Excerpt from the brief: Established twenty-one years ago in Skibbereen, West Cork Arts Centre (WCAC) is funded by public money to provide a community-based arts facility and arts programme for the whole West Cork region. It supports a multi-disciplinary arts programme with a focus on modern and contemporary visual art and a range of education and community programmes. It is active in commissioning new work, publishing, and arts education, generating programmes in partnership with other agencies and organisations and disseminating best practice.

With a significant and growing demand for their programmes and services, WCAC needs to expand into a purpose-built building that will open up an abundance of opportunities which will have a positive impact on the aesthetic, cultural, social, economic and educational fabric of the region.

This new building will revitalise and make vibrant the centre of Skibbereen as the art heart of West Cork and will draw people from all over Ireland and abroad to the region. It will enable West Cork Arts Centre to cater for increased numbers and services for the people of West Cork and be an arts facility that the community will be proud of. The competition site is known as the Wolfe Bakery and located in the centre of the commercial district, overlooking Field’s car park and Main Street, this building is on a 470m approx site. It is not listed and is designated as derelict. The new building will be approx 1080m and the budget is estimated at €1,500 per m².

The competition was won by Donaghy + Dimond Architects.