Excerpt from the brief: What kind of building can a city library be in the 21st century? Public libraries have evolved almost beyond recognition in recent years, and to help us imagine what a major city library should look like, the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) and Cork City Libraries invited young architects and architectural students to design an ideal central library for a city of Cork’s size.
| Architect | Placing |
| Eugene Cheah Australia | Winner |
| Johan Voordouw Canada | Winner |
| Ralf Pasel & Frederik Künzel Netherlands | Winner |

