The biennial GAI/RIBA Architectural Ironmongery Specification Awards, organised by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), mark excellence in the specification of architectural ironmongery.
New for the 2018/19 awards, projects can be nominated for a ‘Best new product: design and innovation’ category. This is for new ironmongery products, as well as the advancing technologies used within the door and window hardware.
This category covers products that have been created using new methods of manufacture, or that display new design concepts or originality of thought. This category is not limited to mechanical products. New innovations or technologies in access control, door automation or any field allied to architectural ironmongery could also be submitted. Projects can also be nominated for: residential; commercial and hospitality buildings; public health and education buildings, and international projects outside the UK and Ireland.
Architects, specifiers, building contractors, clients and their architectural ironmongery advisers and suppliers can nominate projects for the 2018/19 awards until Friday, November 16. The projects or products must be either completed or released onto the market between October 2016 and September 2018 to be eligible for entry.
David Stacey, president of the GAI, says: “The Specification Awards are unique because they reward the whole specification team. The outstanding design and high quality finishes of the projects nominated highlights the importance of the professional partnership between architects and architectural ironmongers. We hope the addition of the ‘Best new product: design and innovation’ category will reveal some really interesting products with pioneering ways of using materials to create a new solution or a new design.”
Each category will have a winner, second and third place. The judges will also decide on an overall ‘winner of winners’. At the 2017/18 Specification Awards, this accolade went to Kings Gate, a residential project by architectural ironmongers izé and architect Lynch Architects. A brochure featuring the 2017/18 winning projects can be downloaded from the GAI website.
There is no limit on the number of entries to the 2018/19 awards. The first entry from GAI or RIBA members is free. To nominate a project, go to: www.gai.org.uk/SpecAwards2019.
