Westmeath County Council has officially launched a Design Awards Scheme for Rural Housing which will recognise and publicise exemplars of good building design based upon sustainable principles within the county.
The purpose of the awards scheme is to promote good design practice, to increase public awareness of the value of good design in the countryside, and to highlight the importance of energy efficient approaches to design. Annual award winners will over time form a compilation of examples of best practice which will in turn be used to inform future design.
Since the publication of the Westmeath Rural Design Guidelines in 2005, the council has been promoting responsive design in the countryside in relation to both new build and refurbishment/extension of established rural dwellings. The sustainability agenda has focused increased attention on the need to achieve greater efficiency in the energy performance of buildings. The role of siting and landscaping and the degree to which the development responds to individual site characteristics are critical in achieving successful design outcomes.
The scheme provides for two categories: new builds; and refurbishment/extension of existing domestic rural properties. Nominations are being invited from the public in each of the above categories for developments which have been completed in the last five years.
Closing date for nominations is February 6 2009. Applications should include a photograph of the property, a planning reference, brief description of the design concept, together with details of location. Application forms are available from the Forward Planning and Policy Section, Westmeath County Council, Millennium House, Church Avenue, Mullingar.
