Young architects in Northern Ireland have produced a series of ideas for a public installation to celebrate the region’s relationship with a vital and increasingly threatened resource – water.

The winning idea by Ciaran Magee was announced at the Royal Society of Ulster Architects’ (RSUA) annual Architecture Night and is entitled ‘To Flow Together’. Inspired by the ancient Roman ‘compluvium’, a structure used to gather rainwater for domestic use, the entry proposed a lightweight metal and concrete structure that provides a space for the public to engage with the water infrastructure that normally goes unseen.

The judging panel was impressed by how this concept created a strong focal point on the landscape both by day and by night, its practical material palette and its visual communication of the importance of how we collect our rainwater.

In recent years, Northern Ireland has faced increasing challenges related to water quality and infrastructure capacity. Lough Neagh, the largest lake in Ireland, is suffering from regular blooms of blue-green algae, more than 20 million tonnes of untreated sewage is being spilled into our waterways annually and only 30% of our rivers are assessed as being in a good ecological status, with this figure dropping to 25% for our lakes.

In response to these challenges, RSUA and JP Corry developed ‘The Water Canon’ design competition. The challenge for early career architects was to propose creative installations that would engage the public in a celebration of rainfall and water and increase public awareness of the unique importance of water.

RSUA Director, Ciarán Fox said:
“Water is one of the defining elements of our built environment, our landscape and our daily lives but it’s something we often take for granted. ‘The Water Canon’ gives us the chance to pause and think about the challenges surrounding this vital resource. The ideas generated by this competition are timely examples of how thoughtful design can connect us to our built and natural environments.

“We look forward to seeing ‘To Flow Together’ delivered and we hope that some of the competition’s other innovative ideas can be taken forward across Northern Ireland.”

Competition winner, Ciaran Magee, commented:
“I’m delighted that ‘To Flow Together’ was chosen as the winning idea. The finished product will be a pavilion for people to use as a place for gathering, that also demonstrates how low-cost technologies can be implemented to lessen the burden on our already stretched water infrastructure systems. I can’t wait to see people engaging with the pavilion and experiencing the sights and sounds of rainfall.”

Ronnie West, Civils Products Sales Manager at JP Corry, said:
“The quality of submissions to this year’s competition has been outstanding, reflecting the creativity and skill within the local architectural community. Congratulations to all who took part, especially the winning project, ‘To Flow Together’. It’s a pleasure to play our part in celebrating and supporting creativity and local talent through both the competition and Architecture Night.”

Of the twelve designs that competed for the chance to be built, two submissions were also highly commended by the judging panel:

• ‘W.E.A.V.E.’ by Joel Jamieson and Scott Kennedy, commended for its very well-considered concept and elegant architectural form; and
• ‘Uisce Beo – Living Water’ by Laura Green, commended for its communication of a future potential for people to enjoy public waterways made fit for swimming.

‘The Water Canon’ forms part of RSUA’s ongoing programme of annual design competitions supported by JP Corry, aimed at spotlighting the work of early career architects in Northern Ireland. RSUA, JP Corry and the winning architect will work towards the project being delivered in 2026.