuring the construction is simple and replicable. The competition gave us an opportunity to collaborate with each other in a more involved, faster paced way than our day-to-day working, which we found to be enjoyable and enriching."

Adrienne Campbell

(William and Adrienne from the winning team receiving their prize)

Proposals were judged on the following criteria:  Creativity and design (30%), Meeting the brief (30%), Buildability (20%), Clarity of instructions/presentation (10%) and Value for money (10%). Five of the eleven were shortlisted and invited to attend the prizegiving night. We also awarded a Runner Up prize of £500 to Ian Pitt from Me, Him and Her Design for their entry; Stick Around and Laugh a While.

(Stick Around and Laugh a While. Ian Pitt)

This design takes inpsiration from modern light pavilions and the humble potting shed to create: ‘A simple sheltered space, flooded with light and colour whatever the weather… where conversations can begin, understanding grown and friendships nurtured.’

Commenting on the competition, Ian said:

"I thought the competition was a great initiative – and the standard of the entries blew me away. The brief was really well thought out, I liked the framework of working with a fixed budget and creating concepts that could be replicated by others throughout the rest of the city. Those factors helped to focus concepts from the fanciful to achievable – I think I went through 6 different levels of complexity on how the seating section was going to work – but in the end refocusing the design on the actual implementation. It’s always nice to step out of my comfort zone (more graphic based work) to challenge myself to apply ‘design’ as a broader sense.

Since moving here 2 years ago I’ve tried to get involved with various schemes and design initiatives that can have a positive impact on our new adopted city – this was another great chance to do that – so thanks again for the opportunity."

Ian Pitt

9ft in Common would also like to give a special mention to another shortlisted entry, Lunar Phase proposed by Ben Weir for its inovative stone pulley mechanism which really resonated with our current, Allez Alley citywide treasure hunt with for hagstones.

(Lunar Phase proposed by Ben Weir)

Lunar Phase opens and closes with a simple pulley mechanism. When closed, it appears as a large silver circle adorning the wall, its upper-half in paint and lower-half in galvanised sheeting. Pulling it down unfurls a nighttime scene, a roofed enclosure painted ultramarine. Placed relatively low and sheltering only two people, it requests intimacy.

Have a look at the rest of the design proposals. Which one would you like to see in an alley near you?

View all of the submissions here - (Link opens in new window)

We hoped with this competition that all the entries will inspire people to create shelters in their alleys. If you build one let us know!

Thank you to everyone who entered and all our project partners.

The judges for this year’s design competition were:

• Amberlea Neely – 9ft in Common
• Aisling Rusk – 9ft in Common
• Debbie Carragher – Iris Street Resident
• Connor Couston – JP Corry
• John Lavery – RSUA President
• James Grieve – RSUA Vice President
• Alan Jones – Queen’s University Belfast
• Ciarán Fox – RSUA