Building Design

New civic centres have been springing up around Ireland as canny local councils cash in on the country's economic boom to provide themselves — and the public — with modern facilities. Its not just about bureaucratic aggrandisement. One of the key driving forces has been the idea of providing a "one-stop shop" for all council services, in line with the republic's Better Local Government programme as well as upgrading a lot of the older offices which were little better than ramshackle. Projects by ABK, Bucholz McEvoy, Heneghan Peng, McCullough Mulvin and Scott Tallon Walker have already picked up awards. The latest addition to the list is Athlone Civic Centre, by Keith Williams Architects. The E13.2 million (£9 million) project was conceived in late-2000, at the height of the so-called Celtic Tiger boom, when it seemed as if there was unlimited money available for everything.