architecture - RIAI.ie (The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland)

Transcription

Features
Buildings
Interview with Manuel Aires Mateus
JJ Sweeney in the Architecture of Modernism
The Dictionary of Irish Architects
Glenn Murcutt and Edward Cullinan
at DIT Bolton Street
Precast House, Howth, Co. Dublin, FKLarchitects
Garden Room, Castleknock, Dublin, Ronan Rose-Roberts Architects
25 St. James’ Hollybrook Park, Clontarf, Dublin, Boyd Cody Architects
1 Heuston South Quarter, Kilmainham, Dublin, Anthony Reddy Associates
Offices at Lincoln Place, Dublin, McCullough Mulvin Architects
Eurocampus, Clonskeagh, Dublin, A2 Architects
Retrofitting St. Anne’s Convent, Booterstown, Co. Dublin, MCO Projects
May / June 2009
e10 (Incl VAT)
246
ARCHITECTURE
The Journal of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland
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CONTENTS
Architecture Ireland
incorporating Irish Architect
The Journal of the Royal Institute of the
Architects of Ireland
9 Sandyford Office Park, Dublin 18
Telephone: 01-295 8115/6
Facsimile: 01-295 9350
Email: mail@architectureireland.ie
www. architecturenow.ie
Publisher
Gerry Murphy
2
Contributors
14
RIAI Silver Medal for Housing
7
Comment
17
Architecture News
9
President’s Column
21
RIAI CPD News
10
RIAI Triennial Gold Medal 2001-2003
23
Andrzej Wejchert - An Appreciation
13
National Housing Conference 2009
25
Urban Agenda - Alan Mee
PROJEC TS
Living, Learning, Working
28 Precast House, Howth, FKLarchitects
32 Review - Rory O’Donovan
Editor
Dr Sandra Andrea O’Connell
Editorial Co-ordinator and
Products and Technology
Ailbhe Moloney
Commercial and Advertising
Sales Director
Cecil Maxwell
Sales Executive
Gerry Walsh
Design
Origin
Printing
Swift Printing Solutions
Correspondents
Ulster:
Ciaran Mackel BSc.Dip.Arch.Dip
Project Management, MSC Design, MRIAI
Munster:
Alexander White Dip.Arch., MSDI, MRIAI
Leinster
Brian McClean B.Arch.B.Sc.Arch, MRIAI
Connaught:
Malcolm O’Beirne Dip.Arch.B.Sc.Arch,MRIAI
London:
Sean Madigan AADip.Arch,RIBA,MRIAI
Angela Brady B.Sc.Arch, Dip.Arch.,FRIAI, RIBA
Germany/Austria/Switzerland:
Rory O’Donovan B.Arch
France:
Vincent Ducatez, Architecte DPLG, MRIAI,
M. in Arch.
34 Garden Room, Dublin, Ronan-Rose Roberts Architects
36 25 St. James, Hollybrook Park, Dublin, Boyd Cody Architects
38 1 Heuston, South Quarter, Dublin, Anthony Reddy Associates
44 Offices at Lincoln Place, Dublin, McCullough Mulvin Architects
46 Eurocampus, Clonskeagh Dublin, A2 Architects
50 Retrofitting, St. Anne’s Convent, Booterstown, Co. Dublin, MCO Projects
P R O D U C T S A N D T echnolog y
59 Retrofitting: Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings Conference - by Eimear Hearne
61 Going Passive in Europe - by Gráinne Shaffrey
63 Product News: Sustainability and Retrofitting
65 2009 AAI Awards
67 Roofing and Curtain Walling
69 Furniture News
Published by
Nova Publishing Ltd.
for the RIAI
RIAI
8 Merrion Square, Dublin 2
Tel: 01-676 1703
Fax: 01-661 0948
Websites:
www. architecturenow.ie
RIAI
www.riai.ie
Cover:
Precast House
Photography by:
Verena Hilgenfeld
F eatures
72 Interview with Manuel Aires Mateus - by Sandra Andrea O’Connell
74 James Johnson Sweeney in the Architecture of Modernism - by Raymund Ryan
77 The DNA of Landscape - Three Landscape Lectures - by Sandra Andrea O’Connell
81 Glenn Murcutt and Edward Cullinan at DIT Bolton Street - by Sandra Andrea O’Connell
83 The Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720-1940 - by Colum O’Riordan
85 Passive House Student Residences, UCD - Tony Rigg
A rchitecture in practice
87 Book Reviews - by Desmond Byrne and Ruairi Quinn
88 10 Questions for Peter Carroll, A2 Architects
CON TR IBU TOR S
Colum O’Riordan
(Dictionary of Irish Architects)
Colum O’Riordan has an MA in Roman history and a Diploma in
Archival Studies from UCD. He has been Archive Administrator
of the Irish Architectural Archive since January 1994. He is a
member of the board of the Irish Architecture Foundation and
is secretary of the Buildings of Ireland Charitable Trust.
Raymund Ryan
(James Johnson Sweeney in the Architecture of Modernism)
Raymund Ryan is Curator at the Heinz Architectural Center,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Among his exhibitions to-date are
Michael Maltzan: Alternate Ground and Gritty Britts: New London
Architecture. His current show is Fernando Romero/Laboratory of
Architecture.
Gráinne Shaffrey
(Going Passive in Europe)
Gráinne Shaffrey is an architect and urban designer with
Shaffrey Associates Architects. Architectural work includes
design of new buildings in historic settings and conservation,
adaptation and extension of historic buildings. Urban design
practice is concerned with the integration of new and existing
urban fabric and spaces which facilitate social and physical
diversity. Gráinne is a Board member of the National Building
Agency and a member of the Heritage Council.
2 - AI 246
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Rory O’Donovan
(Review Precast House Howth)
Rory O’Donovan was born in Dublin and studied architecture
at UCD, graduating in 1976. He has lived in Vienna since 1986
where he worked for many years in private practice while also
contributing to various architecture magazines. Since 2002 he
has worked exclusively as a free-lance writer and translator
in the fields of architecture and urban design. He works on a
regular basis for leading publishing houses in Germany and
Switzerland, the Architekturzentrum Wien and, of course,
Architecture Ireland.
Guaranteed
DU: 01.04.2009
Alan Mee
(Urban Agenda)
Alan Mee is an architect working in urbanism, architecture
and education. He operates an architectural practice, which
responds to the increasing demand for organising systems
and design quality in development. Current work ranges from
large scale urban design and research to domestic architectural
projects. He is also Director of the Urban Design Masters
programme at University College Dublin.
Performance
52434-006 • Messe • TENDENCE • Architecture Ireland • 102x286 mm/ssp • CMYK • CD-ROM • jk: 24.03.2009
Eimear Hearne
(Retrofitting Historic Buildings Conference )
Eimear Hearne graduated from UCD and worked at the Office
of Public Works prior to joining Paul Arnold Architects Grade
1 Conservation Practice, where she has worked on a variety of
historic and new build projects. Eimear has a particular interest
in sustainable design and is currently involved in writing the
Advice Series publication for thermal upgrading of traditional
homes for the DoEHLG.
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CON TR IBU TOR S
Marie-Louise Halpenny
(Photographer, Eurocampus)
Born in Dublin, Marie-Louise Halpenny studied Visual
Communications, specialising in photography. She then
moved to New York where she spent six years working with
world-renowned photographer Raymond Meier, under
whom she learnt the tools of her trade. Marie-Louise’s
composition and attention to light and detail are key to
her images. She has worked and travelled throughout
Europe, Asia and the Americas on architectural, fashion
and cultural assignments. She is currently based in Dublin.
www.marielouisehalpenny.com
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Verena Hilgenfeld
(Photographer, Precast House )
Verena lives in Dublin and works as a photographer and
architect. Born in Hamburg, she studied architecture in
Braunschweig, Germany. After her diploma in architecture she
expanded her architectural expertise through a postgraduate
master’s degree. She gained expert knowledge in architectural
photography, marketing, presentation and web design.
www.imagearchitecture.eu
Ros Kavanagh
(Photographer, Garden Room, Lincoln Place and Retrofitting
St. Anne’s Convent)
Ros Kavanagh is a photographer based in Portobello Studios,
Dublin. He works collaboratively with architects, artists, curators,
performers and directors. He is chairperson of the board of the
Gallery of Photography.
www.roskavanagh.com
Gerry O’Leary
(Photographer, 1 Heuston South Quarter)
Gerry O’Leary specialises in architectural, interior and aerial
photography. His long list of accolades includes Master
Qualified European Photographer in Architecture, just one of
two in Europe. He was Irish Architectural Photographer of the
Year on four occasions and British Architectural Photographer
for 2008. “Technical perfection is a prerequisite; however, the
most fundamental ingredient in an image is composition and
this is controlled by the juxtaposition of camera, direction of
light, the angle of view and choice of lens; the objective is to
strike a perfectly balanced harmony within the frame”, says
O’Leary. www.gerryoleary.com
Paul Tierney
(Photographer, 25 St. James Hollybrook Park)
Paul Tierney is a qualified architect specialising in producing
quality architectural photography in collaboration with the
leading designers in Ireland.
www.paultierney.com
4 - AI 246
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Tony Rigg
(Passive House Student Residences)
Tony Rigg qualified as an architect in the UK and moved to Israel
in 1975, working as a partner in private practice, focusing on
low-energy and sustainable design. Tony served as Co-Director
of the UIA Work Programme on Architecture and Energy from
1988 to 2002. In 2007 he relocated to Dublin to work with
Kavanagh Tuite Architects.
COMMENT
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Editorial Board 2008:
Sean Ó Laoire, President
John Graby, Director
Dermot Boyd
Miriam Dunn
Paul Kelly
Paul Keogh
Ann McNicholl
Kathryn Meghen
Gary Mongey
Jason O’Shaughnessy
Gráinne Shaffrey
Liam Tuite
The contents of this journal are copyright. The
views expressed are not necessarily those held
by the RIAI nor the publishers, and neither the
RIAI nor the publishers are responsible for these
opinions or statements. Publication in Architecture
Ireland is a record of RIAI members work and it
is a condition of acceptance of RIAI members
submitted material that copyright clearance has
been obtained. Neither the RIAI nor the publishers
accept responsibility for copyright clearance.
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The editorial team will give careful consideration
to material submitted, articles, drawings,
photographs, etc, but does not undertake
responsibility for damage of their safe return. The
editorial team reserves the right to edit,abridge or
alter articles or letters for publication.
Remembering Andrzej Wejchert and Brian Boyd
by Dr Sandra Andrea O’Connell
Our first thoughts this month are with architect Andrzej
Wejchert who died on 12 May. In his long and distinguished
career, Andrzej has been a Council member for 16 years and
twice RIAI Vice President. A proud moment came last year
when the practice celebrated publication of its extensive
monograph A&D Wejchert & Partners (Gandon). It was
wonderful to see so many of their peers, clients and friends
at the book launch in the National Gallery celebrating with
practice founders Andrzej and Danuta and their colleagues a
diverse and distinguished portfolio of work. There was a sense
that much more is yet to come from the tremendous energy
and passion that Andrzej radiated. John O’Reilly reflects in this
issue on one of Ireland’s great architects.We also remember
architect W. Brian Boyd, a dedicated architect and urbanist,
who died on 2 May. Brian Boyd is well-known as Manager
for the HomeBond scheme in Northern Ireland and for his
television work with UTV entitled Heritage from Stone.
Associates for Eircom. The practice was responsible both for
the masterplan for this important historic site at the foot of the
Royal Hospital Kilmainham and for the design of a landmark
building at this important gateway to the city and Heuston
Station. The building is also a model of energy efficiency with
the innovative twin façade developed in close consultation
with Arup Engineers. Energy efficiency was also a key theme
in the Retrofitting of St Anne’s Convent by MCO Projects. The
‘greening’ of existing buildings is a major task for architects
and building professionals and the topic is a regular feature
in Architecture Ireland. A2 Architects demonstrated great
innovation in a new extension for the Lycee Français D’Irlande,
which responds both to the existing context set by the
German School St Killian’s, while creating a new connective,
informal realm between the school’s spaces and levels.
Our cover project – Precast House by FKLarchitects – deals
superbly with the challenges set by programme and coastal
site conditions, and represents in the words of reviewer Rory
O’Donovan “a sequence of interlocking volumes and light”.
In this issue
During these difficult ecconomic times for the profession,
there is nevertheless much to celebrate with the recent
announcements of the Gold Medal for Architecture to Gilroy
McMahon for Croke Park and the Silver Medal for Housing
for O’Mahony Pike’s Hanover Quay scheme. When President
of Ireland, Mary McAleese visited the RIAI on the occasion of
the Gold Medal she spoke perceptively of the “much more
sombre mood that prevails now”, yet also of the need for
architecture to continue its leadership role and “enthral the
lives of others”. The important role architects play in the built
environment was evident at the National Housing Conference
which turned out to be a constructive forum for readjustment,
resilience, resurgence, with architects emerging as constructive
problem solvers and resourceful innovators, as many of the
papers demonstrated (see President’s Column and Conference
Report).
While our new bi-monthly circulation responds to the
challenging economic times, it allows us to continue to
produce a high quality architectural magazine of international
standard that looks comprehensively at Ireland’s best
architecture, interviews leading international practitioners
including Manuel Aires Mateus and Martha Schwartz, and
reports on topical events such as Raymund Ryan’s essay on the
50th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Guggenheim
Museum and the influential role played by Irish curator James
Johnson Sweeney. The Guggenheim Museum marks the
beginning of an ongoing debate on architecture and art.
We hope you will enjoy this issue.
Projects in this issue range from the modest scale of the
extension – perceptively conceived and crafted by Boyd Cody
Architects and Ronan Rose-Roberts Architects – to the large
scale of the corporate headquarters by Anthony Reddy
Architecture Ireland is published ten times a year
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addressed to the publishers
ISSN 1649 - 5152
© Nova Publishing Ltd.
AI 246 - 7
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Beyond the Peoples’ Republic of Namaland
by Sean O’Laoire
Readjustment, Resilience, Resurgence: These fighting words
framed the proceedings of the National Housing Conference in
late April in Sligo.
In anticipation of our metamorphosis to “Namaland”, the
contribution by An Bord Pleanála chairperson, John O’Connor,
has thus far passed beneath the radar. It was inspiring and
reinforcing to hear him state trenchantly that “Nama” must
never be an expedient for private gain or recompense. In a
critique of “developer-led” planning, he unequivocally, stated
that An Bord Pleanála will expect plan-led development
proposals and, in the case of Nama’s assets, a clear prioritising
of public gain. He underlined strongly the need for architects
to be centrally involved in planning and local government.
Our leaders might usefully look to Finland’s recovery, where
a decimated profession was drafted into public service in the
1990s, contributing hugely to conditions which ultimately saw
an extraordinary social and economic renaissance.
Scenario building is a technique commonly used in strategic
planning. As part of the process of producing a major strategic
plan for the RIAI’s future, due in late May, one workshop
focused on speculating on possible ‘futures’ for Ireland 2016,
the fast approaching centenary of the Easter Rising – 1916.
Inevitably, a diverse range of scenarios were postulated,
reflective of our human predisposition to view a half-filled
vessel as being half empty or half full. However, the potential
for massive social upheaval, if not revolution, was a sub theme
shared by many contributors.
One does not have to be a social geographer, a sociologist,
or an urban economist to view the aggregation of our
settlements as an index of communal values. As a mirror of the
evolution of a young republic, the picture is not pretty. We, as
a society, have passively and collusively created a footprint,
which is inherently difficult to sustain and which clearly
demonstrates our uncritical acceptance of class stratification,
disjointed and dysfunctional community infrastructure and
extraordinary mismatch between the location of housing and
areas where it is fundamentally required – all on a island with
the population equivalent of greater Manchester or Lyon, but
with over 100 forms of local government. General De Gaulle’s
problem with governing a country which produces over 365
cheeses pales by comparison.
Inter-alia, the conference set out to “consider how the public
and private sectors can help the housing sector contribute
towards economic recovery”. At a time when the public mood
is not conducive to separating poachers from gamekeepers,
the self evident link between how and where we live, and our
capacity to be economically competitive may not be a message
that the public wish to hear. Yet, it needs to be articulated
clearly, intelligently and positively, and in turn, that imperative
must be linked to our potential to remediate the mess and
move to a better future as a society, not just as an economy.
The proceedings of Sligo may, at this time, represent a small
footnote to our daily struggle with the maelstrom. However,
in those footnotes, contributors such as Mick McDonagh,
former Cork City Architect, diagnostically revealed the disjoint
between two local authorities’ formulation of a vision for
Cork and to the ultimate cost to its citizens. John Fitzgerald,
former Dublin City Manager, and now Chairman of Limerick
Regeneration, felt liberated to look at the legacy of successive
generations of politicians and “governments who didn’t ever
think the place (Ireland) had a great future”. `
In a very real way, the unique forum that is the National
Housing Conference is a living testament to the vision
and passion of our colleague James Pike, whose 40 years
involvement was celebrated. He was also a major contributor
to the RIAI’s New Housing 2, a magnificent chronicle of the best
of Irish housing by Irish architects in the last decade or so,
which was launched at the conference. Buy, beg or borrow it.
This writer was honoured to give the closing keynote address
in which I put forward a modest proposal – “Towards a Sligo
Charter”, which set out a possible “resurgence” agenda for the
parties to the Housing Conference, building on the goals of
this year.
Resurgence: Towards a Sligo Charter
• This time of crisis will be used to set out a vision for the
renewal and well-being of Irish society. That vision will be
formulated by the DEHLG, the Urban Forum and the RIAI,
on behalf of, and in conjunction with, all key stakeholders in
Irish society.
• This time will be used to openly interrogate our mistakes
and system failures, including our planning and governance
systems.
• This time will be used to guide research, innovation and
education.
• This time will be used to articulate the connections
between the quality of the public realm, to economic
competitiveness, education and public health.
• This time will be used to articulate the economic and social
dividends of good governance, planning and design.
I am pleased to advise that all parties have positively embraced
the proposition and work has commenced.
Beir Bua is Beannacht
AI 246 - 9
RIAI Triennial Gold
Medal 20 01-20 03
C roke P ark
A Store of Memories and Iconic Building
The jury could not have chosen “a more popular and iconic
building – one that already has in the short few years since
its transformation created a store of historic memories”,
these were the words of President of Ireland, Mary
McAleese, when she bestowed Irish architecture’s biggest
honour on Croke Park architects Gilroy McMahon. With a
nod to the jury, headed up by Joan O’Connor, she praised
the assessors’ perceptive choice, adding that otherwise
“83,000 people would have told you week after week that
you got it wrong”.
