Leading architects visit Giant's Causeway site

Architects from across the world have arrived in North Antrim today to get ideas on how best to design the new visitor facilities at the Giant’s Causeway.

As part of its international architectural competition to design the new facilities the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment organised a visit to the site for over 150 architects from Europe and as far a field as Australia and Mexico.

Around 480 architects have registered their intention to submit designs for the new visitor facilities, which will double the size of the existing temporary facility.

The competition is conducted under the Union of International Architects, (UIA) rules, with the winning design being chosen by an international jury. The successful design will be announced later this year.

All competitors were offered the opportunity to visit the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland’s only World Heritage Site, and talk to the National Trust and Moyle District Council, who each own part of the site.

The former visitor centre was destroyed by fire in 2000 however the Causeway still attracts around 400,000 visitors annually.

(MB)