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Historic first for ATU as architecture graduate wins prestigious RIAI award
ATU students and graduates secure four national honours for excellence in architectural design, research and writing
Atlantic Technological University (ATU) students and graduates have received four national honours at the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) Student Awards 2026.
ATU graduate Aidan Doherty became the first graduate of the University’s architecture programme to win the RIAI Scott Tallon Walker Student Excellence Award for Architecture.
Fellow graduate Kian Moore received a commendation in the same category, meaning ATU secured two of the four distinctions presented in one of Ireland’s leading student architecture awards.
Year 5 student Bushra Alhoni, from Libya, but living in Longford, was announced as the recipient of the John Meagher Memorial Bursary 2026 and won the RIAI Architecture Ireland Student Writing Prize.
The awards were presented at the RIAI Annual Conference at the RDS in Dublin, where the students’ work also featured in the annual InTension Student Exhibition.
Originally from Surrey, England, and now living in Carrick, Co Donegal, Aidan received the overall award for his graduate project, A Town Outside Time: Re-designing Dementia Care. The project proposes a new residential environment designed to support people living with dementia through carefully arranged public, communal, semi-private and private spaces.
The RIAI jury praised the project’s strong architectural vision and its considered approach to social interaction, family engagement, supported living and community wellbeing.
Aidan said:
“My thesis project, A Town Outside Time, came from a personal experience with dementia. I saw how much the environment affected my grandad’s condition and wanted to design somewhere that would support people living with dementia while still feeling like a home.
“Having my work recognised nationally is a huge honour and an encouraging start to my career. The support and guidance I received from lecturers and fellow students at ATU played an important part in making this project possible.”
Kian Moore, who is from Westport, Co Mayo, received a commendation for Bridging the Space Between: A Daycare and Future Housing for Young Adults with Autism in Ireland’s Northwest.
His project explores how architecture could support young autistic adults through the creation of inclusive daycare and future housing designed around their needs, independence and quality of life.
Kian said:
“My inspiration for this project came from wanting to create safe and welcoming spaces for young adults with autism as they move beyond the supports available through the education system. Receiving a commendation for my work is a special achievement and a great encouragement as I begin my career in architecture.
“ATU provided a strong foundation for my studies. The one-to-one support from lecturers and opportunities to learn from fellow students created a friendly and creative environment.”
Bushra Alhoni received two honours recognising her architectural research and writing.
The €5,000 John Meagher Memorial Bursary supports an architecture student from an RIAI-accredited school to travel to Finland and/or Sweden and study the work of influential architects including Alvar Aalto and Sigurd Lewerentz.
Bushra presented reflections from her Scandinavian research journey at the RIAI Conference, speaking about the value of experiencing significant works of architecture first-hand.
She also won the RIAI Architecture Ireland Student Writing Prize for ‘The Shape of Almost’. The jury described the work as insightful and engaging, praising its distinctive voice, detailed observations and thoughtful reflections on creative practice.
The win follows a highly commended distinction in the 2025 writing competition for Where Walls Weep – A Piece on Destruction, Defiance, and the Architecture of Return.
John Bruen, Programme Chair of Architecture at ATU, said:
We are proud of our ATU Bachelor of Architecture students’ achievements in the RIAI National Student Awards. These achievements mark an important moment for Architecture at ATU. Aidan’s winning dementia care project and Kian’s commended proposal for young adults with autism demonstrate how in-depth research can inform exemplary, socially and contextually responsive architectural design solutions for complex care environments.
Bushra’s John Meagher winning bursary research enriches understanding of Nordic architecture among her peers and the wider profession, while her award-winning writing offers a thought provoking, poetic reflection on the creative practice of studying architecture.”
Maša Ruane Bratuša, Head of the Department of Architecture at ATU, said:
“Huge congratulations to Bushra, Aidan and Kian on their fantastic achievements! We’re delighted to see their work recognised nationally and wish them all the very best for what lies ahead.
Seeing Bushra, Aidan and Kian take centre stage nationally is a genuinely special moment for our department. Their achievements speak to the talent of our students and the ambition of our department, rooted in the North West and connected to the wider world of architecture.”
ATU’s success at the RIAI Awards also extended to its teaching staff. ATU lecturer Sarah Doheny’s practice, Cineál Research & Design, founded with Phoebe Brady, was one of three practices commended in the RIAI Emerging Practice Award 2026.
The RIAI Student Awards recognise and support emerging talent while celebrating excellence in architectural education, design, writing, sustainability and professional practice. Entries are assessed anonymously by separate expert juries.
The InTension Student Exhibition at the RIAI Conference 2026 was supported by the RIAI, Architecture Ireland and CMI.
Photo captions:
- 1. L-R RIAI and Architecture Ireland Student Writing Award 2026 commended entrants (1-4), Bushra Alhoni, winner, commended 5, Fionnuala May, President of the RIAI.
- 2. L-R Kian Moore, Aidan Doherty, unknown.
- 3. L-R Kian Moore (commended), Gabriela Belbot (highly commended), Éilis Keogh (highly commended), Aidan Doherty (winner), St.John Handley (architect, Scott Tallon Walker Architects), Fionnuala May, President of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI).
- 4. L-R Aidan Doherty, graduate, Deirdre Greaney lecturer ATU, Michael Mescal lecturer ATU, Bushra Alhoni, student, Kian Moore, graduate, Fionnuala May, President of the RIAI, Bernadette Donohoe, lecturer, Masa Ruane Bratusa.
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Ivana Hanjs
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Tel: 089 963 9559
E: ivana.hanjs@atu.ie