1
Referring to her last visit to the RIAI in 2006, when she
presented the Gold Medal to O’Donnell + Tuomey for
Ranelagh MD School, the President acknowledged
that “the mood is more sombre now and the economic
downturn has taken a particularly difficult toll on your
profession”. She appealed, however, for confidence: “We
need architects to believe that they are geniuses, we need
our lives to be enthralled by architects”. Whether it was a
building of the size of Croke Park or the humble scale of
the pump house, “what you feel as a deep personal pride,
ripples out across the country and the whole country gets
an enormous lift”, said the President, adding, “although the
younger profession might feel scared at this point, I sense
today a mighty strength and in three, six, nine and twelve
years, there will be projects and there will be awards”.
RIAI President Sean O’Laoire referred in his introductory
remarks to Finland and the architecture of Alvar Aalto
as an example of achieving outstanding results in tough
economic times. “When asked why do you build so well in
times of poverty, the answer was because we can’t afford
not to”, quoted Sean O’Laoire and stressed the need for
1 President of Ireland, Mary
McAleese presents
Des McMahon and
Deirdre Lennon with the
RIAI Gold Medal
2 President Mary McAlesse,
Sean O’Laoire and
Des McMahon
3 The Gold Medal short-listed
practices with President
Mary McAleese
4 Croke Park Stadium
(Photo: Ros Kavanagh)
10 - AI 246
Gold Medal Interview with Des McMahon and Deirdre Lennon
AI: Des, Gilroy McMahon were appointed in 1989
by the GAA for the redevelopment of Croke Park –
what was your central design objective for the new
stadium?
Des McMahon: When we started this process,
there was no modern stadium in Europe. Croke
Park predates Stade de France by six years and
Millennium Stadium by ten years. Stadiums were
buildings that were locked up at 5pm on a Saturday
after a match and did not open until the following
For example, the level of demand for conference
and hospitality facilities – as realised today in the
Hogan Stand – could not have been anticipated
when the project started on site in 1993. By the time
the Hogan Stand was completed in 2002, nearly
ten years later, Croke Park had become the biggest
conference facilities provider in Dublin. The RIAI
regularly holds CPD courses and exams there and
the wider construction industry uses Croke Park for
education and training.
continuous investment in quality in the built environment.
On an auspicious day in Irish politics – marked by the
return of the word ‘emergency’ and the announcement of
one of the toughest budgets – Sean O’Laoire referred to
Croke Park as an example of what can be achieved “against
a background of confusion, hopelessness and lack of
direction”.
Developed by the GAA, at the height of the late 80s
recession, almost entirely from their own financial
resources, Croke Park was a timely choice for the Gold
Medal and a powerful reminder of the need for vision and
courage. “GAA President Nickey Brennan said that “as a
sporting organisation, we always aim for excellence and
we carried this through with our stadium. We wanted to
lay down strong foundations for a stadium that will last
a lifetime and Gilroy McMahon have achieved this. We
are thrilled for Des McMahon and his team. They did an
outstanding job”, praised the GAA President. Stadium
Director Peter McKenna added that the uniqueness of
Croke Park lies in its wider appeal: “It is a multi-use facility
from matches to concerts, conferences and family events.
In three years, six million people, the entire population of
Ireland, have been to Croke Park,” said McKenna.
Special Commendations were awarded to Áras an Chontae,
Offaly by ABK Architects and Clontarf Pump House by de
Paor Architects. Other short-listed practices were Grafton
Architects, FKLarchitects and McCullough Mulvin/ KMD
Architecture for the Ussher Library in TCD. Awarded since
1934, the RIAI’s Triennial Gold Medal is the highest honour
in Irish architecture given to a building of exceptional merit.
For previous winners see www.riai.ie.
where the elevation is stepped down. Internally the
stadium is a single entity; externally it interfaces with
different urban contexts.
AI: Des, how important was your background as a
former football player for County Tyrone to the project?
Des McMahon: Initially, I kept it a secret, as I did not
want the two issues to become mixed up. I suppose
it gave me an insight, though, not only into the
needs of players but into the wider aspirations of
the GAA organisation, the spectators and the many
categories of voluntary participants of a complex
cultural organisation.
AI: Are there any particular innovations in Croke Park
and how did you develop these?
Deirdre Lennon: Designing the stadium entry and
exit system was a huge challenge requiring the
input of pedestrian flow consultants, previously only
used on large scale transport projects. Rigorous
and often repeated calculations determined route
and staircase widths, calculated to the millimetre
to ensure exemplary Fruin comfort levels for
patrons, circulating from seat to street exit within
a predetermined time scale. Design criteria and
legislation for stadium hospitality areas were largely
undetermined at the start of the project and we
carried out match day surveys to calculate patron
queuing time for food/beverage concessions and
user profile for sanitary facilities. Our concept of
both permanent (based on demand recorded)
and passive provision of wheelchair capacity was
approved by the National Rehabilitation Board and
adopted as an appropriate methodology in other
stadium design projects.
Saturday morning. This concept dates from the
post-industrialised era when the stadium would give
the working man a break on Saturdays. Croke Park is
much more than that. It is venue on match days and
on non-match days. It is an all-year-round facility for
families and is both of national and local importance.
The GAA, under Director General Liam Mulvihill,
were really driving this ambition to build a modern
stadium of world standard. They simply did not want
just another stand.
AI: How did you research this new stadium model?
Were there any precedents?
Des McMahon: From an engineering point of view
we looked at some of the stadiums that had been
developed for Italia 1990, however, the business
model came from North America. The idea that a
stadium could generate an income on non-match
days through conferences, retail, museum and other
non-sporting events had been developed there. This
additional income was important for the financing
of the stadium. It is important to remember that
Croke Park was developed at the height of the last
recession, mainly through the GAA’s own resources.
AI: Deirdre, you have been project architect for the
past ten years. The stadium and its four stands were
developed in four distinct phases. How important
was the phased approach to the realisation of the
project?
Deirdre Lennon: The phased approach was central
to the operation of Croke Park which, uniquely had
to be kept going for the GAA season. During the
entire construction process, we never fell below a
capacity of 60,000. It also gave us and the client an
opportunity to fine tune ‘back of house’ aspects of
the stadium that were simply not apparent when the
first planning application was granted in 1992. All in
all, we lodged 21 subsequent planning applications.
AI: What was your proudest moment in Croke
Park? When Tyrone won the All-Ireland in 2008 in a
stadium that you had designed?
AI: Located in a tight urban context, Croke Park’s
historic site brings its own restrictions – how did you
deal with these?
Des McMahon: To achieve a capacity of 83,000, we
had to invent a structure that could cantilever in
two directions like a capital ‘Y’ and so accommodate
14,000 seats in air space outside the confines of
Croke Park. However, as the stadium has to express
aesthetic unity, the structural frame for phase 1
(Cusack Stand) had to anticipate a problem that
would only occur in phase 2 (Canal End) – how to
cantilever these seats over the railway line. This is
how the Y structure was developed.
Deirdre Lennon: The stadium also has to respond
in scale and elevation to its varied urban context –
from the canal and the railway to that of an ordinary
Dublin street in the case of the Hogan Stand,
Des McMahon: It was actually a minor hurling
game on the first Sunday in 1996 when the Cusack
Stand had opened after completion of phase 1. It
was wonderful to see that all the calculations with
the sidelines and the ‘c value’ had worked out. In
stadiums where they got these fundamentals wrong,
people will stand up in their seats to see the pitch
beyond the person in front of them. This is a safety
issue and has led to incidents. In Croke Park all you
need to do is move your head slightly to the side and
you will see the full pitch as the action unfolds. There
isn’t a bad seat in Croke Park and to experience the
standard of visibility on this first match day was my
proudest moment.
AI: Deirdre and Des, Congratulations again on this
outstanding achievement.
AI 246 - 11
N ational H ousing
C onference 2 0 0 9
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1 Minister Michael Finneran,
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conference organiser
representing the RIAI
2 John Fitzgerald, Chairperson
Limerick Regeneration Trust
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Conference presentations are
available on :
www.nationalhousingconference.ie
Readjustment, Resilience, Resurgence
Report by Sandra Andrea O’Connell
RIAI Identifies Planning Problems
Running for forty years since 1969, the National Housing
Conference has seen its fair share of recessions. The dreaded
‘R-word’ was therefore adapted by the conference organisers
into a cyclical approach with ‘readjustment, resilience and
resurgence’ offered as critical tasks for a recovery of Ireland’s
built environment. If a common theme emerged from the
two-day event with over 30 presentations, it was a prevailing
sense that the excesses of the boom years were never to be
repeated again.
a proactive role and monitor variances in performance to
ensure proper standards. In order to prioritise important
infrastructure projects, Graby suggested the appointment
of an infrastructural co-ordinator in each planning authority.
“We simply must make changes”, said John Graby, “for the
next conference to say ‘they did take reform seriously and
did something to make a better and effective system’”. John
O’Connor, Chairman of An Bord Pleanála, echoed these calls
for a reform as the planning system “must play a part in the
insurgence”. “Developers and vested interests had undue
influence on plan-making in the past”, criticised O’Connor, “by
law development should be led by democratic plans”. “The
future must be different”, concluded O’Connor and suggested
that the new National Asset Management Agency (NAMA)
“offers invaluable opportunities such as the assembly of land
banks and sites for infrastructure, education, enterprise and
amenities – but it must work within the planning system”.
“The world has changed and if you have a zero cost solution,
please send it up to Custom House”, were the ominous
opening words of Michael Finneran, Minister of State at the
DoEHLG with Special Responsibility for Housing and Local
Services. The Minister came armed with sombre statistics of
deteriorating finances and drastically falling output, while
demand for social and affordable housing was up and rent
supplements had increased by 100%. Finneran proposed that
a new lease scheme of existing properties is to deal with the
social housing shortfall and oversupply of private properties.
“Leasing is not a sinister plot to bail out developers, it will
provide better value for public finances than solely relying on
capital programmes”, concluded the Minister.
Many conference delegates failed to see, however, how
the leasing scheme proposal would support the DoEHLG’s
pioneer policy Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities
(2007), which had resulted in such innovative local authority
schemes as County Fingal’s A3-rated social and affordable
Oldtown (presented by County Architect Marguerite Murphy
and designed by Cullen Payne Architects) and Dublin
City Council’s York Street apartments (Seán Harrington
Architects). Describing architecture as “learning by doing”,
Seán Harrington emphasised the need for actual projects
to develop sustainable housing models. “As practices get
smaller, the current brain drain is a national emergency”,
said Harrington and argued that “while there are warnings
about an overhang of properties, there is equal danger of
undersupply of know-how”.
If a new sobriety prevails in the housing sector, there was an
overwhelming consensus for major reform. Unblocking the
planning system was presented by RIAI Director John Graby
as an urgent task. “The system has to change to facilitate
economic recovery”, said John Graby and presented drastic
but ready-to-implement “Dynorod” solutions. He urged the
DoEHLG “to ensure standardisation and streamlining, as each
local authority currently has their own version of planning
applications, while planning notices have become an art
form, in which the lawyers get involved”. Procedures for
pre-planning meetings and consultations also vary hugely,
according to Graby, with many unworkable systems – i.e.
“ring on Thursdays between 10am and 11am”. Feedback from
RIAI members in a recent survey had criticised the current
system as “dysfunctional” and “marked by planning creep”
such as contradictory requests for ‘further information’
and repeated invalidations. Among the many solutions put
forward by the RIAI Director was for the DoEHLG to take
With only 16% of the reduced €1.4 billion housing budget
earmarked for regeneration, John Fitzgerald drew a
compelling picture of Limerick’s ailing housing estates.
Fitzgerald criticised the lack of inter-agency cooperation and
made a passionate plea for urgent funding and progress. “A
lot of children are seriously at risk; they are on a conveyor
belt to criminality, if there is no intervention”, said Fitzgerald.
He criticised the lack of an overall vision and inter-agency
co-operation and stressed the need to “restructure local
governance and realign all plans for regeneration with the
National Spatial Strategy”. “We need to accelerate all plans
that are out there”, pleaded Fitzgerald and concluded that
“unlike other forms of investment, such as the Metro, this one
can’t wait and gets worse everyday if it is left unattended”.
Mick McDonagh, former Director of Ballymun Regeneration
and Cork City Architect, agreed with the urgent need to
restructure local government. He illustrated how the Cork
Area Strategic Plan (CAST) was designed to attract people
to the wider region but lacked “essential connection” with
Cork’s ambition to make the city an attractive place to live. In
Ballymun, the central issue of connections and permeability
had become “a deal breaker” with the neighbouring
communities. “The implementation of sustainable urban
design requires the involvement of all stakeholders”, argued
McDonagh and urged architects “to take a broader view and
seek to influence the overall environment”.
The concluding presentations by Assistant Secretary in the
DoEHLG, Des Dowling, Dublin City Manager John Tierney,
and RIAI President Sean O’Laoire all ended on an uplifting
note, agreeing to use the current time for forward planning
for the next resurgence. The conference also demonstrated
that architects have a major role to play in this resurgence.
Delegate Gerry Cahill stressed the need to employ the
expertise of professionals in any retrofitting schemes, while
James Pike presented an innovative new model on equity
partnerships for housing development (see also interview).
Above all, the pioneer proposals, innovative policies and
fruitful exchanges between private and public sector
demonstrated how, forty years on, the National Housing
Conference is more necessary than ever.
AI 246 - 13
R iai silver medal
for housing
1
2
2
3
The Jury for the RIAI’s premier housing
award were: Sean Harrington, SHA
Architects; Gary Lysaght, FKL Architects;
Michael McGarry, McGarry Ní Éanaigh
Architects; architect Sterrin O’Shea; and
Chair Derek Tynan, DTA Architects
1 & 2 The Silver Medal Winner:
Hanover Quay, Dublin
3 James Pike
14 - AI 246
Hanover Quay, Dublin Docklands
The mixed-use development at Hanover Quay / Sir John Rogerson’s Quay
by O’Mahony Pike Architects was presented with the RIAI’s prestigious Silver
Medal for Housing. Minister for Housing and Local Services, Urban Renewal
and Developing Areas, Michael Finneran, TD presented the Silver Medal to
James Pike, Chairman of OMP Architects at the National Housing Conference
in Sligo. Chair of the judging panel Derek Tynan, DTA Architects said: “The
Hanover Quay project has proven to be a truly sustainable development,
one which remains attractive for both families and couples to live in and
also one which carefully and creatively includes retail and commercial
accommodation.”
Highly Commended
St Joseph’s Court Sheltered Housing,
Gorey, Co. Wexford by Paul Keogh Architects
Fitzwilliam Quay Housing, Dublin 2
by O’Mahony Pike
Commended
Cluain Padraig Housing, Westport, Co Mayo
by Simon J Kelly and Partners
Hazel Grove Transitional Housing,
Donabate by Gerry Cahill Architects
Interview with James Pike, OMP Architects
AI: James, Hanover Quay has been
AI: You were appointed following a
described by the Silver Medal Jury as
competition. How much did the design
“a new benchmark for emerging, high
change after the competition?
density urban architecture” – what
makes this scheme so innovative and
James Pike: As part of the competition
original?
we took the design to planning
consent stage. The site was then sold
James Pike: The integration of private
to a developer on the understanding
with social and affordable housing
that he would employ us to complete
has worked very well in Hanover Quay.
the project. We were lucky that the
One of the big problems throughout
developer was Park and Sisks with
Ireland is that every town and city has
whom we had worked on Mount St.
a large area of social housing, which is
Anne’s in Milltown, so very few changes
separated. In Hanover Quay we wanted
were required. The other prize winners
to create a mix of tenure and has been
at Gallery Quay did not establish a good
achieved by providing 56 different
relationship with the selected architects
apartment types out of 292 units.
and another architectural firm was
These are tailored to suit different users
appointed, and they made substantial
including a significant number of family
changes to the design.
orientated, ground level, own door
units, which animate the public realm.
AI: You have recently edited the RIAI’s
The scheme has a fantastic waterside
New Housing 2 book (published
location and the social infrastructure of
by Gandon) – a substantial volume,
courtyard gardens, cafés, restaurants,
containing a wealth of housing projects
a theatre and shops is very important.
– what are the achievements and
The innovative aspects of Hanover Quay shortcomings of the past years?
are currently being studied by CABE as
an exemplary scheme.
James Pike: Looking at the finished
book, there are quite a lot of good
AI: Did you have any precedents for
schemes. Much of this is concentrated
Hanover Quay?
in the Dublin region, such as the inner
city regeneration of Temple Bar and
James Pike: It is certainly influenced
the Docklands, but we have been less
by Scandinavian apartment schemes.
successful outside the Capital. We need
The idea of the winter-gardens,
to strengthen other urban centres such
which can be used as balconies in
as the Gateway cities to make them
the summer and as enclosed outdoor
attractive places to live. Most housing
rooms all year around, came from
currently being constructed is one-off
Finland. The concept of separate blocks and this is completely unsustainable,
and courtyards can also be found in
as the population will become more
apartment schemes in Paris. When we
scattered. We need to encourage
first designed housing in Ireland in the
denser urban development. There are
1970s, we looked at French apartments
huge advantages to living in the city,
as a model, for example in the Merrion
for example being near facilities and
Village scheme.
schools.
AI: At the National Housing Conference
you presented an innovative scheme
of equity partnerships. How did you
research this model?
James Pike: With housing output
having come to a complete halt,
OMP had become aware of a Scottish
and Scandinavian model based on
a community land partnership that
was developed by Chris Cooke of the
Nordic Enterprise Trust. We decided to
explore this model with the assistance
of solicitor Kevin Ryan and accountant
Kieran Ryan. In this equity partnership
scheme, investors take a share in the
whole project, rather than buying
individual units and when they want to
move on, they sell their shares back to
the trust. The investor gets a return on
their money, once the whole scheme
has been let. These equity partnerships
are very attractive for pension funds
that wish to buy out the investment.
Occupiers can either just pay their basic
rent (which covers the capital costs and
interest), or by paying additional rent
if their circumstances change, they can
purchase an equity share. An occupier
can therefore own his/her dwelling, in
time, without having to borrow.
AI: What has been the reaction to your
proposal and how will you develop it?
James Pike: The reaction has been
quite enthusiastic and we are currently
looking at the necessary legal
framework. The equity partnership
model could be applied to existing
housing schemes where units have not
been sold or only a limited number. The
most important thing is that the model
is not a straitjacket; it is inherently
flexible and would be tailored to each
regeneration opportunity.
