The RIAI Build and Extend Theatre at the Permanent TSB Ideal Home Show will feature registered architects, who will be on hand to help attendees with their extend, build and renovate projects. The Ideal Home Show runs from Friday 27 to Monday 30 October in the RDS. “The permanent tsb Ideal Home Show is a great opportunity to engage with people who are thinking about building, extending or renovating their own properties”, says Kathryn Meghen, CEO of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI). She adds: “Building a new home or remodelling an existing one is a costly and complex endeavour – in addition to the finding the best design solution, there are issues such as planning, Building Regulations and compliance to be considered. Homeowners are investing time, money and their hopes and dreams into the plans for their homes. A registered architect is trained and qualified to get the right result, ensuring that money is spent wisely.”

Sandra O’Connell, Director of Architecture and Communications at the RIAI, outlines the idea behind the talks programme at the Ideal Home Show: “Nowadays our homes have to work harder for us, as homeowners have decided to remain in their homes for far longer than they used to. People are now looking for a house that will last them throughout their lives instead of moving every few years. They need to think about how flexible and adaptable their homes can be. It can be as simple as deciding that rather than have everything open-plan, they consider putting in sliding doors and partitions. That way they can have an open-plan room when the children are young but when they’re older, they can turn the open-plan into separate zones. We encourage people to think about all of these things and plan for the future.”

She says there is also the issue of young people not being able to move out and so they stay longer at their parents’ house. As a result, parents might want to convert their attic, garage or basement into a space for a student so their children can be part of the family home but still have separate lives. “That’s a very big consideration nowadays – how to make space for everyone in the house.”

The RIAI Build and Extend Theatre will show how you can get the most out of your home when extending, building and remodelling at this year’s permanent tsb Ideal Homes Show. “We have put together a great panel of experts who will provide information and inspiration as well as practice advice on how to approach a project from multiple angles such as design, life-time adaptability, planning and technical issues such as party walls. Over four days, our programme of talks will look at home improvements through extensions, renovations and remodelling,” continues Sandra O’Connell. “We will be talking about flexible and adaptable home plans which can change depending on what is needed. We show what architects offer to projects and how they can maximise the potential of the home with their design skills.”

Invaluable advice
Kathryn Meghen says the RIAI conducted a survey recently, and it showed that people didn’t realise what the possibilities were with their house until they worked with an architect. Sometimes people go to architects thinking they need a big extension and actually they just need a remodelling of their existing home space. That’s where the architect comes in and looks at it holistically.” Such advice can save both time and money, so it could be a wise move to speak to the architects that are on hand. As Kathryn concludes: “There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions and to meet architects at the show.”

For more information visit www.idealhome.ie and visit the RIAI Build and Extend Theatre while at the show.

Read more about the RIAI Architects taking part in our programme of talks and interviews below. We have included email addresses for the ones with stands if you would like to book a consultation at the show with them:

Eva Byrne – houseology MRIAI Architect and House Consultant. Eva Byrne is an Architect, House Consultant and Interiorista based in Dublin. She specialises in 2 hour consultations to help clients make the most of space, light and storage in their homes. Her website includes lots of advice and tips about all matters relating to house design houseology.ie  [K18].

Gareth Brennan (Brenna Furlong Architects), MRIAI Architect. Having graduated from University College Dublin in 2001, Gareth worked with a number of architectural practices in Dublin before establishing Gareth Brennan Architects in 2009. A member of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland since 2008, Gareth, along with Seamus Furlong, formed Brennan Furlong Architects & Urban Planners in 2015. http://brennanfurlong.ieColm Nolan Founded his practice Circa Design in 2004 which has offices in Dublin and Wexford. Colm has over 20 years’ experience managing a wide variety of architectural contracts from initial design to completion. Colm holds an overall managing brief for planning & implementation of strategic goals and Managing client relationships. www.circadesign.ie  [M82].

Paul Keenan is a founding Director of Keenan Lynch Architects. Paul is a fellow of the RIAI AND holds a Diploma in Arbitration. Paul has designed and overseen the construction of numerous projects. Interests include sustainability and conservation, in which he has a Grade 3 Accreditation. Paul Technical Assessor for the Architects Registration Boar. Paul is also a Director with KLP Building Surveyors and Mypartywall. www.kla.ie [L83].

