It is not just the political landscape that has changed in Northern Ireland in recent years. The physical, or built, landscape has been changing too, offering glimpses of the broader transition underway within society. The growing confidence of Ulster architecture has been handsomely rewarded in the Royal Institute of British Architects regional awards, announced in London last Friday at the launch of Architecture Week. After a succession of lean years, buildings in Belfast and Coleraine have captured four of this year's 49 UK regional awards.