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(1) Irish Are Crossing the Rhine
An Irish consortium composed of Heneghan Peng Architects, Arup Consulting
Engineers and Mitchell and Associates has won the competition for a bridge
crossing the Middle Rhine Valley, in Germany. Located near the famous Loreley,
the area has UNESCO’s World Heritage status and the winning proposal will be
presented in June to UNESCO for consent. The jury praised the design with the
S-shaped ground plan as “an elegant building, which blends harmoniously into
the river landscape.” The structure of the superstructure consists essentially of a
steel hollow box, on the pillars of the river bridge on the inside of the curve by
using oblique Truss-type fault in the surface reinforced.
www.hparc.com
(2) Endgame at Beckett Bridge
The new €59.95m Samuel Beckett Bridge, designed by Dr. Santiago Calatrava
Valls, arrived in Dublin on 11 May on a barge from Rotterdam. Constructed in
the Graham-Hollandia JV Shipyard in Rotterdam, the superstructure began its
odyssey on 4 May across the English Channel and Irish Sea. The bridge will be
placed on its reinforced concrete support pier in the Liffey for finishing and
commissioning works and is due to open in early 2010. The 120-metre long
and 48-metre high cable-stayed bridge (a concept familiar from the Dundrum
Luas Bridge) will link Guild Street with Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, west of Cardiff
Lane and Macken Street. According to Dublin City Engineer Michael Philips, “its
graceful, almost weightless appearance and position across the Liffey at Dublin’s
maritime gateway sends a confident, forward-looking statement about today’s
Dublin”.
(3) World Architecture Awards Opens for Entries
Programme Director Paul Finch announced that the world’s biggest architectural
summit, the World Architecture Festival, will take place in Barcelona from 4 to 6
November 2009. Aside from completed buildings, new awards categories have
been added this year including ‘Interiors and Fit-out’, ‘Structural Design’, and
‘Future Projects’, with 42 Awards to win in total. A thematic exhibition, ‘Less Does
More’, will examine the challenges facing architects in the new world economy.
Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, whose practice Grafton Architects won
the ‘World Building of the Year Award 2008’ for Luigi Bocconi University, Milan
said: “This unique forum will offer optimism in the current challenging climate,
ensuring architects are made aware of and can enjoy, as well as be inspired by
innovative serious work of all scales, in a variety of regions and countries of
diverse cultural physical and economic environments.”
Online entry to the WAF Awards is open until 26 June 2009.
www.worldarchitecturefestival.com
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ARCHITECTURE NEWS
(4) The Lives of Spaces Returns
Following its successful run at the 11th International Architecture Exhibition
in Venice (2008), Ireland’s entry, The Lives of Spaces, is showing until 28 June
at the Farmleigh Gallery before going on a national tour. Commissioners and
curators, the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) Director, Nathalie Weadick and
Dr. Hugh Campbell, Professor of Architecture at UCD, asked the participants
to reflect on the use made of the space within their buildings. Each of the nine
selected pieces explores the central role of space in our society, how it frames
and structures our collective life, from domestic to civic, from personal to public.
Taken together, the nine pieces provide a portrait of Irish architecture and of Irish
society. Participants include Grafton Architects, Hassett-Ducatez, Gerry Cahill
Architects, McCullough-Mulvin, O’Donnell + Tuomey, De Paor Architects, TAKA
Architects, Patrick Lynch and Simon Walker, and Dara McGrath, in association
with Robinson McIlwaine. The IAF has also recently moved its premises to the
RIAI offices at 8 Merrion Square.
www.thelivesofspaces.com and www.architecturefoundation.ie
(5) Moving Dublin at the Broadcast Gallery
“For two years, we moved around Dublin in every way possible: by car, taxi, bus,
tram, bicycle and on foot. We met scores of Dubliners, and recorded dozens
of personal accounts of moving through the city” – discribe Anne Cleary
and Dennis Connolly their film-based work Moving Dublin, which runs at the
Broadcast Gallery, DIT Portland Row. The Paris-based artists both studied
architecture in Dublin in the 1980s and their architectural training influences
their work, as they critically investigate their urban environment. Moving Dublin
emerged from a two-year residency by South County Dublin. Eamon Ryan, TD,
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and co-founder
of the cycling campaign, said that Moving Dublin captures the “leaden skies
and bleakness of much of modern city life”. Comparisons with Joyce’s Ulysses
were inevitable, argued the Minister, except the monologues in this work were
stitched together from contemporary emails. “Dubliners have become used to
life in the trenches and a trench-like humour has emerged”, concluded Ryan in
his opening formal opening speech Moving Dublin is available as a book and
DVD from Gandon Editions with a punchy forward by Frank McDonald.
www.broadcastgallery.ie, E gandon@eircom.net
Competition to Design Museum of Polish History, Warsaw
The Polish Minister for Culture and National Heritage, Bogdan Zdrojewski and
the Museum of Polish History have announced an international competition for
the design of a Museum of Polish History in Warsaw. The two-stage UIA/UNESCO
approved project is open to architects worldwide. The 20,000m2 museum will
be located in the Jazdow neighbourhood close to the riverbank of the Vistula
river, called “Skarpa Warszawska”, and vast prestigious parks, a significant
aspect of Warsaw’s identity. Deadline for registration is 15 June with first stage
submissions due by 30 June 2009.
www.muzhp.pl/competition
New Draft Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development Plan
Report by Anthony Marston
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council published its new draft County
Development Plan on 24 April 2009. It is the first step in setting a new framework
for development within the Council area for the period 2010 to 2016. The Draft
Plan sets down new zonings, and development, management guidelines in
terms of requirements for all residential and commercial development as well
as permitted uses within the new zonings It will establish an updated set of
18 - AI 246
criteria by which planning applications submitted to the Council will be assessed
once the draft Plan is adopted in early 2010. This includes a more detailed set
of guidelines to the current Plan for assessing extensions, corner sites, and rural
housing as well as new density, open space and building height standards. The
Plan is on public display at the Council offices until 3 July during which time
submissions on the Draft Plan can be made. This provides an opportunity for
architects, landowners and property interests to maximize the development
potential of their lands. Anthony Marston Planning Consultancy can be
contacted at
E anthony@marstonplanning.ie or M 086 3837100.
(6) Chipperfield, Mateus and Siza Vieira Design Holiday Homes
Spending your summer holiday this year in house designed by Pritzker
Prize winner Álvaro Siza Vieira, Sterling Prize recipient David Chipperfield or
renowned architect Manuel Aires Mateus is offered by the innovative Bom
Sucesso resort in Óbidos, on Portugal’s Silver Coast. “Architecture is a form of
artistic expression, allowing us to live inside a work of art, to surround with
beauty the best moments of our life”, say the developers who commissioned
23 contemporary architects from Portugal, Spain and the UK to design the 601
exclusive holiday villas houses on the 1.5 million m2 site. To integrate the scheme
into its landscape, the villas and townhouses were dispersed and finished with
green roofs. Materials were restricted and colour has been limited to whites and
natural shades. The completed first phase includes houses by Álvaro Siza Vieira
(image 6), Eduardo Souta Moura, Gonçalo Byrne and Madalena Cardoso de
Menezes as well as an 18 hole golf course. Houses are available for purchase or
holiday rental through www.bomsucesso.net
(See also interview with Aires Mateus, p.72)
(7) KBC Music in Great Irish Houses Festival, 7 – 13 June
The KBC Music in Great Irish Houses Festival offers a unique opportunity to
experience performances from world-class virtuosos amidst the beautiful
surroundings of some of Ireland’s stateliest residences and buildings. The
Festival opens this year at the magnificent neo-classical jewel of Emo Court, Co
Laois with performances from world-renowned artists Daniel Müller-Schott
(cello) and Robert Kulek (piano) and others. Concert venues include Killruddery
House in Wicklow; The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin; Cork’s Fota House;
and Castletown House in Kildare. www.musicgreatirishhouses.com
Kevin Kieran Award Announced
Orla Murphy of Simon J Kelly and Partners
Architects, County Mayo is the recipient of the Kevin
Kieran Award 2009-2011. A partnership between
the Arts Council and the OPW, the award offers an
emerging architect the opportunity to develop
and deliver a research project worth €50,000
over two years, and subsequently to design and
run a building contract for the OPW. Orla Murphy
graduated from UCD in 1995, where she has
been a lecturer in studio design since 1996. She
jointly established the Westport studio of Simon J Kelly & Partners Architects
in 2004 and has particular experience in the design of housing and educational
buildings. She was editor of the AAI’s journal Building Material and Cavan
Architect in Residence from 2007-2008. Orla will be researching the potential of
architecture to enhance the experience of living, working and playing in the 21st
century Irish town.
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R I A I C P D N ews
and C urrent
programmes
Log into to RIAI CPD Engage http://cpd.riai.ie to access the
booking forms and to plan any of the following activities.
Booking forms can also be downloaded from the CPD section
of the RIAI website or contact Teresa Harte tharte@riai.ie.
The RIAI CPD Engage User Guide can be downloaded at the
Resources area of the RIAI CPD Engage Website.
RIAI Business Breakfast Seminars
CPD Points 2
Following a strong demand from members at the RIAI Strategic
Reviews, the RIAI are holding a series of breakfast seminars on
business related topics. The charge for attendance at these
events is €25 including refreshments.
The Human Relations, Business Entry Strategy and Financial
Planning seminars took place in March and May. The Public
Relations seminar will take place on 18 June. Refer to the note
above to reserve a place on this seminar.
Health and Safety: RIAI PSDP CPD Points 20
RIAI Project Supervisor Design Process is an intensive twoday programme designed specifically for professionals in the
field of architecture and delivered by the RIAI, in partnership
with Scott MacNeill Architects and Safety By Design. The
programme includes, on successful completion of the two
days and an assessment, accreditation by the RIAI as a trained
PSDP. This is an intense and interactive course from start to
finish with involvement from participants in workshops and
discussions. The HSA has attended the course and reviewed
the materials presented and has supported the approach taken
by the RIAI/Scott Mac Neill/Safety By Design. Completion
of the ‘RIAI Designing for Safety’ CPD is a prerequisite to
attendance on this course.
For a limited time, the RIAI is offering a 25% discount on the
PSDP course to RIAI members. The course is reduced from
€1600 to €1200 Euros. Refer to the note above to reserve a
place on this seminar.
Health and Safety: RIAI Designing for Safety
CPD Points 4
The RIAI, in partnership with Safety By Design and Douglas
Wallace Architects, present ‘RIAI Designing for Safety’, an
intensive half-day safety course designed by architects for
architects. The purpose of the course is to provide architects
with a working knowledge of health and safety and the role
of the designer under the construction regulations. The
programme includes practical exercises to develop experience
in producing the correct information to be passed onto Project
Supervisors, record keeping and designing out hazards. The
course is offered at €400 to RIAI members. Refer to the note
above to reserve a place on this seminar.
Request detailed information or visit our sales partner.
RIAI Fire Safety Refresher Course
CPD Points 4
How to make a Fire Safety Certificate Application
The RIAI, in partnership with John McCarthy MRIAI is pleased
designflow spielmanns ltd, 12a fumbally lane, dublin 8, ireland
phone +353 (1) 40 20 606, fax +353 (1) 40 20 600, info@designflow.ie, www.designflow.ie
Headquarters: USM U. Schärer Söhne AG, Münsingen Switzerland, www.usm.com
to announce a half-day Refresher Course on 16 June on ‘How
to make a Fire Certificate Application’. Topics covered in the
seminar will include:
• When is a Fire Safety Certificate required? Overview of
provisions of Building Control Act/Regulations re. Fire
Safety Certificates
• Base reference documents
• Distinctions between New-build/Extensions/Alterations
• Typical FSCA Documents
• Negotiations with Fire Prevention
• Fire Safety Certificate Appeals
• Breaking news - new Building Control Regulations
Refer to the note above to reserve a place on this seminar.
Urban Design Masterclass Series
CPD Points 3.5 per module, 25 max
The RIAI, in partnership with Sarah Rock of PlaceMakers, will
be delivering an innovative and hands-on Urban Design CPD
programme in September and October 2009, in Dublin and
Cork. Each masterclass will explore a key topic in urban design
and will cater for a range of experience and interest levels.
Masterclasses are limited to 15 participants and will consist
of seminars, case-studies and a hands-on design exercise
exploring the topic in further detail. The small class sizes will
maximise learning outcomes and ensure engaging discussions.
Masterclass sessions include ‘The Foundations of Urban
Design’, ‘Urban Design Assessment’, ‘Creating Place, ‘Improving
Place’ and ‘Advanced Public Realm and Street Design’. Special
recognition will be given to participants who complete the full
programme. Refer to the note above to reserve a place on this
seminar.
The RIAI welcomes suggestions and comments from
members on CPD. Please contact Sandra Campbell at
scampbell@riai.ie
Sydney-based architect Glenn Murcutt received an Honorary
RIAI Membership from RIAI President Seán O’Laoire at DIT
Bolton Street on 31 March. The Pritzker Prize Winner and UAA
Gold Medalist was honoured for his architectural achievements
and contribution to Irish architecture as Visiting Professor
at DIT.
AI 246 - 21
O bituary
D r . A ndr z ej
W ejchert ‑
A n appreciation
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By John O’Reilly
Andrzej Wejchert was born in Gdansk in 1937, just two years
before Poland became the first European battlefield of the
Second World War. However, it was not the carnage of the
war but the political turmoil and dissention in post-war
Poland which gave rise to his family being disposed and
having to leave Gdansk for Warsaw in 1948. In Warsaw he
received his secondary education and subsequently studied
architecture in the Warsaw Polytechnic from which he
graduated with honours in 1962. He was then employed in
the Design Office of City Buildings, Warsaw, and devoted
practically all of his spare time to participating in architectural
competitions. In 1964, he won the International Architectural
Competition for the Master Plan for the campus layout at
Belfield for University College Dublin, which included also the
design of the Arts, Administration and Aula Maxima buildings.
In the initial development of this project, he worked in
association with Robinson Keeffe & Devane. He was joined in
Ireland, a year later, by his wife, Danuta Kornaus-Wejchert.
It was not, however, until 1974 that Andrzej and Danuta
founded the practice of A & D Wejchert Architects. At the
time, it was simply not even suspected that this gentle,
unassuming couple were about to inject into the corpus of
Irish architecture a new and vibrant energy which would give
to Ireland, over the ensuing 35 years, some 65 major projects
in the fields of education, healthcare, retail, commercial,
housing, leisure, culture and worship, most of which received
awards, commendations or other distinctions from several
sources.
In 1978, Andrzej was awarded the Triennial Gold Medal of
the RIAI for the design of the Administration Building at UCD
Belfield, (period 1971-1973). In 1986, the Aillwee Caves
access building was commended by the RIAI Gold Medal
jury, (period 1977-1979). In 1989, the Sports Centre at UCD
was highly commended by the RIAI Gold Medal jury, (period
1980-1982).
The consistent high standard, coupled with the volume and
diversity of the projects, earned for Andrzej the admiration of
his colleagues and the distinction of being elected to Council
of the RIAI on which he served for 16 years. He was twice
elected as Vice-President of the Institute. His dedication to
architecture was also acknowledged outside the RIAI. In
1997, he received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws
from the National University of Ireland. In 2000, for his work
on the Sobanski Palace Complex in Warsaw, he was awarded
a Diploma from the Ministry of Culture of Poland for the
best modernisation of an historic complex. In 2003, he was
elected an Associate of the Royal Hibernian Academy and
was subsequently appointed to the Board of Governors of the
National Gallery of Ireland.
For him, perhaps, the most significant event in his eventful
life as an architect was to have given a lecture to the Congress
of Polish Architecture in his birthplace, Gdansk, in 1998.
On 12 May 2009, Andrzej Wejchert left us as quietly as he
had lived and worked amongst us, leaving behind him one
of Ireland’s most successful award-winning architectural
practices, now A & D Wejchert & Partners, to carry on the
ethos of excellent design and service which was, for him
at least, founded on the respect and love which he had for
people generally.
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AI 246 - 23
U rban A genda
By Alan Mee
Contributions to this page are welcome, to
urbanagenda@mee.ie by mid month in advance
of publication.
Grangegorman
Urban Design Education
The Irish architectural profession is undergoing radical
re-positioning caused by a combination of economic crisis
for larger businesses and continuing pressures on small
practices to survive; many of these pressures were there
even before the downturn started. More and more architects
here are specialising, whether in conservation, energy, or
urban design. Some of the issues this raises for urban design
were faced years ago in other specialisations; issues such as
accreditation, developing professional competencies, and
the need for separate CPD. In some other countries, urban
design is specifically incorporated as a branch of learning
into undergraduate architectural education, so that specialist
architects in this field qualify with particular intentions for
their careers. However, many argue that the broad scope of
the traditional architectural degree allows for specialisation
at post-graduate level, after workplace experience, retaining
broader employment opportunities for graduate architects.
A new initiative of the President of the RIAI, Sean O’Laoire, to
set up an Education Forum, involving architectural education,
with links to the Institute and the profession is a welcome
opportunity to review the current position of urban design
education at all levels.
Grangegorman Masterplan and DIT
In Dublin’s North Inner City, directly west of Broadstone
Railway Station, 73 acres of walled off lands have been
subject of a Masterplan by Moore Ruble Yudell Architects and
Planners of California, in conjunction with DMOD Architects,
Dublin. Cited as one of the largest undeveloped pieces of
land in the city, the intention is to relocate Dublin Institute
of Technology to a new single campus, from the current 40
or so locations currently occupied around Dublin. A primary
intention of the plan is the reintegration of the site back
into the dense North Inner City fabric. More information is
available at www.ggda.ie.
Proud suppliers of the Eircom HQ fit-out
Simultaneously, DIT architecture third year students have
been considering the design of the urban fabric and buildings
in the area between the current Bolton Street facility and
Grangegorman, leading to individual building design, in the
context of a broader Masterplan for the area, agreed after
an internal student Masterplan competition. It is hoped to
publish some of the student work, following on the successful
publication Utopia; Ballitore by DIT Architecture 3 about that
village in 2008.
Urban Forum
In 2009, the Urban Forum is hosted by Engineers Ireland,
who convene monthly meetings between the RIAI, Irish
Landscape Institute (ILI), Society of Chartered Surveyors, and
the Irish Planning Institute (IPI). The Urban Forum Transport
Colloquium took place in February at DTO offices, including
Dave Fadden of the Department of Transport, who presented
“Smarter Travel – the new policy framework for transport
in Ireland”. Issues discussed included Competitiveness and
Transport, Freight Movement, Energy, Planning and Policy,
all in a transportation context. The Forum held a colloquium
on Land Value Taxation on April 1st with a public meeting
attended by over 300 the following evening. The Forum
have sponsored a research study by Dr. Constantin Gurdjiev
of Trinity College, and a preliminary report will be sent to
the Commission on Taxation by the middle of May. The
Forum also intend to issue a manifesto in mid May before
the local and European elections. This will be an update of
the manifesto issued in 2007, before the General Election. A
further colloquium on Green Infrastructure is being held on
May 26th at Engineers Ireland, 22 Clyde Road.
Research
Many recent Irish research publications relating to the
urban environment could benefit from more dissemination.