Fergus Flanagan is an Architect with over 14 years experience and has worked on projects in Germany, Switzerland the UK and Ireland. He has worked for many award winning Architectural practices & has been part of many winning design teams. He himself has won many competitions throughout his career. www.fergusflanaganarchitects.ie  [O60].

Jackson Groarke Architects was founded by Greg Jackson MRIAI and Donal Groarke MRIAI in 2013.  Máirtín D’Alton MRIAI became a Director in 2015. Jackson + Groarke is a ‘Housing First’ design studio with research interests in collaborative design, digital fabrication and architectural conservation. The Director’s broad skill-sets encompass design, finance, construction, digital fabrication, property development, project management, conservation, environmental design, academia, regional development and housing strategic policy.  http://www.jacksongroarke.com  [N82]

Carol Ryan -  CR Architecture was established in 2010 and is located close to Smithfield Square in Dublin 7. Carol has many years experience in home development works and try to minimise frustration by offering clear guidance at every stage of the project. Carol Ryan is an RIAI registered architect and has Grade III Conservation accreditation. www.crarch.ie.

Paula Murphy is the principal of Paula M Murphy Architects based in Thurles, Co. Tipperary. She has been a practising Architect for 30 years. She specialises in domestic, small commercial and medical projects and roughly 25% of her work is on Conservation led projects together with a number of interior design projects. Paula M Murphy Architects pride themselves on individual one on one service.

Fergal McGirl is a grade 2 conservation architect based in Dublin and has additional qualifications in project management having completed the RIAI Built Environment Project Management Course & PMP certification/membership of Project Management International. He has also completed various courses in sustainability and building energy efficiency including commercial & domestic energy rating assessments. http://fmgarchitects.ie.

Date: Friday 10 November, 9.00 am

Westport Study Day 2017: celebrating 250 years of the Browne family and the town of Westport.

The Irish Georgian Society and Mayo County Council, in association with Westport Historical Society and Westport Tourism, are partnering to deliver a study day which will celebrate the history and heritage of Westport House and its planned Georgian town. 250 years ago Peter Browne of Westport House placed an advertisement in the Dublin Faulkner’s Journal, on St. Patrick’s Day 1767, advertising for tradesmen to construct the new town of Westport, and so began the genesis of one of Ireland’s greatest pieces of Georgian town planning.

Among the speakers will be Dr Martin Mansergh, who will talk on the Act of Union. Dr Gordon Kennedy, will discuss the Browne’s of Westport House 1780 -1830. Dr Eamon O Flaherty will speak on town planning in the Age of Enlightenment, and will also introduce the RIA’s Irish Historic Towns Atlas for Westport. Áine Doyle will discuss Westport’s Holy Trinity Church. Lunch will be included, and bookings are through the Irish Georgian Society website.

Full programme available here.

To round off the 2017 New Now Next series, Merritt Bucholz and Karen McEvoy co-founders of Bucholz McEvoy Architects, will present on Wednesday 1 November at 6.30pm in The Royal Irish Academy.

Bucholz McEvoy Architects’ major built works include Fingal County Hall, Limerick County Council Headquarters, Westmeath County Council Headquarters and Library, Elm Park mixed use development, and the Samuel Beckett Civic Campus. Bucholz McEvoy Architects are noted for award-winning low energy designs, and have twice represented Ireland at the Architecture Biennale in Venice.

New Now Next, the IAF’s popular architecture talks series, is back for a fifth year. Curated by the Irish Architecture Foundation and sponsored by ARUP, the purpose of this free event is to bring inspirational speakers to Dublin to excite and inspire audiences who are interested in the design and construction of buildings and cities. It’s about disseminating NEW ideas, regarding contemporary issues relevant NOW that can impact on the sustainability of NEXT generations.

​To book your place visit www.architecturefoundation.ie.

Conference Date: Thursday 26 October 2017, 1.30pm – 5.30pm

Location: Alexander Hotel, 41- 47 Fenian Street, Dublin

Ticket price: €25 (IGBC Member), €75 (Standard Ticket)

The Irish Green Building Council presents the inaugural Better Homes 2017, an afternoon conference which focuses on the future of home building.  Network with a range of professionals including planners, architects, home builders and local authorities and gather resources from our informative exhibition stands.

