RIAI Public Choice Award 2026 · A Social Experiment

Can 60 people
reach 5,000 votes?

This is two things at once: a genuine vote for a piece of Irish architecture, and a live experiment in how a message travels through a network.

people in this network

Your position in the chain

1
2
3
4

The Experiment

60 seed people were each sent this page. Each is asked to vote — and then find four people who will do the same, using their unique link below. This chain runs for just 4 generations — after that, no more recruiting needed.

If the chain holds, the network grows fourfold with every generation. Four generations gets us past 5,000 votes. Your link is your branch of the tree.

Yes, this is also just a way to try to win an architecture award. Both things can be true.

The Project

Iarnród Éireann Architects

Annex Building, Iarnród Éireann HQ

The greenest building is the one that already exists. By improving the energy performance of the Annex Building at Connolly Station with low-embodied-carbon materials, this project hits the 2030 and 2050 climate targets from the starting line. A research-led collaboration with UCD Fab-Trads — and a model for what retrofit architecture can be.

View on RIAI shortlist →

Step 1 — Vote

Opens the RIAI website in a new tab. Find the Annex Building and click "This gets my vote".

Vote on the RIAI Website →


Step 2 — Pass it on

1 Think of four people who care about Irish architecture, sustainability, or just want to help — friends, colleagues, family.
2 Copy your link below (not the RIAI link — yours has your ID in it so we can track the chain).
3 Send it to them — WhatsApp, email, text, whatever works. Ask them to vote and pass it on to four more.

The maths

If each person finds four more, the network quadruples every generation. The chain stops at generation 4.

60Gen 1 Seeds
300Gen 2 Total
1,260Gen 3 Total
5,100Gen 4 ✓