Amongst these is the recent Thesis of Liam Mannix, submitted
for the degree of Master of Philosophy at the Department
of Geography, University College, Cork, which is titled; “An
Exploration of the sense of place of the residents of four
housing estates in Mallow”. The work deals with “the micro
geographies of place and how they are sensed”, studied in a
specifically Irish town context. It explores how the manner in
which people feel and react to their houses, estates and town
are both interlinked together, and dependant on the physical
form of each place, an individual’s accessibility and their
emotional connections. More information is available from
liam.mannix@hotmail.com.
Agenda
The recent National Housing Conference addressed many
issues related to urbanism, urban design and spatial planning.
In particular, Session 3A, covering current Irish urban design
policy and initiatives, dealt with National Policy, the Draft
Urban Design Manual, Street Design, and some current best
practice. All papers can be downloaded at
http://www.nationalhousingconference.ie
This website relating to the current Moving Dublin exhibition
at the Broadcast Gallery in Portland Row, Dublin, has many
videos, maps, etc of interest.
http://www.cityloops.net/Dublin/moving_dublin.html
AI 246 - 25
Precast House, Howth, Co. Dublin, FKLarchitects
Garden Room, Castleknock, Dublin, Ronan Rose-Roberts Architects
25 St. James Hollybrook Park, Clontarf, Dublin, Boyd Cody Architects
1 Heuston South Quarter, Kilmainham, Dublin, Anthony Reddy Associates
Offices at Lincoln Place, Dublin, McCullough Mulvin Architects
Eurocampus, Clonskeagh, Dublin, A2 Architects
Retrofitting St. Anne’s Convent, Booterstown, Co. Dublin, MCO Projects
246
PROJECTS
.
AI 246 - 27
Architects
Quantity Surveyors
Main Contractor
Photography
FKLarchitects
Luis Aguirre Manso, Michael Bannon,
Jeff Bolhuis, Michelle Fagan,
Verena Hilgenfeld, Paul Kelly,
Gary Lysaght
Vesey and Associates
Jim Vesey
Denis Finn Ltd
Denis Finn, Louise Loddick,
John Traynor
Verena Hilgenfeld
PROJECT SizE
358m2
duRATiOn
18 Months
Structural Engineers
LOCATiOn
Howth, Fingal
Barrett Mahony Consulting Engineering
John Considine, Linda O’Hara
SuSTAinAbiLiTy
Ground source
heat pump
Client
Private
Heat recovery
ventilation system
PREC AST HOuSE
HOw TH
2
3
4
FkLarchitects’ Account
The site is long, sloping, falling towards cliffs and
the sea; the narrow dimension orientated on the
abstract view of the sea and sky. Entering the site,
the viewer’s eye is drawn to the horizon, one is
pulled towards the abstracted line.
The project is defined in conceptual terms as three
discrete forms; garage, house and swimming pool,
each emerging from the landscape, their respective
heights being determined by the use of each form.
In the case of the garage, the form rises to allow
access across its roof to the house. The house is
allowed to rise as high as possible to facilitate views
at first floor level to the south, to the city and Dublin
Bay. The swimming pool emerges from the ground
to provide a terrace on the south side of the house.
The relationship between the three elements is a
casual one, slipped past each other, sliding towards
the sea. Each of the three forms is detailed in the
same manner and uses the same material, polished
precast concrete. The surface tension across the
façades is maintained by the flush detailing of the
windows and the glass balustrades. The reflected
landscape is visible in both materials glass and
polished precast concrete. The form of the house
28 - AI 246
1
is cut at each corner, making four recessed terraces
and one at the entrance door. These cuts are
defined by the polished precast concrete returning
onto the soffit, the effect is to emphasise the
horizontal, again drawing the horizon line into the
interior space. The roof of each form is paved to
make a continuous surface returning from wall to
roof, the detail of the parapet is subsumed beneath
the material.
Internally there are two different conditions; at
first floor level (entry level) the plan is open with
the primary living spaces and entrance having an
overlapping relationship. Within the field of the
first floor, articulated by a continuous stone floor,
a number of timber elements are slipped between
floor and ceiling planes, placed to allow definition in
the flow of the space. Walnut cladding adds richness
to the interior and clearly defines these forms.
The open nature of the space makes a panoramic
connection to the landscape and seascape beyond.
The depth of the plan is illuminated with three roof
lights, one in the family room, kitchen and living
room. The roof lights act as lenses, tracking the
progress of the sun while, at night, registering the
presence of the moon.
At ground floor level (sleeping level) the situation is
more introverted and the figure ground relationship
is the reverse of the first floor; the plan is treated
as a solid mass that has been carved out to make
a cruciform circulation space with the bathrooms
and bedrooms retained inside the remaining form.
The views from this ground floor circulation capture
framed glimpses to the landscape.
1 The form of the house is cut at each corner to
make recessed terraces
2 - 4 Timber elements, slipped between floors
and ceiling - add contrast to the continuous
stone floor
AI 246 - 29
5
First floor plan
(entry level)
1 Entrance terrace
2 Main entrance
3 Family room
4 Terrace
5 Kitchen/dinning room
6 Living room
7 Study
8 Bathroom
9 Cloakroom
1
9
8
6
7
8
Model
7
4
2
3
6
5
4
4
1
5
15
First Floor Plan
1
Ground floor plan
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Gym
Terrace
Bedroom
En suite
Pool
Bathroom/en suite
Dressing room
Master bedroom
Bedroom
En suite
Utility room
Bathroom
Boiler room
Garage
5
15
First Floor Plan
14
9
13
5 The reflected landscape is visible in
the glass doors and balustrades
11
12
10
10
Section
9
6 Interior spaces connect to the
landscape and seascape beyond
1
7 The entrance and approach to
the house
4
3
6
7
8 The more introverted ground
floor spaces
8
9 The pond forms a poetic contrast
to the rectilinear geometry
2
5
AI 246 - 31
30 - AI 246
1
5
15
Re vie w
Infinite Space
By Rory O’Donovan
The invitation to review a modern house built of pre-cast concrete
panels produced a certain feeling of trepidation. Vague, long-suppressed
memories came back of an architecture school exercise to design a
clip-on pre-cast concrete module for a concrete frame office block, with
canted sides, exposed aggregate finish etc. Experience has taught me
that many younger architects are excited by this kind of thing, but it still
makes me shudder.
on and gaze at the scudding clouds, the metallic sea. At places (between
areas of glazing for instance) the concrete panels are acid-etched, and
therefore matt with a slightly grainy feel. The architects deny any interest
in composing facades, yet the balance achieved in the use of different
textures cannot be accidental.
On the driveway leading down to FKL’s house in Howth such fears were
immediately dispelled. The (structural) insulated pre-cast panels used
here have no suggestion of gritty urban systemised building toughness
(the house is, after all, in one of Dublin’s finest suburbs). The subtle
differentiation in the surface finishes (at some places the panels are
polished and reflective, at others they have an acid- etched finish) is not
arbitrarily but intriguingly employed.
This Howth house stands on a steeply sloping site so of course the
views of the Irish Sea are breathtaking. What you see driving down the
approach road (soon to be covered in gravel) first appears to be a single
storey box of reddish brown stone out of which terraces and an entrance
area have been crisply cut. What looks like a low freestanding concrete
wall on your left (that engages in a dialogue with a box on the flat roof
of the house) directs you towards a flight of three steps. These bring you
onto a large terrace in front of but also extending to one side of the house
– a moment of anticipation, time for visitors to collect their thoughts
before entering? A bridge connects this terrace to the entrance. On this
bridge, at the very latest, you realise you are in fact at first floor level, that
there is a sharp drop in the terrain and below you is a full floor – no hint of
a subordinate basement level, the ground floor that rises directly out of
the site is in no way suppressed.
But before crossing the bridge perhaps it is better to go back and walk
around the outside of this house. The reflective smoothness of the
polished concrete panels mirrors the sky and the trees. The flush glazing
(uninterrupted by mullions in a few large, dare I say it, “picture” windows)
underlines the crispness of the building but to call it taut suggests a
tension, a self-conscious treatment of skin and surface, whereas this
house is utterly serene. The terraces extracted from the volume have
glass parapets without uprights, just a comfortably broad handrail to rest
32 - AI 246
From behind you see how the house rises immediately and directly out of
the ground, the lawn runs almost right up to the walls, no indeterminate
paved areas blur this immediacy. The long, narrow swimming pool on the
south side seems to have been cut out of a freestanding stone terrace,
one of the architects’ three “emergent forms” (house, pool, entrance
terrace), which matches the colour of the concrete. The pool, eventually
to be screened from the driveway by planting, is understated. On the
other side of the house steps and slabs dotted in a lawn lead to a pond
made by damming a stream, a poetic contrast to the rectilinear geometry,
strengthened by the evocative quality of the existing Italianate pine trees.
Inside the play of light and volume intensifies the lapidary quality of the
exterior, while adding the poetry of sunlight spilling across creamy stone
floors, walls of dark walnut, large sliding doors, generous circulation
space. The three steps down in the hall means the space grows taller,
even lighter, towards the view of the Irish Sea in front of you. The
sequence of living spaces also has this lucidity, but roof lights at three
strategic points introduce the additional quality of light from above. The
south-facing terraces have softly gleaming soffits of the same concrete,
and expand the living areas towards the horizon and the south Dublin
coastline. Downstairs the bedrooms have elegantly fitted bathrooms; the
full height bedroom doors with integrated light fittings stand proud of
the wall surface, the beds with headboards of walnut also have integrated
lighting, in the lower staircase hall light panels are set flush in the wall, all
suggestive of an understandable architect’s wish to reduce and simplify
but this house could take some clutter in its stride, I think.
FKL’s Howth house is luxurious, no doubt about that, but it never strikes
a pose or adopts an attitude, there are no laboured complexities in form
or plan, just a sequence of loosely interlocking clear volumes in light and,
from almost everywhere, a view of the shifting sea with its suggestion of
almost infinite space.
9
AI 246 - 33
Architects
MCO Architects
Structural/Civil Engineers
Barrett Mahony Consultancy
Enda Hoey
Philip Crowe, Catriona Cantwell
Liz Martin, Ciara O’Halloran
Architectural Conservation
Consultant
John O’Connell
Photography
Ros Kavanagh
Project Size
1,830m2
1 The new extensions to the convent reflect
materials and proportions of the adjacent
structures without simulating them
Duration
15 months
2 New and old create a cluster of buildings
Client
Services Engineers
Archaeologist
Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy,
South Central Province
Sr. Anne Doyle and the St. Anne’s
Convent Community
Delap & Waller
Graeme Donne
Irish Archaeological Consultancy Ltd.
3 Window frames are recessed visually and
opening sections are accommodated in
solid insulated timber panels
location
Booterstown,
Co. Dublin
Contractor
Project Supervisor Design Process
Allen and Smyth Constructions Ltd.
OLM Consultancy
Gabriela Schovancova
MCO Architects’ Account
Retrofitting
St Anne’s Convent
50 - AI 246
1
Project Description
St Anne’s Convent is located off Booterstown Avenue in Dublin,
between the Church of the Assumption and St Andrew’s College.
The project involved the restoration of a grouping of protected
structures and the construction of two new extensions. The
original villa on the site dates from 1760 and was extended in
1820. The Sisters of Mercy have been resident at St Anne’s from
1838 when a link corridor and east wing were constructed. The
client brief was to provide sustainable residential accommodation
appropriate to the age profile of the community and related
archive, workspace and education accommodation for the
community and associates.
simulating them. Dark stained cedar window frames receed
visually. Opening sections are accommodated in solid insulated
timber panels. The brickwork and lime mortar relates to the brick
detailing to both the rear of the Church and the new lime render
to the original Convent buildings.
The aim of the design was to create a compact cluster of buildings
that provides coherent and functional internal and external spaces
for the variety of uses required. A number of outbuildings and
additions to the protected structures were demolished to create
a simple configuration of the original villa and east wing. A north
facing courtyard provided a site for the north extension, allowing
the Parish Centre, rear of the Church and Convent to form a north
facing street elevation. This new street provides exclusive access
directly off Booterstown Avenue and the north extension creates
the principal entry point to the Convent.
To the south, the original courtyard has been retained and
landscaping altered to allow higher levels of natural light to
basement areas. The space between the east wing and the
Church has been rationalised and a new extension providing
service spaces for the protected structure was constructed. The
remaining external courtyard space provides universal access
from the south and allows increased levels of natural light into
the Church and Convent. The new extension to the east courtyard
has a contrasting self-coloured render finish, responding to the
collection of rendered buildings to the south side. A dark colour
has been chosen to contrast with the colour of adjacent buildings.
New circulation spaces are located at the junction of the protected
structures and the new north extension, allowing the distinction
between old and new structures to be easily read and aiding
legibility. A lightwell is created at this junction allowing light to
penetrate down to ground floor and the north façade of the east
wing to be read rising up three storeys.
The north extension is broken down into two main elements of
similar proportion to the original villa (1760) and west extension
(1820). The smaller section is positioned at an angle to register the
entry from Booterstown Avenue and the step back to the rear of
the Church. The building height is designed to read in line with
the original villa. Materials and fenestration configuration reflect
the qualities of the adjacent protected structures without directly
The original buildings required extensive conservation works and
have been carefully upgraded in terms of services and energy
performance. The configuration of original spaces has been largely
retained and new uses allocated to suit the scale and nature of the
space. The buildings therefore retain an historic and viable use and
their original form can be easily read.
2
3
AI 246 - 51
4
Retrofitting
The Convent is designed as lifetime housing for a community
of Sisters, providing private and communal spaces in clearly
defined zones, high density accommodation and shared
facilities with flexibility for any future required adaptations.
The re-use of the existing structures avoids significant loss of
embodied energy and the project provides a viable use for
the protected structures. Conservation works are inherently
sustainable in their retention and re-use of original fabric
and use of natural products and traditional skills to allow
the structures to re-establish their original building fabric
performance and appearance. Original building fabric
elements such as floorboards, granite rubble and cills (re-used
as steps), windows and doors have been re-incorporated into
the buildings where appropriate. Many new products in the
extensions are made from recycled materials - for example
fermacell in lieu of plasterboard and eco-block in lieu of
tarmacadam or similar.
The protected structures will have greatly improved energy
performance and comfort. Works included insulation under
the new ground floor slab, between floors and in attic spaces;
new draught-sealed sash windows; careful detailing around
windows and doors; installation of draught lobbies; and new
external and internal lime render to improve airtightness.
A controlled ventilation system with heat recovery was
integrated into the protected structures in areas without intact
ceilings. The proximity of the buildings clustered together
means that surface area and therefore heat loss is reduced,
building footprint is minimised and free land is maximised.
The new extensions will require minimal heating due to the
high peformance insulation, airtightness and controlled
5
10
11
Site plan
ventilation with heat recovery. The north extension uses a
number of high performance building elements including
a masonry full fill cavity wall construction with terracotta
cellular core block (poroton) inner leaf and brick outer leaf
with 120mm of insulation, achieving a U value of 0.2W/sq.mK.
The east extension also uses terracotta cellular core blocks
but with 120mm of external insulation protected by a render,
achieving a U value of 0.19W/sq.mK. Window units have
minimal frames and high performance glazing, achieving U
values of 1.3 W/sq.mK. The sedum roof on both extensions
also provides high levels of insulation as well as absorbing
nitrates and other harmful materials, rainwater attenuation,
acoustic absorption, and protection of waterproofing.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
1820 west extension
1760 villa
New north extension
1838 east wing
New east extension
Church of the Assumption
Parish centre
New car park
Boiler house
South court
New entrance
9
1
10
2
8
4
New extentions
Existing building
3
5
7
5
All types of construction used in the project are detailed to
achieve an optimal level of airtightness – including use of
masonry construction with lime mortar, external and internal
lime renders, and timber framed sections incorporating a
breather membrane and airtightness membrane.
6
11
The mechanically ventilated heat recovery system reduces
heat loss and any need for open windows or vents. The
system is integrated into all areas of the new and old buildings
excepting the first and second floors of the original villa.
Ground floor plan
A biomass boiler in a separate out-building provides hot water
to all areas. Meters for electricity and hot water use have been
installed to enable the community to manage usage and bills,
and to facilitate monitoring of building performance.
1
2
3
4
5
The landscaping makes extensive use of permeable surfaces
including eco-block, nida-gravel and permeable paving in
order to reduce loading on drains.
Circulation
Community rooms
W/c’s
Stores
Kitchen
4
2
4
2
2
1
1
2
1
1
3
2
3
1
1
5
3
4
4
1
2
6
8
9
4 A dark self coloured render was chosen
for the east extension to contrast with
adjacent buildings
10 Original building fabric such as
floorboards and windows was retained
where possible
5 The new extensions are designed as
high performance buildings
11 The cluster of the restored buildings
including the 1760 villa and
Church of the Assumption
2
6 Poroton innerleaf with 120mm full fill
cavity insulation and brick outerleaf
during construction
7 Secondary glazing to internalised
original windows for fire compartment
separation
Elevation
8 Vents for mechanically ventilated heat
recovery system installed in protected
structure
7
52 - AI 246
9 Secondary glazing to original window
to provide fire separation from existing
external fire stair
AI 246 - 53
architects featured in this issue
FKLarchitects
(Precast House, Howth, Co. Dublin)
FKLarchitects are committed to the application of abstract ideas to built
form and to a pragmatic, first principles approach to environmentally
aware design, responding to the specifics of site and program to
formulate a singular concept that informs all aspects of the design. In
conjunction with Culture Ireland and the Irish Architecture Foundation,
FKL curated and designed the Irish entry for the Venice Biennale 2006
SubUrban to SuperRural on the issue of urban sprawl. FKL took part in
the Lisbon Architecture Triennale with d-void in 2007.
Ronan Rose-Roberts Architects
(Garden Room, Castleknock, Dublin)
Ronan Rose-Roberts Architects is an architectural practice committed
to designing high quality buildings which fuse contemporary design,
energy-efficiency and environmental sustainability. We apply our
creativity, enthusiasm and technical expertise to every project to design
buildings and spaces which are beautiful, environmentally responsible
and sensitive to their context. Our work ranges from new buildings to
interventions in old structures. The practice was founded by Ronan
Rose-Roberts in 2002 and has established a reputation for high-quality
design, environmental responsibility and a reliable, professional service
for clients. We have offices in Dublin and Wicklow. Ronan Rose-Roberts
Architects is accredited in Conservation at Grade III. Ronan is currently
serving on RIAI Council.
building types such as commercial, industrial, educational and residential.
We use our knowledge to assist our clients to use space more productively,
to enhance organisational performance and to develop sustainable design
solutions which are flexible over time.