Ireland is back building homes again and the next five years will see a substantial addition to our housing stock to meet the homelessness crisis and Ireland’s growing population. What do we need to do to avoid the mistakes of the past? In the urgency to build how do we ensure  we get sustainable, low carbon communities that cater for a changing population? How can we meet the Near Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standard for new homes? And how do we do this quickly to meet the growing need? How does the Home Performance Index enable public and private procurers to develop better homes?

The comprehensive schedule will include:

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS 

Bill Dunster, the ZEDfactory
Prior to setting up ZEDfactory in 1999, Bill worked at Michael Hopkins and Partners, for 15 years, on projects specialising in low energy and sustainable developments. ZEDfactory aims to demonstrate that a step change reduction in carbon footprint is achievable at the same time as an increase in overall quality of life, and completed the first carbon neutral mixed used scheme, BedZED in 2002 using these principals. ZEDfactory has experience working on both a range of architectural projects varying in size from large scale masterplanning to small residential refurbishments. This particular emphasis on the holistic integration of zero carbon thinking into the place-making and transportation agenda called ‘ZEDlife’ has recently been fed into the Zero Bills Home demonstration house at the BRE.

David Dumigan, Director Development, Hines Real Estate Ireland

David joined Hines in 2015 and is managing the town centre element of the Cherrywood project which is over 4 million sq. ft. and will include, when complete, residential, retail, office and leisure elements. David has over 30 years experience in the design and construction of major developments in Hong Kong and Mainland China, including the LEED Platinum World Financial Centre in Beijing and International Finance Centre in Hong Kong. He also led the development of 39 Conduit Road, an exclusive residential development in Hong Kong. He is a Chartered Engineer in Ireland and a Member of the Institution of Engineers Ireland. He is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and Institution of Civil Engineers UK. David holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Queen’s University, Belfast.

Patrick Durkan, Managing Director, Durkan Residential

Patrick Durkan is the Managing Director at Durkan Residential and developers of Silken park.

Pat O’Doherty, CEO, ESB

Pat O’Doherty was appointed Chief Executive of ESB in 2011, and appointed to the ESB Board in 2013. Previous to this, he headed up each of ESB’s main businesses as Executive Director ESB International, Managing Director ESB Networks Ltd. and Executive Director ESB Power Generation. Pat holds a primary and masters degree in Engineering from University College Dublin and completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School. Pat is also a trustee of The Conference Board of the United States and is a director of Energy UK.

Better Homes 2017 is sponsored by ESB

To book tickets click here.

Design Meets Play, brought to you by A Playful City, is an international conference on the 17 October in Dublin City with a host of inspirational speakers and diverse mix of attendees of all ages to discuss the serious business of play.

Key themes of interest will be explored which were identified via public consultations, conversations with diverse stakeholders. At the hackathon in the evening, delegates will take the learnings shared during the day and from the consultations to ‘hack’ play and develop prototypes for temporary interventions in proposed sites in Dublin. These interventions will then be implemented over the following months, into 2018. Book your ticket here.

Design Meets Play is accredited by the RIAI for 8 Structured CPD Points.

This event will take place on 17 October in the Point Square. Tickets include tea/coffee as well as a lunch unlike any seen before, playfully imagined and created by Jennie Moran of Luncheonette.

Speakers:

UK // Amica Dall (Assemble Collective, Turner Prize winner)

UK // Adrian Voce OBE (Child-friendly Cities Network)

Ireland // Dr. Jackie Bourke (Child-friendly cities researcher and advocate)

Holland // Elger Blitz (Carve)

Scotland // Marguerite Hunter Blair (Play Scotland)

Belgium // Eduardo Santander – (CEO European Travel Commission)

France // Marine Cerceau (Le Jardins Du Rousseau – with the support of the Embassy of France in Ireland)

Finland // Marketta Kyttä (Urban Planning / Child-Friendly cities expert)

Denmark // Dorthe Pederson (Cycling Without Age)

Holland // Jos de Krieger (Superuse Studios)

Ireland // Rhona Byrne (Artist / community engagement)

Ireland // Laurence Colleran (South Dublin Council)

Ireland // Diana Oprea (youth representative UNICEF)

Northern Ireland // Jacqueline O’Loughlin & Alan Herron(Playboard UK)

Ireland // Joe Lyons (youth with leading role in Dominic play space project)

Ireland // Philip Halton (skateboarder / Cork Street Park)

This year sees the return of the sixth annual festival of architecture Open House Limerick weekend from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th of October. The launch reception will be hosted in Ormston House Cultural Resource Centre on Patrick Street at 6pm.  This will be followed by Richard Harris Film Festival Screenings in St Munchin’s Church, King’s Island, 8pm – 9pm.

