By Ryan Sands
A Newcastle house has been described as “a most deserving winner of the RSUA (Royal Society of Ulster Architects) New Home Award 2026”.
Tollymore House, located off the Bryansford Road and owned by James and Gabrielle Burns, was the recipient of the accolade at the RSUA Architecture Awards Gala Evening on 14 May.
A project description said that architects McGonigle McGrath had designed “a dwelling of six parts, embedded into the steep riverbank, expressed as a collection of forms that are arranged so that each form lightly touches another”.
The RSUA judges’ citation stated that “Tollymore House is first intriguingly glimpsed through the trees, a sight that is enhanced by the backdrop of the Mourne Mountains and the glistening Shimna River immediately below”.
“Tollymore House was conceived as a collection of stones in a river, and this design concept has been skilfully developed to create not only a unique family home but a stunning piece of architecture,” it continued.
“The six individual volumes that comprise Tollymore House are loosely connected via courtyards, which ensure a myriad of framed views between the stepped buildings and the surrounding countryside.
“These volumes with their strong horizontal emphasis are exquisitely detailed in board-marked concrete and silver-grey brickwork and are dramatically offset by a vertical brick rectangle containing the chimney.”
The citation added that the building is “not brashly imposed on the site but is sensitively inserted to perfectly fit the steep triangular site and consequently is at ease with its environment”.
“There is a tranquility about the house with only the sound of the river as it flows past the gardens,” it concluded.
“Albeit the disparate bedroom blocks and the steps between the blocks may not suit every family, this is a house that delivers exactly the relationship between indoors and outdoors that the clients stipulated, and they are delighted with the result.
“Tollymore House is a beautifully designed building, executed with passion, and is an outstanding example of contemporary architecture.
“A most deserving winner of the RSUA New Home Award 2026.”
The main contractor for the house was Ballymartin’s FJ Charleton & Sons. Consultants were Construct NI (structural engineer) and MJ Donnelly (quantity surveyor).