McCullough Mulvin Architects
(Offices at Lincoln Place, Lincoln Place, Dublin)
McCullough Mulvin Architects is a design-based architecture and urban
design practice located in Dublin. Projects include the Ussher Library in
Trinity College Dublin, the Model and Niland Gallery in Sligo, Waterford City
Library and the Source Arts Centre and Library in Thurles, cultural and civic
buildings, libraries and schools. Themes include working to define a new
public realm in a changing society, dealing with Ireland’s diffuse light and
stark materiality, exploring the potential for an ordinary monumentality,
and forming architecture outside and around the brief. The practice has
an interest in very particular contexts, making a layered architecture of
sublimated reference which reflects a specific response to site and place,
or forming modern interventions in existing buildings, an open-ended
exploration of materials and form, which can occur at any scale. McCullough
Mulvin Architects’ work is extended by publication, teaching and research
and has been exhibited throughout Europe, most recently at the Venice
Biennale 2008.
A2 Architects
(Eurocampus, Clonskeagh, Dublin)
Boyd Cody Architects
(25 St. James Hollybrook Park, Clontarf, Dublin)
Dermot Boyd and Peter Cody graduated from Dublin Institute of
Technology (DIT) in 1990. Peter Cody received a masters degree
from Columbia University in 1996. Both served as Presidents of the
Architectural Association of Ireland (AAI) on their return to Ireland.
Boyd Cody Architects was established in 2000. The practice won the
Monaghan Civic Offices Competition in 2002. Boyd Cody Architects
has received numerous awards since its foundation, including the AAI
Downes Medal in 2005 for excellence in architectural design. Their
work has also been widely published here and abroad and featured in
the Venice Architectural Biennale in 2006 and the Lisbon Architectural
Triennale in 2007. Dermot Boyd teaches at DIT and Peter Cody at UCD.
The practice is currently working on a series of houses in Ireland and
larger scale developments in Dublin and Athens.
Anthony Reddy Associates
The Reddy Architecture + Urbanism Group
(1 Heuston South Quarter, Kilmainham, Dublin )
The Reddy Architecture + Urbanism Group works extensively
throughout Ireland, directing projects from its Dublin, Cork, Belfast,
Sligo and Kilkenny Offices. The Group’s expertise includes architecture,
master planning, urban design, space planning, and interior design.
The group has considerable experience working with both public and
private sector clients and has successfully completed a wide range of
A2 Architects was established in 2005 by Peter Carroll (born Limerick 1971)
and Caomhán Murphy (born Dublin 1971) and is based in Great Strand
Street, Dublin. Joan McElligott was made an associate of the practice in
March 2009. In 2007, A2 Architects co-represented Ireland at the inaugural
Lisbon Architecture Triennale. Their project in Portobello entitled ‘One
Up One Down One Deep’ won Best House Extension Category at the RIAI
Awards 2008. Eurocampus was officially opened by the French and German
Ambassadors to Ireland on the anniversary of the signing of the Franco
German Élysée Treaty on 22 January 2009. Current projects include a
housing project in Lucky Lane, Stoneybatter, Dublin, a nursing home in the
Midlands and a number of houses and house extensions throughout Ireland.
MCO Projects
(Retrofitting St. Anne’s Convent, Booterstown, Co. Dublin)
MCO Projects, specialising in sustainable design and 4D planning, is
an award-winning company providing turn-key architecture, project
management, and environmental engineering services. Through crossdisciplinary knowledge MCO Projects has earned a reputation as a cuttingedge sustainable planning and development practice, providing creative
and pragmatic solutions across a diverse portfolio of projects. MCO
Projects was established by Laura Magahy and Eve-Anne Cullinan (former
Executive Directors of Temple Bar Properties) with Philip Crowe, Director of
Architecture and Paraic Davis, Director of Environmental Engineering.
Simplicity is a dynamic lighting system
that keeps you positive all day.
Philips Dynamic Lighting. At the heart of every successful company are motivated
people. One of the major influences on this is the quality of light they’re exposed to.
Employees who work in natural daylight feel energized and positive and therefore perform
better. Philips Dynamic Lighting is a solution to support people’s natural rhythm of activity
throughout the day. From cool energizing light through to warm relaxing light, creating a
motivating working environment.
54 - AI 246
www.philips.com/dynamiclighting
Project - UCC School of Nursing, Cork :: Architect - RKD :: Fabricator - Duggan Systems :: MC - P.J. Wallis
P r o j e c t G A L L ER Y
Your vision, our solution
This section profiles innovative products and construction technology as showcased in the buildings featured in this issue
1
Green Roofs by Bauder (1)
Bauder is one of Europe’s leading
manufacturers of waterproofing
membranes. With over 150 years of
experience and expertise in the roofing
industry, Bauder is widely recognised
for both quality of service and product
innovation. Their flat roof waterproofing
systems exceed industry expectations
and provide a single source solution.
Bauder’s commitment to continually
advancing their products and systems
ensures that they can deliver the right
technical and commercial solution for
each individual project. Green roofs were
installed by Bauder in St. Anne’s Convent,
Booterstown by MCO Projects and in York
Street Houseing by SHA Architects
www.bauder.ie
2
A
4
Full architectural design & specification consultation service available.
AMS : Wallingstown : Little Island : Cork : Ireland
Tel : 00 353 21 4705100 : Fax : 00 353 21 4705199.
Or contact Pat O’Hara
Mobile : 00 353 87 2564504 : Fax : 00 353 21 4705198
Email : pohara@ams.ie
CLICK: www.ams.ie
ARCHITECTURAL & METAL SYSTEMS
6
Philips Light Eircom with
Great Energy Efficiency (2)
Eircom’s landmark new headquarters
use the latest Philips lighting technology
including Philips Smartform 1*49 watt
luminaire with an extremely high
light output ratio of 92%. In using the
special optic, the load is nearly halved
compared to a standard solution. Arup
services engineer Tom Ascough paid
much attention to energy efficiency;
Eircom hq has a load of about 8 watts
per m2, compared to 20 watts per m2 in
most buildings. A sophisticated Philips
LightMaster control system integrates all
luminaires to have full daylight, presence
and capping control brings the load
down to 4.5 watts per m2. The simplicity
and integration of the luminaires, such as
the square Latina luminaires and circular
suspended Rotaris luminaires, give the
Eircom hq a unique and timeless look.
State-of the art floodlighting, using
Philips LedLine, illuminates the exterior.
The control system produces different
lighting effects that can be changed easily
to suit the season and a special occasion.
Next time you take a train from Heuston
station, have a quick look out the window
and enjoy the architecture and energy
efficiency of this classic building.
www.philips.com/dynamiclighting
3
Eircom Workstations by Bushell
Interiors Ltd (3)
In partnership with Anthony Reddy
Associates and the Eircom project team,
Bushell Interiors designed a customised
workspace and storage solution, which
fulfils the requirements of all the staff.
The workstation desk by Konig & Neurath,
Germany incorporates a progressive
cable management system and is part
of a suite of freestanding and fitted
furniture units with a variety of internal
fixtures including wardrobes, lateral
filing and shelving. The division screen is
designed specifically to incorporate cable
management and hold the computer
VDU, mounted on a Humanscale monitor
arm. The personal desk storage unit was
designed by Bushells to satisfy the specific
requirements of Eircom staff. Bushells also
supplied meeting room and conference
tables with cable management, a variety
of meeting chairs, canteen furniture and
conference furniture. A wireless web access
area at the rear of the building features
Bushells’ frameless curved ‘Hotdesks’ with
a minimalistic look. Bushells maintain an
ongoing relationship with the facility staff
in Eircom, which includes direct requests
via an internal website as requirements
arise, thereby highlighting Eircom’s needs
to our project team immediately.
www.bushellinteriors.com
D&R Daylight Services in
Precast House (4)
The Flushglaze and Vision Vent range
by D & R Daylight Services was used
in the Precast House in Howth by
FKLarchitects. Opening and fixed flat glass
roof lights were specified for this highly
contemporary house. The concept is
based on an innovative design to achieve
maximum daylight, longevity and high
performance. The Flushglaze can be
tailored to meet many shapes and sizes
from square, rectangular, triangular and
circular. For more information on the roof
light range contact D&R Daylight Services
Ltd, T 01 409 7834,
www.domesandrooflightservices.com
5
SAS International’s System 600 in
Eircom (5)
SAS International developed and
produced a raft design that fitted within
the building’s elliptical pre-cast concrete
ceiling coffers. In this open plan office
development with exposed soffit,
suspended SAS International rafts were
an ideal choice as they maximize the
exposed area of concrete. The exposed
soffit allows for the thermal mass to be
exploited, however, acoustics can be a
particular concern. The narrow raft panels
primarily support the luminaires, house
smoke detectors and PIR sensors, but also
promote acoustic absorption. The office
floor plates are broken up by the core
areas for service elements such as lifts,
stairs, toilets and tea stations to achieve
an uncluttered office space. Above the
core areas, SAS International’s clip-in metal
System 150 ceiling tiles were specified, both
in perforated and plain forms.
www.sasint.co.uk
Maximizing functionality at Howth (6)
The Precast Kitchen Howth was supplied
by McNally Living, 44-46 Serpentine
Avenue, Dublin 4. The handleless Alno Art
Pro kitchen with real aluminum moulded
frames and high-gloss rear lacquered glass
doors creates a brilliant mirrored effect,
this door won a Red Dot Design Award in
2007. Designed with a streamlined effect
in mind while maximizing functionality
this door style was the ideal choice.
Complimented by Basaltina worktops
this ties in with the Aluminum recessed
handles & moulded frame detail. Behind
the kitchen doors is a wealth of fascinating
new storage features, ensuring the highest
standards of fittings and construction
not forgetting a high functioning
internal layout.
McNally have recently renovated their
Ballsbridge Showrooms & now have 4
Floors showing each of their brands in
their spacious new showroom. For more
information or to make an appointment
please phone 6604856.
www.mcnallyliving.ie
AI 246 - 57
RETROFITTING
An internal membrane that allows
vapour diffusion
yet remains completely airtight
- that’s intelligent!
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
IN HISTORIC BUILDINGS
CONFERENCE
Report by Eimear Hearne
For further information on Intello Plus
Intelligent vapour check, glues, tapes and seals:
www.ecologicalbuildingsystems.com
info@ecologicalbuildingsystems.com
Tel: 046 9432104
The Passive House Centre
Tr u s t e d
Solutions.
Beautiful
Results.
The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local
Government and Irish Georgian Society conference at Dublin
Castle in March brought together legislators, regulators,
designers, contractors, suppliers and building owners and
managers to address the issue of sustainable energy usage
in historic buildings. The 330 attendees were treated to
a large number of short presentations, some setting the
overall context, such as by Minister of State Michael Finneran
and DoEHLG Chief Architect Martin Colreavy, who spoke of
issues of sustainability at the scale of town planning. Martin
Vaughan of the DoEHLG described the status of the BER
scheme.
Indeed, the subsequent presentation by Dr Nigel Blades of
the National Trust for England, Wales and Northern Ireland
demonstrated how prudent management of energy had
resulted in a 35% reduction in consumption across National
Trust properties, without any changes to the fabric of the
buildings: a non-rigid approach to environmental control
allows internal temperatures to fluctuate over a wider range
than is normally considered acceptable, from 5 to 22 degrees.
Relative humidity is controlled within a 15% range, rather
than the 5% range more typically demanded for collections
of historic artifacts. Working with Phillips, a low energy bulb
which simulates a traditional incandescent bulb is being
developed, with more acceptable colour rendering than
a more usual compact fluorescent fitting. Responding to
questions from the floor, Kevin O’Rourke of SEI denied that
any BER assessors had been qualified who had not a building
related core trade or profession. As the day progressed, it
was clear that the complexity of the issues related to energy
performance and historic buildings were such as to challenge
the fundamental application of the BER system to historic
buildings.
Dr Gary White of the Crichton Carbon Centre presented
findings from recent research into Embodied Energy and
Life Cycle Assessment of buildings: the results indicate that,
when all embodied energy is taken into consideration,
upgraded traditional buildings will out-perform modern new
construction. Further, the lowest level of upgrade was found
to be more efficient in energy terms than more elaborate,
energy-consumption-generated upgrades. This leads
inexorably to a questioning of the BER assessment system,
where it appears that embodied energy is not sufficiently
The Passive House Centre has grown from the success of the brands
Quality HRV and Niveau Ireland.
We provide specialist knowledge, products and advice for those seeking
to build to passive or near passive house standard in Ireland.
Supplying and installing superior quality ventilation systems, windows,
doors and conservatories, we provide long-term guarantees on all
of our products, delivering excellence in air-tightness and home
comfort.
rewarded. Equally interesting were findings presented by Dr
Paul Baker of Glasgow Caledonian University, whose research
indicates that vertical sliding sash single-glazed windows
with working shutters have the same U-value as a double
glazed window.
Paul Arnold, of this parish, showed some thermographic
images which indicated the impact of dampness on heat loss
through masonry walls, and also reported on recent findings
from England where a study has shown that 19th century
court buildings have yet to be equalled by contemporary
constructions in terms of low energy consumption. Through
being top-lit, their naturally ventilated spaces are not
requiring air handling. Robert Barnham of Changeworks
Edinburgh outlined the practical and social issues related
to improving thermal efficiency through significant
engagement with building owners and users while Niall
McCullough commented on the relationship between new
architectural interventions and sustainability by reference to
several of his practice’s recent schemes. Edith Blennerhasset
of Buro Happold addressed the issue of mechanical and
electrical services in historic buildings, while Peter Smith
of Ecological Building Systems promoted the use of noncompressing and breathable materials for insulation.
A conference which generates such a large attendance
is clearly addressing current issues for society. While the
overall issue of thermal efficiency in historic buildings is the
subject of a DoEHLG advice series booklet to be published
in the autumn, one issue to emerge is the correct means of
assessing the energy performance of historic buildings, in
the context of the system of Building Energy Rating, which
may engender poor conservation practice in the pursuit of
narrowly conceived energy efficiency goals.
In this context, it is noteworthy that the conference’s co-host,
the Irish Georgian Society, is promoting sensitive solutions
for increasing the energy efficiency of historic buildings.
In partnership with local authority Conservation Officers
and Heritage Officers, the Georgian Society will be holding
regional seminars tailored for historic homeowners on this
theme in the second half of 2009. Notification of these
seminars, as well as abstracts and powerpoint presentations
of the Dublin Castle conference may be accessed on the
Society’s website www.igs.ie.
Call us today for more information.
Kilbeggan, Westmeath, Ireland.
Ph: +353 (0) 57 933 36 80
Fax: +353 (0) 57 933 21 06
www.thepassivehousecentre.ie
Concepts for a Beautiful Home
Superior Quality Windows, Doors &
Conservatories.
AI 246 - 59
G oing Passive
in E urope
The International Passive House Conference 2009, Germany
“Innovation finds its staunchest opponents in those who were
successful under the old conditions and its strongest supporters
among those who are successful under the new conditions”.
(from Machiavelli)
1
2
3
1 Terrace of externally insulated Passive
House dwellings (south facade) located
in a new ‘green’ residential quarter in
Darmstadt.
2 Irish delegates enjoy the sunny south side
of the 2007 ‘House of Tomorrow’ winner
erected in Darmstadt University
3 Externally insulated Passive House parish
Community Centre in the historic centre of a
small village near Darmstadt.
1. A passive house is a building in which
a comfortable interior climate can be
achieved without an active heating and
air conditioning system. The house ‘heats’
and cools itself purely passively and the
prerequisite is a specific annual thermal
heat requirement of less than 15kWh/
(sqm/a). A maximum total specific primary
energy requirement per sqm of floor space
of 120 kWh(sqm/a) for room heating, hot
water generation and residential electricity
consumption puts the emphasis on
renewable energy sources.
So spoke Professor Ludwig Rongen at the 13th Passive House
Conference, held in Frankfurt in April, which was attended by
a strong Irish delegation, supported by Sustainable Energy
Ireland (SEI). Professor Rongen’s theme was new opportunities
in architecture and he illustrated his presentation with a
range of architecturally stimulating buildings that also met
the remarkably low energy standards of the Passive House.
“Architecture must deal with the challenges of its times. Aesthetics
alone are not enough…yet the Passive House can also be aesthetic
and cost effective”.
The Passive House approach to low energy building1, which
provides a certifiable standard for energy consumption
of buildings in use, is now firmly established in Germany.
Frankfurt City Council passed a resolution towards achieving
a passive house standard for all city-owned and city used
buildings. www.stadt-frankfurt.de/energiemanagement
There were over 74 presentations during the two day
conference, presented within a number of themed working
group sessions which offered choice to the delegates. A most
useful publication I picked up at the associated exhibtion was
“Wir bauen uns ein Sonnenhaus” (We are building a PassiveHouse) – a wonderfully illustrated book aimed at the 5 to 10year-old and equally useful introduction for clients, contractors
and, professionals. (www.aap.architekten – to order English
version at a price of €19.50 plus post). Site visits were to a new
housing development in nearby Darmstadt; the 2007 winner of
a ‘house of tomorrow’ student competition which was erected
at Darmstadt University (www.solardecatholon.org ) and a
small community building located in the historic centre of a
neighbouring village.
A number of observations resonated with me after the
three days:
• Masterplanning/Site planning/Orientation: Orientation is
crucial – The housing schemes we visited were laid out on
a regular north/south grid Building heights and the space
between buildings are determined by sunlight angles.
While this can result in rather bland and repetitive layouts,
the quality of architectural and landscape design overcame
the limitations of the site plan.
• Greater space – wall thicknesses are greater, not just
external walls but internal partitions and party walls.
While there are some amazing developments in high
efficiency thin insulations (vacuum insulations can provide
up to 10 times greater efficiency), generally walls will be
considerably thicker, especially if using more ecological
materials. Plant rooms need more space – and all passive
Report by Gráinne Shaffrey
house buildings have plant rooms. Space is also needed to
accommodate the ventilation ductwork within even the
simplest of buildings.
• Co-ordinated design and planning – there is a greater
need to plan well in advance for passive house and ensure
thorough coordination of ‘services’ and architecture.
• A new on-site culture: the standard of finish we observed
during the site visits, in particular the mechanical
installations, was considerably higher than that generally
seen in Ireland. To have any chance of meeting these
standards – and the passive house approach is less forgiving
than traditional building systems with little tolerance on
aspects such as air-tightness and thermal bridging – we
need a whole new culture of on site practice which will
require greater responsibility and training of all participants
in the construction industry.
• A new culture of maintenance: While the overall
maintenance demand on the passive house is actually
quite low, critical areas such as the cleaning/renewal
of filters mean that maintenance regimes must be fully
implemented.
• Costs: The German experience is that the total additional
costs for Passive House, amortised over 10 to 20 years, are in
the order of 5 to 8%.