This years theme is “Architecture is Story”. Through what we create, we communicate: who we are, our intentions and our aspirations—are we creative, innovative, considerate, open? We capture our moment in time, our understanding of and investment in the environment we create. The shapes and materials we choose to construct and furnish our built environment with tell the evolving stories of the people that live in it and live with it.

Day 1 of the programme includes 18 building tours including a tour of Sarsfield Barracks, the Limerick Sailor’s Home, the Culture House (2 Pery Square), Bishops’ Palace & St Munchin’s church & graveyard |(Pre-book only), the Limerick Docks taking in the Ranks Silo, Bannytyne Mill, the Dock Clock as well as the Dock itself (Pre-Book Only). Day 2 focuses on building tours in the County including the University of Limerick campus including the Medical School by Grafton Architects.

There are also OpenEd events for children such as ‘Opening Places’ an art installation with performances by Caelan Bristow, Mary Conroy and Kristyn Fontanella and an ‘Ar-Kid-Tecture’ tour led by architect Seán Collins and OpenSpace with a Limerick Regeneration tour by bus led by planner Sarah Newell starting at Merchant’s Quay at 12noon. OpenMinds on the Saturday night at 8pm in Narrative 4, 58 O’Connell Street features a panel discussion on Limerick-born architect Andy Devane to mark the centinary of his birth with Architectural Critic Shane O’Toole, Architect Peter Carroll (A2 Architects) and Architecture Ireland Deputy Editor Emma Gilleece.

Exhibitions include Open Photo/Story Board a photo display on Ellen Street, celebrating the rich architecture in Limerick and AD100: Andy Devane Centenary, a celebration of Limerick-born architect Andy Devane (1917- 2017) in Narrative 4 , 58 O’Connell Street, kindly supported by GBM.

All building tours, visits, walking tours, talks and children’s workshops are FREE. For more information on the programme visit http://www.openhouselimerick.ie or email Festival Co-ordinator Eimear Redmond at info@openhouselimerick.ie.

This month will see the third annual Open House Cork weekend running from 29 September to 1 October, 2017. Open House is a design festival which runs in 36 cities across the world, celebrating the best architecture each city has to offer. The public are invited to take part in a series of talks, tours, and exhibitions, held in buildings across Leeside, which will showcase the rich and varying architecture of Cork. All of the events are free to attend.

Explore some of Cork’s finest buildings, new and old, including: St. Angela’s College, Crown Park Villa, Barrett’s Buildings, Triskel Arts Centre, Pairc Uí Chaoimh and Nano Nagle Place. Other special programmed events include a tour of the grounds of University College Cork by O’Donnell and Tuomey Architects, a walk along the city’s quays led by Tom Spalding, an architectural pub trail, a sketching tour on MacCurtain Street, a history tour of the Ford factory, and much, much more.

This year Open House Cork will celebrate the theme ‘The Changing City’, addressing the varying nature of the city as a hub for growing and evolving architecture. Open House hopes to reveal more of the adaptive environment of the city through talks about new spaces, urban interventions, and how the city is moving forward architecturally.

Join Open House Cork as they showcase the wealth and breadth of Irish architecture, from the splendour of Georgian Cork to the breathtaking contemporary spaces and places created by national and international architectural practices. All events and tours are open to the public, and admission is free of charge. The full programme is available at www.openhousecork.ie.

Events include: CCAE Masters Exhibition ‘​Athens: Peripheral[c]ity’

An exhibition by the masters students of the Cork Centre for Architectural Education (CCAE). The focus is on the idea and complex conditions associated with the ‘peripheral’, and looks to question how this term might be understood conceptually in order to define the relationship between Athens and its adjacent territories – smaller towns, its own Port City-Piraeus and the Greek Islands. Date: Saturday 30th September, 10:00 – 17:00. Location: Cork Centre for Architectural Education, 9/10 Copley Street

Open House Cork is presented by the Open House Cork Committee in partnership with The Irish Architecture Foundation and in association with Cork City Council and The Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland. Open House Cork is part of the Open House Worldwide Family, which includes 36 Open House Festivals around the world.

