Dr Liam Ross joins the judging panel of the Building and Architect of the Year Awards 2026 as a qualified architect, Senior Lecturer in Architectural Design, and Director of Education at the University of Edinburgh, bringing a research specialisation that sits at one of the most pressing intersections in contemporary practice: the relationship between fire safety, building resilience, and architectural design.

Ross's academic work examines how architecture and urban design have been shaped by fire and fire safety regulation, a field with direct implications for how Ireland's built environment sector approaches compliance, material selection, and the long-term resilience of buildings.

That research has been exhibited and published across a range of contexts, with his recent monograph Pyrotechnic Cities: Architecture, Fire-Safety and Standardisation, published by Routledge, establishing him as a leading voice on the subject internationally.

Alongside his Edinburgh role, Ross serves as course lead for Design for Life? Fire Safety, Building Resilience and the Principal Designer at the London School of Architecture, a programme that bridges regulatory frameworks with live design practice and equips architects to navigate an increasingly complex compliance landscape.

That dual role positions Ross to evaluate entries with a rigour that extends beyond aesthetic and functional merit to encompass the safety, resilience, and regulatory integrity that define buildings built to last.

The Building and Architect of the Year Awards 2026 ceremony takes place on Thursday, 23rd April 2026 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry. View the full shortlist and secure your seat at the official awards website.