SEI and the Irish Building Regulations are directing us
towards Passive House design and construction standard
or something equivalent. If this is the future, then architects
and architectural technicians will need training. Other issues
which need to be addressed, if adopting this approach,
include the need to ensure that construction methods and
materials are appropriate for the prevailing climatic conditions
of the site – not all systems/materials which might work in
continental Europe will be suitable for Ireland. How concerned
should we be about the embodied energy of the materials
used? How adaptable is this system for the traditional solid,
breathable wall construction of which most of our older, pre
1950s buildings comprise? These are issues which SEI and
other state departments/agencies (the National Building
Agency perhaps?) can address through research, pilot projects,
case study publications and, critically, monitoring. For those
interested in up-skilling in this area, 10-day accredited courses
in Passive House planning will be available shortly in a number
of European countries, including the University of Strathclyde
in Glasgow. SEI is also hoping to arrange a 10-day course
tailored for Ireland.
SEI is to be congratulated for their support of the Irish
delegation. SEI is also responsible, through its Manager, Paul
Dykes, for the first English language version of the Passive
House Planning Package (PHPP). Further information on
www.sei.ie.
AI 246 - 61
The Passive House Centre has grown from the success of the brands
Quality HRV and Niveau Ireland.
We provide specialist knowledge, products and advice for those seeking
to build to passive or near passive house standard in Ireland.
Supplying and installing superior quality ventilation systems, windows,
doors and conservatories, we provide long-term guarantees on all
of our products, delivering excellence in air-tightness and home
comfort.
1
2
Call us today for more information.
PRODUCT NEWS
3
4
Kilbeggan, Westmeath, Ireland.
Ph: +353 (0) 57 933 36 80
Fax: +353 (0) 57 933 21 06
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
AND RETROFITTING
(1) The Kingspan Solar Range
Kingspan Solar provides efficient and cost effective
solar energy solutions that can be easily integrated
into the design or retro-fit of buildings. Thermomax
vacuum tube collectors meet the minimum Part L
requirements, supplying up to 70% of users’ annual
hot water needs. They provide the mandatory
renewable input of 10kWh/m²/annum contributing to
domestic hot water heating, space heating or cooling.
Thermomax FN flat panels are made solely from
environmentally-friendly and recyclable materials, and
are high performance flat panel collectors, specifically
designed for Northern European climates. Aeromax
Air Source Heat Pumps can supply up to 100 per
cent of Space Heating and Domestic Hot Water to Irish
homes all-year-round, and help reduce energy bills and
carbon emissions. Solamax is designed to generate
‘green’ electricity through the product’s photovoltaic
characteristics. The new Tandem Photovoltaic range
represents the best product of its kind available today
and Kingspan Solar offers the full service, from advising
on the best system, through to providing the most
suitable partners for installation.
www.kingspansolar.com.
(2) The Sustainable Way of Drying Hands –
Dyson Airblade
The Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer has become a
popular fixture in Irish shopping centres, restaurants
and hospitals and has just been specified for Terminal
2 at Dublin Airport. Quick and hygienic, it takes just 10
seconds to dry hands with a sheet of filtered air. But it is
sustainable too, using up to 80% less energy than warm
air hand dryers and dries 19 pairs of hands for the cost
of a single paper towel. Powered by Dyson’s long-life,
low energy digital motor, the Dyson Digital Motor
(DDM) produces an air stream flowing at 400mph.
This unheated air is channelled through a 0.3 millimetre
gap, no thicker than an eyelash. A sheet of air acts like
an invisible windscreen wiper to scrape moisture from
hands leaving them completely dry.
www.dysonairblade.com
(3) Monoslide60 – A Pioneering Moveable Glass Wall
The Monoslide60 is an innovative single track sliding
door capable of turning corners. This slide-and-stack
system of individual thermally broken aluminium panels
is unique to Sunparadise. The panels are capable of
navigating through bends of 90° to 180° into a remote
stacking area, suitable for multiple configurations. The
thermally broken aluminium system achieves an overall
U-value of just 1.8 (Uv = 1.8k/m2) and is compatible
with all Low-E glazing units up to 42mm thick including
in-glazed blinds with either magnetic or electronic
operation. The system is floor-supported with a top
guide track and high grade seals ensure excellent
weather rating. Available from Designflow Spielmanns.
www.designflow.ie and www.sunparadise.co.uk
(4) The Passive House Centre
Providing specialist knowledge, products and advice
for those seeking to build to passive house standard
in Ireland, the Passive House Centre has grown from
the success of the brands Quality HRV and Niveau
Ireland. Supplying and installing superior quality
ventilation systems, windows, doors and conservatories,
they provide long-term guarantees on all products,
delivering excellence in air-tightness and home comfort.
Products include superior quality windows, doors and
conservatories.
AI 246 - 63
the online space for all things architecture
visit architecturenow daily and keep the industry up-to-date with your practice news
in association with:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
20 09 A A I AWA R D S
Competition Assessors
Wilfried Wang, (critic and architect)
Grainne Hassett,
Hassett Ducatez Architects
Eero Koivisto,
Claesson Koivisto Rune Architects,
Stockholm
Dominic Papa,
S333 Architects, London
Tim Robinson, (artist and author),
Connemara (distinguished non-architect)
There was standing room only at the annual AAI Awards,
held at the Irish Architectural Archive in April, but Grafton
Architects would otherwise have received a standing ovation
from their peers as they collected double honours in form of
a Special Award for 7-9 Merrion Row and The Billets and the
prestigious Downes Medal for Università Luigi Bocconi, Milan.
Grafton Architects co-founder, Yvonne Farrell spoke movingly
of the emergence of an “architectural culture that exists in
Ireland today, without which we would not have been brave
enough to make this kind of architecture”. Farrell said she
therefore wanted to “share the award with everyone in the
room as well as with her colleagues, staff and co-director
Shelly McNamara who happened to be in Milan on the awards
evening”.
O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects received the second Special
Award for their Sean O’Casey Community Centre in the
East Wall. Assessor Grainne Hassett reflected eloquently on
a common theme in this year’s award-winning buildings,
namely the “relationship between the citizen and the
institution, and the choices made by the architects about
citizenship and communal values”.
Downes Medal
Università Luigi Bocconi, Milan (1)
Grafton Architects
Awards
House in Graiguenamanagh, Co Kilkenny (4)
Boyd Cody Architects
Light House Cinema, Smithfield, Dublin (5)
DTA Architects
Jig-Saw, Leeson Park, Dublin (6)
Lincoln Place, Dublin (7)
The Sleeping Giant, Killiney, Co Dublin (8)
O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects
The AAI also awarded 19 Special Mentions including for
Eurocampus by A2 Architects, featured in this issue. The 24th
AAI Awards Exhibition features the 27 entries selected by
the jury (the highest number ever), and include all the other
entries submitted. Details of venues are available on the AAI
website. The AAI Awards 2009 are also documented in book
form as the 24th volume of New Irish Architecture, published
by Gandon Editions. The AAI Awards are grant-aided by The
Arts Council and sponsored by Tegral Building Products Ltd.
www.architecturalassociation.ie
Special Awards
7-9 Merrion Row + The Billets, Dublin (2)
Grafton Architects
Seán O’Casey Community Centre,
East Wall, Dublin (3)
O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects
www.architecturenow.ie
AI 246 - 65
archer heritage planning
PRODUCT GALLERy
ROOFING AND
C U R TA I N WA L L I N G
is a proven partnership of experienced consultants who have delivered
nationwide archaeological projects at all levels over the last twelve years. Our aim is to provide strong representation to
local authorities and statutory bodies on behalf of our clients. We recognise the need to balance our clients focus on
cost, quality and delivery with the need to protect our heritage.
archer heritage planning are
We offer the following services
• Archaeological Test Trenching
• Archaeological Monitoring
• Archaeological Excavation
• EIA
• Constraints Reports and Route
Options
• Landscape Survey
• Historic Building Survey
• Geophysical Survey
Aidan O’Connell BA MIAI
aidan@archerheritage.ie
087 3938482
Ciaran McGuinness CPA MBA
ciaran@archerheritage.ie
087 9830910
Robert O’Hara BA MIAI
rob@archerheritage.ie
0872968309
archer heritage planning have extensive experience of large and small projects, for public and private sector
clients, working closely with developers, local authorities, government agencies, planning consultants, architects, and
engineers.
archer heritage planning our collective experience in managing and delivering archaeological projects ensures
fast, accurate and cost-effective delivery of service.
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Curtain Walling (1)
Double Skin Façade by Wicona
The double-skin façade for the award-winning Beatson
Cancer Research Facility at the University of Glasgow uses
an innovative system of Wicona unitised curtain walling.
Designed by Edinburgh-based Architects Reiach and Hall
(www.reiachandhall.co.uk), the £12m scheme is a world
centre of excellence for cancer research. It takes the form of
a transparent crystalline cube, which reflects the advanced
nature of the research and contrasts with the historic nature
of the site and the surrounding walled garden. According
to project architect Nick Richardson, the particular project
challenge was to achieve “a high degree of transparency and
natural light into the centre of the building, while the nature
of the research demanded a very precise and constant internal
temperature”.
Wicona unitised curtain walling was specified to maximise
light transmission while reducing solar gain. Each double
skin unitised panel carries a pane of laminated structurally
bonded glass on the outside, with a double glazed unit behind.
Insulated opaque glass conceals services, and the third face
of the external glass is fritted. The pattern was designed as
an art piece by artist Alan Johnston, and provides an unusual
solar screen, and reduces the amount of UV light entering
the building. The façade units are up to 3.9m high and 1.6m
wide and were prefabricated and glazed off site, reducing
installation time and improving quality control.
www.wicona.ie and www.wiconaprojects.co.uk
archer heritage planning offer the same range and quality of service at a fraction of the cost of our competitors.
Roofing
The roof plays a primal role in our lives; we can see it in the earliest
childhood images and the most primitive buildings are nothing
but a roof. Roofs radiate a fundamental sense of shelter, as in the
defining phrase that describes a home – ‘a roof over your head’.
Architecture Ireland profiles innovative contemporary roofing
solutions.
ARCHEOLOGICAL & HERITAGE CONSULTANTS
archer
heritage
planning
Unit 8 BEAT Centre
Stephenstown
Balbriggan
Co. Dublin
phone: 01 8020403
email: ciaran@archerheritage.ie
fax:
web:
01 8020471
www.archerheritage.ie
.com
looking after the future
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The complete range to give a continuous internal seal
For further information on our Intello Plus Intelligent vapour check as well
as non aging durable glues, tapes and seals please contact:
Ecological Building Systems on 046 9432104
visit www.ecologicalbuildingsystems.com
or email info@ecologicalbuildingsystems.com
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Roofing Ireland – Tegral (2)
We know all about wind-driven rain in Ireland. Here, roofs must
run the rain off. For generations most ordinary buildings were
covered in thatch of some sort. From the early 19th century
onwards, however, slate replaced thatch as the most common
roofing material on all types of building, from prestigious
public buildings to ordinary houses. Impermeable, versatile and
aesthetically pleasing, the essential quality of slate as a roofing
material is its relative lightness, workability and durability.
Over the past 70 years, Tegral has extended and maintained
the tradition of slating in Ireland. That process continues today,
through the innovative use of a new generation of Tegral
slates. The fibrecement manufacturing process, as used by
Tegral, was developed at the beginning of the 20th century.
The combination of fully compressed raw materials produced
a strong, flexible and durable material. Fibrecement has many
intrinsic qualities that make it an excellent material for building
components: it is inert, resistant to fire and chemicals and is
unaffected by changes in temperature.
Tegral’s ThrutonePlus and Rivendale slates were developed
specifically to closely resemble the appearance of natural slates
at a fraction of the cost. They have a relatively low embodied
energy rating compared to other roofing materials, due to a
low intensity production process. Manufactured in Ireland
using the latest coating technology, ThrutonePlus slates offer
the best of both worlds in terms of beauty and function. The
slate is available in the traditional smooth surface finish or in a
textured surface as ThrutonePlus Relief. ThrutonePlus comes
with a 20 year colour guarantee and improved edge treatment.
There is a comprehensive range of shapes and colours available
to suit any project. Building on proven Thrutone technology,
Rivendale slates include a textured surface and ‘dressed edge’.
Available in Blue-Black and Heather colours, Rivendale also
comes with a 20-year colour guarantee.
The allure of the traditional image of steeply pitched, smooth,
blue-black slated roofs defining the Irish skyline remains
strong. Whatever type of project you are planning or designing,
whether a single rural dwelling or a development of houses,
you can take pride in using the most popular roof covering in
Ireland for generations – Tegral slates – while also supporting
Irish jobs. Tegral plays a significant role in the development of
both national and international roofing standards and has a
deep, practical understanding of the needs of both designers
and builders.
Tegral’s Technical Support Department is available on
T + 353 (0)59 8631316 and www.tegral.com
Bangor Blues from Lagan Building Solutions (3)
Bangor Blues from the Penrhyn quarry, so called after the Welsh
port from which they were originally shipped, have been used
to roof buildings throughout Ireland since the 14th century.
Available from LBS (Lagan Building Solutions), these slates
are universally acknowledged as the best quality slate in the
world and have a lifespan measures in centuries, not decades.
In addition to its own quarries in Wales, LBS also offer a range
of slates from other parts of the world including Spain and the
Americas. These slates all adhere to BS EN 12326:1:2004 and
come with comprehensive quarry backed guarantees. LBS
complement its roofing portfolio by offering a range of clay
tiles, roof space ventilation, roofing accessories (including
copper and zinc) and breather membrane roofing felts.
In addition to roofing, LBS have also two new divisions:
Z Stone® – an innovative natural stone cladding system which
encompasses pieces of stone backed onto on a pre-fabricated
cement backed panel, which is extremely cost effective and
easy to use. LBS Natural Flooring – a range of natural stone
tiles (marble, limestone and slate) in addition to a range
of timber flooring (solid flooring, engineered flooring and
laminate flooring). LBS have an in-house technical department
offering specialist advice on all its product range in addition to
personalized CPD seminars.
www.LBSproducts.com
AI 246 - 67
P roduct G aller y
F urniture N ews
Launched at Milan Furniture Fair
The Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano, which takes place annually in April in the Italian
style capital, is arguably the most important launch pad for new furniture designs. Architecture
Ireland profiles some of the most interesting product launches, available from Irish suppliers
Minima, Bob Bushell and Walls2Workstations.
German furniture manufacturer Knoll
celebrated 70 years of its ‘Good Design
is Good Business’ philosophy with
an exclusive evening at their Milan
showroom. The event saw the launch
of new collections by well known
architects and designers, along with
the introduction of new products and
finishes for existing collections.
Known for his ability to anticipate trends
and for his use of innovative materials
and organic forms, Ross Lovegrove
has created a radical new collection for
KnollStudio. The collection includes
a range of circular and rectangular
tables and table desks alongside low
level pedestals and credenzas (above).
At the heart of the new collection is a
commitment to the environment and
sustainability. The frames are produced
from 90% recycled steel which fold flat
for shipping to save on air transport.
Available from www.w2w.ie
ECOSE™ TECHNOLOGY
Knauf Insulation glass and rock mineral wool made with
ECOSETM Technology doesn’t look or feel like any insulation you’ve ever experienced. That’s because the natural brown colour
represents a level of sustainability and handling never before achieved.
The brown colour comes from ECOSETM Technology, a revolutionary, new sustainable binder born from 5 years of intensive
research. Made from rapidly renewable organic materials rather than oil based chemicals commonly used in other
insulation products, ECOSETM Technology reduces binder embodied energy by up to 70%, and does not contain added
formaldehyde, phenol, acrylics or artificial colours used to make traditional glass mineral wool insulation. The result is
environmental credentials above our already A+ rated products in the BRE Green Guide, and an insulation product in
full compliance with ‘formaldehyde free’ specifications. All this combined with the same reliable thermal and acoustic
performance you’ve come to expect from mineral wool.
The world of insulation has changed, and Knauf Insulation is adding the feel good factor.
For more information please visit www.feelgoodinsulation.com
Ref: ETA96409
Arper continues to stand out for its
creativity, originality of its lines and
elegance. Arper presented several new
collections including Saari (below), a new
seating collection conceived for bars,
restaurants, hotels and tea rooms. With a
balanced formal synthesis of classic and
contemporary, the collection includes
various types of seating: chair, armchair
and bucket chair. Available from
www.w2w.ie
New from Alias is Stabiles, a system
of tables designed by Alfredo Haberli
(below), with inspiration from the steel
structures designed by Alexander Calder
between 1945 and 1985. The lacquered
hardwood tables are available in
different heights and sizes.
Available from Bob Bushell
www.bushellinteriors.com
Andreu World presented at Milan a
versatile new chair line, entitled Lineal
Confidente (above), which is suitable for
both the contract market (i.e. offices and
conference halls) as wells the private
home. The chair has been designed by
Lievore Altherr Molina for Andreu World.
In the Lineal line, shapes have been
reduced to the essential without lacking
luxury. www.andreuworld.com
Also designed by Molina, a new outdoor
range, entitled LandscapeOne is intended
for both formal and informal use. The
line comes with an oversized sofa,
tables, chairs and armchair. A specially
developed new wood ECOLINGUS
provides an alternative to teak and offers
a similar weather-resistant function.
Minima’s new Waterfront
Minima (below), which has brought
such esteemed designers as Bruno
Fattorini of MDF Italia and Romeo Sozzi
of Promemoria to Ireland has taken
up a new 200m2 showroom in the
Waterfront development (designed by
BKD Architects) just a short stroll from
Libeskind’s new Grand Canal Theatre.
“Despite the recent downturn, people
are renovating and investing in what
they have”, says managing director
Helen Kilmartin who founded the
company in 1996. Kilmartin’s vision is
to “create an interior of excellence in
Dublin, where the best in European
design is accessible to everyone”. On
display are pieces by Cassina, B&B Italia,
Emmemobili, Arper, MDF Italia, Flexform,
Alias, Rimadesio and many others. In the
global economic crisis, Minima has been
able to negotiate significant discounts
with suppliers, which will be passed on
to clients. www.minima.ie
Available from Minima
www.minima.ie
Cassina’s I Contemporanei collection
of renowned Italian and international
designers launched the new Eve
(above) chair by Piero Lissoni. A unique
concept chair, Eve is extremely light and
minimalistic and extremely adaptable
thanks to its purity of form.
AI 246 - 69
touch
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P R O D U C T S & T E C H N O LO G Y
P roduct news
1 (Left to right) Ashley Heath, Chairman
of The Tile Association, Lisa Geoghegan,
General Manager, TileStyle,
Mary Hennessy, Sales Director, TileStyle
and Tom McMurtrie, Sales & Operations
Director, British Ceramic Tile Ltd
(2) Alcoa Architectural Products in Award-Winning
Danish Scheme
Reynobond Architecture aluminium composite panels in bright
colours, painted with DURAGLOSS and Natural Aluminium
Brushed, have been used in an award-winning building by
Bjarke Ingels Group´s (BIG). The Mountain Dwellings residential
project in Copenhagen was a category winner at the World
Architecture Festival in 2008. The residential building,
including a large car park, was designed by the architects
Bjarke Ingels and Jakob Lange of BIG. Alcoa Architectural
Products employs 97,000 in 34 different countries, and
produces and sells products ranging from composite panels
to household foil.
www.alcoa.com
Simply feel the difference with our vast range of StoVentec
render finishes for our rainscreen cladding systems. From uneven
substrates to dynamic curves and even black surfaces, it’s our
most versatile offering. All are readily available and come with
the technical performance you expect from Sto systems.