Twitter: @OpenHouseCork #OHCork

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OpenHouseCork

Instagram: www.instagram.com/OpenHouseCork

Volunteering: http://www.openhousecork.ie/be-part-of-it/

Date: Thursday 21 September 2017 at 6pm

Venue: The Irish Architectural Archive, 45 Merrion Sqaure, Dublin 2

The Irish Architectural Archive, The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ireland have the pleasure of bringing to Dublin the lecture ‘Czech Modern Architecture 1900-1950; From Art Nouveau and unique architectural Cubism to the Modern Classicism and Avant-garde architecture of the between-wars period’ by Professor Zdenek Lukes, Czech architect and historian of architecture, which will take place on 21 September 2017 at 6pm in the Irish Architectural Archive.

Speaker Bio: Zdenek Lukes is an architect and architectural historian. He studied at the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague, and from 1980-1990 worked in the Archive of Architecture of the National Technical Museum in Prague. He was actively involved in the Velvet Revolution in 1989, and he was part the Civic Forum with Vaclav Havel. After the Revolution, Lukes worked in the Office of the President of the Czech Republic helping to revitalise the Prague Castle during Vaclav Havel’s presidency. Zdenek Lukes has organised numerous exhibitions and he is the author and co-author of about 50 books on modern architecture, and has written hundreds of expert articles in Czech newspapers. He contributed to broadcasts for Czech Television for the series Ten Centuries of Architecture, as well as to Czech Public Radio and the BBC. He is also in charge of columns dedicated to architecture on the webpage Neviditelný pes (Invisible Dog). In 2014, Professor Lukes was awarded the State order Medal of Merit by the Slovenian President Borut Pahor. Between 2000-2003, Lukes was Dean of the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University in Liberec. Since 2004, Professor Lukes has been teaching at the New York University in Prague.

For booking and further information please contact the Archive at 01 6633040 or slincoln@iarc.ie.

First session Tuesday 5 September 2017

Time: 5pm

Venue: School of Architecture (SAUL) Main Studio, Room CG-042, Main University Building (located behind reception), University of Limerick

Round Table Talks – 10 Public Debates on Limerick every Tuesday at 5pm in SAUL Main Studio Space.

The SAUL Intelligence Unit (www.iu.saul.ie) at The School of Architecture University of Limerick was originally set up through the support of The University of Limerick in 2009 to act as an independent ‘Think-Tank’ in order to look at and view Limerick in a way that hadn’t been done before. SAUL believe that by mapping and analysing information, and creatively re-evaluating it in the context of where Limerick is now and where  Limerick came from, there are opportunities to use the critical thinking that has been developed in the IU over the last eight years to influence the development of Limerick and the State for the better in a very real and tangible way. All welcome. For further information email Sylvia.Carroll@ul.ie.

Poster by Georgy Daly, SAUL Graduate 2014.

2017 is the sixth year of Open House Limerick, with this years theme Architecture is Story.

Through what we create, we communicate: who we are, our intentions and our aspirations—are we creative, innovative, considerate, open? We capture our moment in time, our understanding of and investment in the environment we create. The shapes and materials we choose to construct and furnish our built environment tell the evolving stories of the people that live in it and live with it. Open House Limerick 2017 gives us the opportunity to learn from the stories told and the stories being constructed, as the community shapes the script of the stories to come.

Over the weekend October 6 to 8, there will be a programme of free events where people are encouraged to participate in exploring and learning about Limerick’s built environment through architect-guided and self-guided tours, walks, talks and exhibitions.

Open Photo: Open House Limerick are seeking expressions of interest for photography entries to participate in an online programme that explores this years theme Architecture is Story, capturing your story from within Limerick’s built environment. Applicants will feature across our social media platforms on an ongoing basis until Friday, 15 September 2017.  A selection of short listed entries will feature in an exhibition during the Open House Limerick weekend, with the Open House Limerick Photography Prize to be awarded to one photographer at the festival launch.  For further information email info@openhouselimerick.ie.

If you would like to become an Open House Limerick volunteer click here. Full training will be provided and architects can claim CPD points by volunteering with Open House Limerick 2017.

Full details of the buildings and events open to the public and their opening times are available from mid September at www.openhouselimerick.ie.