•
•
•
•
Exceptional thermal performance and weather protection
Incredibly light weight
Range of exclusive decorative finishes from classical to quirky
Over 800 colours available including black
[ Rainscreen Cladding ]
Façade Renders
Acoustic Ceilings
Insulated Renders
Decorative Finishes
To find out more visit
www.StoVentec.co.uk
(1) Award for TileStyle
At The Tile Association Awards in Birmingham in April, TileStyle
won a prestigious award for ‘Excellence in Independent
Retailing’. The Awards recognise excellence within the tile
industry and has over 750 member companies across Ireland
and the UK. Having competed with stores throughout Ireland
and the UK, the TileStyle team is very proud to have won this
award, which recognises superior retail management and
customer care levels, as well as excellent staff training and
product display standards. TileStyle moved from North Wall
Quay to a new showroom at Ballymount Retail Centre in March
2008 and now operates from Europe’s Largest Tile and Stone
Showroom. “Innovative products and displays, as well as a
keen awareness of the importance of customer service have
always been integral to the TileStyle ethos and it is wonderful
to have our efforts recognised by the industry”, says TileStyle’s
Managing Director, Robin McNaughton.
www.tilestyle.ie
(3) Armstrong Ceilings Recycling Programme
The Armstrong Ceilings Recycling Programme is a meaningful
initiative from the world’s foremost producer of suspended
ceiling systems. Their extended ‘End of Life’ recycling
programme now includes most types of Armstrong mineral
fibre tiles produced after January 2000. These can be 100%
recycled using a highly efficient process which involves
breaking the old tiles down into a slurry and using it as a raw
material for making new ceiling tiles. Armstrong can and do
use 100% of the recycled tiles within their manufacturing
process. Armstrong also collects your old ceiling tiles. In 2004,
Armstrong commissioned the Building Research Establishment
to profile their UK ceiling and grid manufacturing facilities
and products. Their rating of 0.16 Ecopoints gives a lower
environmental impact than the generic norm of 0.22
Ecopoints. Additional work since then has reduced Armstrong’s
rating by some 40% to a meagre 0.10 Ecopoints. Armstrong
continues to be the only ceiling manufacturer with a BRE
‘Ecopoint’ profile.
www.armstrong.com
(4) Kingspan CPD Programme
Kingspan Solar currently offers an RIAI-approved CPD seminar
on Solar Thermal Technology and its applications. To request
further information or to book a seminar, please email
cpd@kingspan-renewables.com. To find out more on the new
Kingspan Solar products or KSAIS, see
www.kingspansolar.com.
Appointments at DORMA
Leading suppliers of door technology
systems, DORMA has appointed Ian
Howell as their key Sales Executive for
its Automatics and Service divisions in
Northern Ireland. Ian was previously
with MB architectural, an architectural
ironmongery company and agent for
DORMA Controls in Northern Ireland.
Founded in Germany in 1908, DORMA supplies door hardware,
automatic doors, glass systems and fittings, door service and
maintenance, and movable walls.
www.dorma.com
AI 246 - 71
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I nterview with
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M anuel A ires M ateus
The Limit as the Centre
By Sandra Andrea O’Connell
Manuel Aires Mateus is one of Portugal’s most eminent and
prolific architects. In practice since the late 1980s, initially with his
brother Francisco, his work ranges from the scale of master plans
– having recently won a competition for the urban regeneration
of Parque Mayer and Lisbon’s Botanic Garden – to landmark
cultural and educational buildings such as Sines Cultural Centre
and the Rector’s Office at Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Aires
Mateus has also just embarked on the practice’s first sustainable
office building for Portuguese energy company EDP, yet the
Lisbon-based architect is arguably best known for his one-off
houses. In projects such as House in Litoral Alentejano or House in
Alenquer – a finalist for the Mies van der Rohe Prize – Manuel Aires
Mateus demonstrated remarkable skill for reinventing traditional
boundaries between exterior and interior. Courtyards play an
important part in his designs, as the introverted interior spaces
open onto outdoor rooms that provide soft indirect light.
practices were joined by Portugal’s new generation such as Nuno
Graça Moura, Inês Lobo, Gonçalo Cardosa de Menezes, and Nuno
Brandão Costa.
“I like designing houses better than anything else”, admits
Aires Mateus, “it is a program that I prefer”. “What I enjoy is that
everyone gets more involved; as a client you care much more
about your home than you do about your office headquarters”.
Mateus believes that it is important to understand how his clients
see themselves living in the space but each house also becomes a
personal search: “In each project, I always design ‘my’ new house”,
says the architect, “and I feel that every house I design, is mine”.
A current project close to his heart and philosophy are the twelve
detached and seven terraced holiday villas he designed for the
innovative Bom Sucesso scheme north of Lisbon, near the medieval
town of Óbidos. The project is unique in European architecture as
a total of 23 architects from Portugal, Spain and the UK, including
Stirling Prize winner David Chipperfield, have been commissioned
to design 601 holiday villas on a large estate, which includes an
18-hole golf course and luxury hotel alongside other facilities.
Manuel Aires Mateus praises the vision of developer Paulo Graça
Moura, who initially approached Pritzker Prize winner Álvaro Siza
Vieira with the idea. Siza Vieira’s first shortlist of seven practices
– which included Aires Mateus and his former mentor Gonçalo
Byrne – began quickly to multiply into 23, as the more established
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For the developers, the unique value and selling point of Bom
Sucesso is the architecture. In a falling property market, Marketing
Director Maria do Carmo Moreira believes that these architectdesigned villas will hold their value like a “piece of art”, offering
clients the opportunity to invest in “tomorrow’s architectural
heritage”. The strategy received the backing from the Mayor
of Óbidos, Dr Telmo Faria, who intends to take on the current
economic crisis by making the town and surrounding area
known for innovation, sustainability and its knowledge economy,
attracting professionals from all over the world. With a population
of 12,000 in the Óbidos area, he is investing 51% of his municipal
budget in infrastructure and social intervention (including new
international schools), preparing to sell carbon credits on the stock
market, while attracting multinationals such as Philips and energy
company EDP.
Manuel Aires Mateus considers Bom Sucesso a “very positive
experience” and he enjoys working alongside some of Portugal’s
best architects, many of which are his friends. He commends
project initiator Paulo Graça Moura for “having the vision” of
giving architects the opportunity to collaborate and develop new
ideas on such a large scheme. The project came with a design
framework, setting out construction methods, materials and
finishes. For example, the aluminium glazing system (designed by
architect Eduardo Souto Moura) is universal, and only the size of
the glass panes could be chosen by the architects. The majority
of the houses on the 219 hectare site are single storey – the
exception being a dozen or so two-storey villas by Álvaro Siza
Vieira, David Chipperfield and others – and all have green roofs
to blend in with the soft contours of this undulating landscape.
Exterior finishes were also restricted to white render and a natural
palette such as the terracotta terraced houses by Gonçalo Byrne.
Mateus acknowledges the design restrictions of Bom Sucesso,
yet argues that the savings made by the developers by using the
same construction methods and glazing systems, was instead
1 House in Alenquer
by Aires Mateus
2 House in Literal Alentejano
by Aires Mateus
3 & 4 Design of holiday villas
by Aires Mateus for Bom
Sucesso in Óbidos, Portugal
5 & 6 Design for the new EDP
headquarters, Lisbon by
Aires Mateus
7 Sines Cultural Centre by
Aires Mateus
8 Underground exhibition
space in the Fairytale
Museum, Malaga by
Aires Mateus
9 Manuel Aires Mateus and
Sandra O’Connell in his
Lisbon studio
put into the architecture and landscape. He also admits that he
is “not interested in colour” and uses white for all his residential
work, which allows him “to work with the light” – one of his core
materials. This is even evident in his own studio on one of Lisbon’s
steep and windy streets. Entered from a modest doorway beside
a green grocer’s, the studio on Rua Silva Carvalho is reached via a
long narrow corridor that opens up onto a dramatic and spacious
double-height studio. A void carved out on one end fills the studio
with light, which gently illuminates the white surfaces.
In the design of his Bom Sucesso villas, Manuel Aires Mateus
returned to some of the major themes of his work. For example
the dichotomy between inside and outside is reflected in the
thick walls that provide “a sense of enclosure and privacy” for
the owners – a key objective in an estate of 601 villas. Spaces
open instead onto interior courtyards and “thick solid walls”
are used as secondary compartments that include utility spaces
like bathrooms. However, the presence of these walls is more
a philosophical rather than a practical consideration for the
architect: “My philosophy is to accept the limit as the centre”, says
Manual Aires Mateus. “In the 20th century, we have been driven by
the idea of ‘not building’ and the dream of transparency, which is
only possible in computer programmes like photoshop. A building
has to be solid and should work on this specific quality. My work
starts therefore with the necessity of having mass. And once you
build it, you have to accept its function and the field of possibilities
increases with the function.”
Consideration of mass and solidity were also major themes in his
design for the Grand Canal Hotel in Dublin Docklands. “The idea
was to relate the building to Ireland’s ancient architecture, its
geology and the country’s position on the edge of Europe”, says
Aires Mateus. “The building was to be contained by the presence
of rocks. We designed the ground floor as an ‘in-between’
structure and the upper bedrooms were also being held by very
heavy elements. The space in between was to be very clear and
we wanted to give a feeling of protection”, explains Aires Mateus.
However, he is critical of the completed building and argues that
his original design has not been realised. “Our hotel has not been
built; it is just an image in the air”, says Aires Mateus and concludes
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that his practice “has learned an important lesson of how not to
lose control of a project”.
Geology, topography and “how a building touches the ground” are
continuous themes in the work of Aires Mateus from his student
residence in Coimbra, where he used the site’s sloped morphology
in the organisation of the lower levels of the building to his current
projects. The practice recently won the competition for one of
Lisbon’s most important public parks – Parque Mayer and the
Botanic Gardens. The steeply falling site section is employed to
make a new street around it, which will connect to street level and,
at the same time, protect the garden at its core. In his design for a
new ‘Fairytale Museum’ in Malaga, Mateus excavates the ground
to house the new museum facilities – a strategy that allows him to
keep the pure form of the existing 17th century convent building.
The underground passage and the “sequence of movement”
designed by Mateus will also take visitors symbolically from their
ordinary lives into the world of fairytale. “It will be an Alice in
Wonderland experience”, illustrates the architect.
At home in Lisbon, the office has just embarked on their first
large-scale sustainable office building – the new headquarters
for energy company EDP, which they won last year through a
design competition. The practice believes that sustainability
should be achieved through passive measures and design from
‘first principles’. “We should use our weapon – architecture – to
resolve these issues”, explains Mateus and adds that the resultant
building should be “very clear”. In the case of EDP, the brise
soleil which envelops the building has been designed to also
act as the structure. The result will be both practical and poetic
– “a symphony of shadow and light”, in the words of Mateus.
Undoubtedly, his work will continue to enthral – from the small
scale of his houses to the large scale of urban planning.
The Portuguese architecture magazine DARCO has published a
comprehensive monograph, focusing entirely on the public work:
www.arcomagazine.com
Aires Mateus e Associados www.airesmateus.com
Bom Sucesso www.bomsucesso.net
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James J ohnson S weeney
in the A rchitecture of
M odernism
By Raymund Ryan
Fifty years ago this October,
the Guggenheim Museum
finally opened on New York’s
Fifth Avenue. The realisation
of this “Non-Objective” dream
of collector Solomon R.
Guggenheim, his aesthetic
advisor Hilla Rebay and their
architect, the legendary Frank
Lloyd Wright, took somewhat
longer than initially planned.
Back in the early 1940s – when
Wright produced a dazzling set
of massing studies, each a wilful
departure from the rectilinear
Manhattan grid – Surrealism was
all the rage. Fifteen years later,
Guggenheim was long dead
and Abstract Expressionism had
copper-fastened New York’s
role as global art capital. Wright
himself had expired months
before the inauguration of
his East Coast masterwork, an
inauguration presided over
not by Rebay but by James
Johnson Sweeney, the able son
of Donegal immigrants.
We see Sweeney in official
period photographs as the
tuxedoed master of ceremonies,
welcoming visitors into the now
iconic void of Wright’s rotunda.
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Amid the fashionable crowd,
looking for the first time at the
ramp spiralling overhead, are
Brancusi sculptures, stars in
the firmament of Modern Art
yet somehow adrift at the base
of Wright’s pantheon. The fact
is that Wright and Sweeney
had had multiple disputes,
disagreeing on interior colour
(Wright wanted a rich cream,
like the exterior; Sweeney,
the High Modernist, insisted
on white), storage capacity,
lighting, and – most famously
– display methodology. The
architect envisaged paintings
inclined against his sloping
outer walls; Sweeney retaliated
with prosthetic rods to enable
each work be viewed as an
orthogonal unit in this resolutely
non-orthogonal, total work of
art.
Sweeney was a Jesuit boy; one
of a large family (successful
importers of fabric to the
United States); and one of
the
intellectuals
gathered
by Alfred Barr at New York’s
Museum of Modern Art, rising
to be Director of Painting and
Sculpture in 1945. Sweeney was
also a prolific author. In his 1940
monograph on Paul Klee, for
instance, Sweeney castigated
“the inelastic, inorganic, antivital, machine-attitude” in
favour of “the free development
of sensibility and intelligence”
– words with which Wright
could scarcely disagree. And, in
a rare architectural digression,
Sweeney co-authored with
Josep Lluis Sert, Dean of
Harvard’s Graduate School
of Design, a timely study of
the then marginalised Antoni
Gaudí. The duo advocated “a
more sculptural expression
in architecture” and “greater
variety in the character of
buildings”.
So what went wrong at the
Guggenheim? Wright had never
built a major art museum and,
though knowledgeable about
(and a dealer in) Japanese
prints, was not tuned to the
artistic vanguard. He also had
a tendency to recycle designs.
The inverted ziggurat on Fifth
Avenue – an early sketch is titled
TARUGGIZ – has antecedents
in unrealised proposals for
Pittsburgh commissioned by
Edgar Kaufmann, Wright’s
client at Fallingwater, and in
San Francisco’s V.C. Morris
gift shop, built in 1948. To
Wright’s credit, Guggenheim
and Rebay’s original intent was
limited to the 700 or so works
they had collected in the 1930s.
With Rebay’s exit in 1953, some
of her favourite artists were
sidelined as Sweeney began to
actively acquire large Abstract
Expressionist paintings, the
first U.S. art movement of truly
global consequence.
Wright canvassed behind the
scenes, hoping perhaps to have
Sweeney replaced by Edgar
Kaufmann jr., then at MoMA.
Sweeney was certainly aware
of the situation, as evidenced
by correspondence with Louis
Carré, Fernand Léger’s dealer
and client for Alvar Aalto
near Paris. In one of many
tangents to his influence in U.S.
cultural politics, to this web of
Modernism, Sweeney must also
have been in the loop regarding
Aalto’s commission for the
Woodberry Poetry Room at
Harvard. His brother Jack – poet,
scholar, collector – was curator
1 - 3 Sweeney at inauguration
of the Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum,
New York, 1959.
© The Solomon R.
Guggenheim Foundation,
New York
4 James Johnson Sweeney
with Ludwig Mies van der
Rohe in Cullinan Hall, March
1964. Photograph by Hickey
& Robertson. Museum of
Fine Arts, Houston Archives
5 Preliminary Wright proposal
for the Solomon
R. Guggenheim Museum
© 2009, The Frank Lloyd
Wright Foundation,
Scottsdale, Arizona
6 “Pierre Soulages: A
Retrospective Exhibition”
installed in Cullinan Hall,
March 20 – May 22, 1966.
Photograph by Allen
Mewbourn. Museum of Fine
Arts, Houston Archives
7 “Three Spaniards: - Picasso,
Miró, Chillida” installed in
Cullinan Hall, February 6 –
March 19, 1962. Photograph
by Hickey & Robertson.
Museum of Fine Arts,
Houston Archives
of this beautiful interior, recently
threatened with modernisation
yet still a kind of Nordic oasis
with views to Quincy Street and,
today, a large portrait of Seamus
Heaney. The later bequest of
Jack Sweeney’s widow, Máire
MacNeill, to the National Gallery
of Ireland includes work by
Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani.
As the art world in Ireland
discovered with ROSC ’67 and
ROSC ’71 (Sweeney was jury
chairman and Patrick Scott
designer for both), Sweeney
had of course his own ideas
on exhibition design. In an
interview with Selden Rodman
published in 1957, Wright
rationalised his sloping walls
with the argument that “the
angle of the picture is tilted just
as it is on the artist’s easel” and
brushed aside an objection that
“the modern artist doesn’t use
an easel. At least not the nonobjective painters this museum
collects.” That same year, as the
museum neared completion, a
stellar list of artists – including
de Kooning, Guston, Kline and
Motherwell – published an
Open Letter in which they stated
that Wright’s design “indicates
a callous disregard for…the
adequate visual contemplation
of works of art.” Curators have
been at odds ever since.
As has often happened with a
high-profile museum project,
soon after the Guggenheim’s
inauguration, its Director quit.
However Sweeney re-surfaced,
brilliantly, to lead the Museum
of Fine Arts Houston for most of
the 1960s. In Houston, Sweeney
inherited the first phase of
extensions to the Beaux Arts
museum. This curving pavilion,
radiating from the original
edifice and bending to echo
Bissonnet Street to the north,
was by none other than Ludwig
Mies van der Rohe. Mies, the
Master of Orthogonality, had
in fact drawn curved plans in
the 1930s, proposals for the
Reichsbank, Berlin (1933) and
the Verseidag Building in Krefeld
(1937). Also, as shown by such
photo-collages as those for the
Resor House in Wyoming (1939),
Mies had his own classically
Modern and gravity-defying
ideas regarding the integration
of art and structure.
In Houston, Sweeney made
dramatic use of Mies’s interior,
suspending large canvases
from the ceiling so that they
hung in pure, Modernist space.
He even dug up a strip of
lawn along Bissonnet to make
a shallow reflecting pool in
which he placed statues by
Picasso. For this the first phase
of Mies’s master plan, the steel
was painted white; today, it’s
black. On October 25, 1969,
accompanied by Philip Johnson
and Phyllis Lambert, Sweeney
delivered Mies’s eulogy at Crown
Hall, Chicago. “One has only to
think,” Sweeney declared, “of
Mies’…collage designs for ‘an
ideal museum for a small city’—
to realize how much he enjoyed
paintings and sculpture and
his respect for them. In these
projects one is hardly aware
of the architecture.” After his
dealings with so many famous
architects, this, for Sweeney,
was the highest possible praise.
This summer, the New
York Guggenheim has two
celebratory exhibitions:
Frank Lloyd Wright: From
Within Outward
May 15 – August 23, 2009
The Sweeney Decade:
Acquisition at the 1959
Inaugural
June 5 – September 2, 2009
AI 246 - 75
1 & 2 Colour is an important design
tool in Martha Schwartz’s
work such as in the Mesa Art
Centre, Arizona (1) and Grand
Canal Square, Dublin (2)
1
2
T he D N A of
landscape
Lectures by Martha Schwartz and Partners,
West 8 and Agence Ter
Three recent lectures by internationally renowned landscape
designers – all with projects in the Dublin Docklands – presented
fascinating perspectives on the discipline. Architecture Ireland
spoke with the designers on the occasion of their public talks in
the Dublin Docklands.
Martha Schwartz has been surrounded by architects all her
life – her father, uncle, husband, sister and son are architects
– yet she always considered the discipline of landscape
design a much more creative and experimental field. “I grew
up on the floor in my father’s office”, recalled Schwartz, “but
the idea of having to work out all these details did not appeal
to me; I always wanted to be an artist instead”. Following her
studies in fine art, Schwartz quickly became known for her
large-scale landscape designs. “When I left art school, public
art had not yet been invented but I wanted to build big art”,
explained the landscape designer. She enjoys the possibility
the discipline offers for bringing about change within a
shorter time-span and considers it a rich subject matter.
Her work is regarded to be on the convergence of fine art
and landscape design, for example her striking red poles for
Grand Canal Square in the Dublin Docklands are placed in
carefully arranged compositions with sculptural fountains
and vibrantly coloured planters and seats.
Of the three landscape practices, Martha Schwartz and
Partners are the only practice with a completed project
in Dublin. Arriving from London for her evening lecture,
Schwartz took a stroll around Grand Canal Square and was
“thrilled” how her design is being enlivened by lunchtime
activities and the new buildings around it: “I like the way the
buildings enclose the space now; the planting looks luscious
in the light; the place is lively, clearly people like to be there”,
commented Schwartz. The landscape designer praised
the courage and foresight of the Docklands’ Architecture
Department of making an urban space before any of the
buildings were completed. “John McLaughlin and the
DDDA had the vision of what needed to happen here”, says
Schwartz.
In her design for Grand Canal Square, Schwartz “took the
Libeskind aesthetic and applied it to the ground”. Shards
By Sandra Andrea O’Connell
of stone emerge from the ground to make fountains, a
path of cracked glass leads like a red carpet to the theatre
façade, while the striking red poles mediate between the
mass of the theatre and the human scale of the passerby.
The landscape designer recalls being “very nervous” when
first presenting her idea to Daniel Libeskind. He, however,
responded enthusiastically to her concept of an “active
dialogue between the theatre and the public space” and
both practices have been collaborating ever since their
introduction by the Dublin Docklands.
Martha Schwartz’s striking red poles have achieved
somewhat iconic status and feature regularly in TV series
portraying modern Ireland. She believes that colour is a
highly emotive subject, arguing that “white men are most
uncomfortable around it”. Schwartz has used colour with
great success in her work, for example in her design for
the Mesa Art and Entertainment Center in Arizona. In this
landscape of light and shadow, coloured glass canopies and
raised glass screens cast coloured shadows on the ground.
For New York’s Jacob Javits Plaza, Schwartz designed
twisting strands of bright green coloured benches, which
offer intimate circles for groups and outside curves for those
who wish to lunch alone.
Schwartz’s landscapes are playful, whimsical and there
to be engaged with. She is delighted when she notices
skateboarders and other urban life taking control. I see
myself as creating “attractive nuisances” in cities, illustrated
Schwartz. One of her difficulties with a recent project for
Dubai, where public life is restricted to shopping malls,
was the “absence of street life and spectacle”. She is critical
of much of the development in Dubai, which focuses
solely on the architecture of iconic buildings and not on
the connections between them. By contrast, Paris where
trees are considered part of the infrastructure – offers her
a “spatial thrill”. Schwartz believes that you don’t need big
spaces to make good landscape design but a big idea. “You
can change the world with an idea”, said Schwartz, and
concluded that she would “rather design an inventive urban
space that lasts only for a short time, than a dull landscape
that endures a lifetime”.
AI 246 - 77
3
4
Take the right steps
in the race to save water...
3 Agence Ter’s design for
Royal Canal Linear Park,
Dublin
4 Parc des Cormailles, IvrySur-Seine by Agence Ter
5 Parque Lineal de
Manazanares, West 8
urban design & landscape
architecture/ MRIO
5
6 Schouwburgplein by West 8
in Rotterdam
In contrast to the conceptual approach of a ‘big idea’ discussed by
Martha Schwartz in her engaging lecture, French firm Agence Ter
offered a more research driven approach to landscape design.
Olivier Philippe, who set up Agence Ter with two other landscape
designers in 1986, outlined three strands at the heart of
www.marthaschwartz.com
their design philosophy: expanse, stratification and flux. “We
www.west8.nl
understand location as much more than just a surface”, explained
www.agenceter.com
Philippe, “instead there are a series of histories and influences to
be unearthed. Each landscape is a field of investigation, offering
The lectures were organised by
multiple possibilities of manipulation.” The practice has offices
the Dublin Docklands Authority
in association with the Irish
in Paris, Karlsruhe (Germany) and French-Guinea and Philippe
Architecture Foundation and the was able to draw in his lecture on a wide range of projects.
AAI. Podcasts are available on
Urban regeneration features strongly in Agence Ter’s portfolio
www.architecturefoundation.ie
such as Parc des Cormailles in Ivry-Sur-Seine, where the practice
transformed an industrial fringe by the former railway line into
an urban park. A series of garden islands emerge from water
features. The idea of floating gardens also features in a design for
Canary Wharf London and in Agence Ter’s competition winning
design for Royal Canal Linear Park in the Dublin Docklands, where
gardens will grow on 17m long floating pontoons. The idea is to
blur the edges between the banks and the canal. It was a pity that
Olivier Philippe did not present his Linear Park scheme during
his lecture as he believed that Dubliners would be completely
familiar with it. The scheme is currently at tender stage and a
brief illustration would have excited the audience about the
forthcoming new park which will also feature a Luas bridge by
Future Systems.
Agence Ter’s scientific and research driven approach to landscape
design is probably best illustrated in their masterplan for a 150km long ‘Green Metropolis’ in a former mining area. The project
spans 50 towns and three neighbouring countries – Belgium,
Germany and the Netherlands. The mining landscape, which
straddles the three countries, is according to Philippe “the only
symbolic shared value between the three nations”. “We explored
this common DNA of mining and the artificial landscape it had
created”, illustrated Oliver Philippe. As part of the masterplan,
Agence Ter developed a green route that links the region’s eight
lakes to a series of natural parks and a new shared DNA between
these multi-national communities in form of an information
infrastructure as the basis of a new economy.
78 - AI 246
Identifying a shared DNA also featured strongly in the West 8
lecture, delivered by partner Martin Biewenga, who said that
the “passion for transforming landscapes is part of the Dutch
DNA”. “Historically in the Netherlands, large tracts of land have
been reclaimed from the sea and we are still creating new areas
for living”, illustrated the landscape designer. Not surprisingly,
Biewenga admitted to “having falling in love with the Poolbeg
peninsula scheme, as it appeals to our Dutch obsession with landmaking”. With cities all over the world seeking opportunities for
IRISH ARCHITECTS FIRST TO RECEIVE
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waterside living, Biewenga described Poolbeg as a “spectacular
site, close to the city centre yet surrounded by water on three
sides, with fantastic views across the bay and a tremendous
change between low and high-tide”.
The new masterplan for Poolbeg, on which West 8 collaborated
with Urban Initiatives and Cunnane Stratton Reynolds, was
one of two Dublin projects presented in their lecture. The
Rotterdam-based practice was also commissioned by the
Docklands Authority to prepare a strategy for enhancing the
Liffey waterfront. An essential part of West 8’s design proposal is
to improve the wind-swept climate on the campshires through
extensive new vegetation, including the planting of 1000 mature
trees. The practice has a particular view on trees, rejecting the
notion of ‘perfect’ specimen growing straight “like lollipops”.
For a project in Madrid, West 8 deliberately sourced trees with
character and asked the nurseries to bend the tries over a period
of time to give them a natural wind-beaten look. Enchanting pink
cherry trees, which bend down to the ground, form today the
centre piece of Madrid’s new Parque Lineal de Manzanares. “The
inspiration came from the fact that this linear park forms part
of the route into Portugal and its cherry plantations”, explained
Biewenga.
Founded in Rotterdam by Adriaan Geuze in 1987, the
multidisciplinary practice West 8 has achieved a remarkable
international profile with projects in Copenhagen, London, Dublin
Moscow, New york, Madrid, Toronto and Amsterdam. Martin
Biewenga explained that this international success is rooted
in the practice’s ambition to deliver ground-breaking designs
that attract attention, such as the innovative Schouwburgplein
urban square in Rotterdam. The practice subsequently won
international acclaim for their masterplan for Borneo Sporenburg
in Amsterdam. West 8 wins most of their commissions through
invited international competitions, among them Governor’s Island
in New york (US) and Playa de Palma in Mallorca, a scheme aimed
to transform a major touristic area into a sustainable development
with ecological transport infrastructures such as light tram and
rental bikes. Cycling, alongside land-making, also forms part of
the Dutch DNA and West 8’s passion for creating the appropriate
urban environment has placed them high in demand worldwide. “you have to be a dare devil to want to cycle in Dublin”,
observed Biewenga in his Docklands lecture. A dedicated cycling
network that connects Poolbeg with the city is therefore just one
of the ideas in the innovative masterplan that awards potential
developers points for sustainable design and architectural
quality. While Poolbeg is a undoubtedly a long-term project,
the Docklands lectures offered, in the short term, fascinating
perspectives on the discipline of landscape design and its ability
to deliver big ideas for the enjoyment of all.
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GLENN MURCUTT AND
E DWAR D CU LLI NAN
CO N S T R U C T I O N A N D T E C H N O LO G y
ECOCEM: GREEN CEMENT
FOR GREEN CONSTRUCTION
AT D I T B O LT O N S T R E E T
Ecocem is used in the construction
of Landsdowne Road Stadium,
Scott Tallon Walker
1
1 & 2 Glenn Murcutt at his
Riversdale Cultural Centre,
Sydney
3 & 4 Downland Gridshell at
the Weald & Downland
Museum, Sussex by Edward
Cullinan Architects
(Photo: Richard Learoyd)
Specialist green cement manufacturer Ecocem has reduced Ireland’s carbon
footprint by more than 1 million tons since its Dublin-based production
plant came on stream in 2004. Ecocem produces cement using groundgranulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), which is a by-product of the steel
industry. Ecocem cement is an environmentally-friendly alternative to
traditional Portland cement but costs the same. In addition to being
produced from a recycled material, Ecocem significantly reduces the life
cycle footprint of structures because they last longer than those made with
traditional cement.
Aiming to be Carbon Neutral
Conventional cement manufacture is responsible for about 5% of all global
CO2 emissions – nearly double the amount generated by the airline industry
worldwide – and a similar proportion of Ireland’s carbon footprint. On
average, the manufacture of every ton of conventional cement releases a
ton of CO2 along with emissions of SO2 and NOx into the atmosphere. In
stark contrast, because the manufacture of GGBS cement is far more energy
efficient, every ton produced at Ecocem’s plant in Dublin emits just 45kg of
CO2 – almost 20 times less than conventional cement – and with no SO2 or
NOx emissions. Ecocem is currently in the process of switching to renewable
energy, which will make its production plant even more environmentally
friendly, aiming to be carbon neutral without using offsets by 2012.
GGBS can replace Portland cement by up to 95% in ready mixed concrete
but in Ireland, the most common substitution ratio for Ecocem has been
50% (70% has been used on many projects for a variety of technical,
architectural and environmental reasons). Mixing Ecocem with Portland
cement improves the performance of the finished concrete. It is easier to
work with, compressive strength is higher and heat of hydration is reduced.
The finished product is generally stronger and has a lifespan, double that of
conventional concrete. From an aesthetic point of view it is lighter in colour
and produces a smoother finish. According to Ecocem, GGBS cement is not
only far more environmentally-friendly to produce but concrete made from
it also has higher performance levels and is more aesthetically pleasing.
As the environmental, engineering and architectural benefits of GGBS
cement are being increasingly realised by architects and specifiers, it is
becoming more widely used within the Irish construction industry and
has been incorporated in many prestigious building projects such as the
Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork, the Luas Taney Bridge in Dublin, the Carton
House Hotel in Leixlip and the Greystones Harbour development in County
Wicklow. Ecocem is currently being used in the construction of the new
stadium at Lansdowne Road as well as the National Convention Centre at
Spencer Dock in Dublin, where 6,000 tons of CO2 emissions will be avoided.
80 - AI 246
In addition to its GGBS cement plant in Dublin Port, Ecocem has another
350,000 tons per annum production facility in the Netherlands, supplying
the Dutch and Belgian construction markets. The company is also building
a new 700,000 tons capacity factory in the South of France, which is due to
come on stream later this year.
Most Sustainable Building Material
According to Ecocem, its GGBS cement is the most sustainable building
material in the world, capable of increasing the service life of structures,
while resulting in significant CO2 and other emission savings. Due to its
versatility and strength concrete is the essential building block of the
construction and civil engineering industry.
“There is no better way of building in a sustainable manner than by using
low carbon concrete made from green cement,” says David O’Flynn,
business development manager of Ecocem. “you can install solar panels,
wood pellet boilers and increase insulation but with these you are only
addressing the operational CO2. If you want to build greener, you must
also consider the emissions embodied in the building, and this can be best
address by specifying green cement. Our product doesn’t cost any more
and achieves CO2 savings from day one, as opposed to having to wait many
years to get the benefits from the changes that reduce the operational CO2.”
Concrete made with Ecocem is not only stronger and more durable than
that made from conventional cement but has other advantages including:
• moreresistanttoattackfromchlorideandacid
• moreimpermeable
• moreresistanttosulphateattackandalkalisilicaattack
• moreresistanttofire
• lesspronetothermalcracking
Not surprisingly, Ecocem has won a number of environmental awards, being
named IBEC Environmental Product for 2007/8 for reducing CO2 emission by
300,000 tons each year – the equivalent of taking 75,000 cars of the roads
annually and winning the Environmental/Sustainability Category in the
Leinster Region of the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Award in 2009.
With major environmental and energy projects, such as water and waste
water treatment plants, wind farms and power stations, planned for
Ireland over the coming years, Ecocem’s green cement could play a central
role in instantly and substantially reducing the carbon footprint of this
infrastructure as well as providing a stronger and more durable concrete
ensuring this infrastructure will benefit many generations to come.
www.ecocem.ie
The relationship between architecture and technology and the
enduring craft of hand drawing were two key themes that emerged
at a recent thought-provoking colloquium at DIT Bolton Street. The
colloquium brought together two renowned keynote speakers,
whose design philosophies and approaches to architecture
effortlessly complemented and enriched each other: Pritzker Prize
and 2009 AAI Gold Medal winner Glenn Murcutt and RIBA Gold
Medal recipient Edward (Ted) Cullinan. Described by symposium
chair, RIAI President Sean O’Laoire, as “being in the presence of
giants”, their lectures provided a compelling insight into their
method of working, which has resisted architectural fashion
and trends.
“Be careful of the new, be suspicious of change”, were Glenn
Murcutt’s introductory remarks aimed at a diverse audience of
architectural students, lecturers, practitioners and critics. In the era
where a building starts life as a computer generated image, Murcutt
has remained true to his philosophy of the “architecture of one’s
place”, responding perceptively to context and climatic conditions.
He has studied closely how Australia’s indigenous people adapted
their homes to climate and local conditions – from houses raised on
piles in the tropics to sun shelters in Australia’s vast desert. Murcutt
has immersed himself in Aborigine culture and was commissioned
to design an Aborigine family home, in which he expressed the
all-important need for privacy through large screens that envelop
the house. “In Aborigine culture, visitors should not be able to see
into a home, but the residents should see out. This is a polite way
of letting visitors know when they are wanted or not, as nobody
can see if you are at home”, explained Murcutt. His perceptively
arranged plan also takes cognisance of the fact that “Aborigine
children always sleep east, as they are regarded the future of the
family”.
Murcutt’s passionate lecture was a tour-de-force through his
philosophy and oeuvre, illuminated by a wealth of examples – from
his award-winning Riversdale Cultural Centre (venue of the annual
Glenn Murcutt Masterclass) to his bespoke residential designs,
including his Sydney home, where he has shown complete mastery
of light by creating evocative patterns of shadow during Australia’s
relentless summers, while channelling light and warmth into
the interior on cool winter days. Recent work includes a mining
museum, which uses the archaeology of mining as its theme, and
a new mosque, a project which allowed Murcutt to engage in an
understanding of the patterns and geometry of Muslim art. His
contribution to Irish architecture – through his tenure as Visiting
Professor at DIT Bolton – was marked by the RIAI through an
Honorary Fellowship, which was accepted “as a great honour” by a
visibly moved and delighted Murcutt. “I operate in a quiet way, like
Ted Cullinan, and we are just doing our thing, all the time doing it
properly”, said Murcutt in response to this honour.
2
3
4
Sole practitioner Murcutt, who prefers fax over email and slides over
powerpoint, also emphasised the importance of hand-drawing as
an integral part of the design process: “To draw is to research; unless
you can draw it, you can’t understand it”. Referring to the words
of US Poet Laureate Billy Collins who spoke of the importance of
hand-writing in poetic composition in order to see where a poem
is going, Murcutt concluded that the “keyboard makes architecture
look frozen”.
London-based architect Ted Cullinan took up this theme in his
lecture, which constituted for a large part of drawing with coloured
felt pens on overhead projector. Cullinan’s moving pen effortlessly
brought his designs alive, while commenting with great wit on
his own learning process of using technology. Cullinan illustrated
how he discovered the necessity of solar shading whilst designing,
as a young architect, a holiday home for his uncle Mervyn: “Uncle
Mervyn loved playing his Bechstein piano in the nude, but he
went red because of solar gain from a large opening in the house”,
commented Cullinan drily.
On a more complex recent project – the Stirling Prize short-listed
Downland Gridshell at the Weald & Downland Museum in West
Sussex – Cullinan collaborated both with traditional craftsmen, the
Green Oak Carpentry Company, and innovative structural engineers
Buro Happold to realise his vision of a roof inspired by traditional
basket making. Cullinan’s sketches on the overhead projector
illustrated the complex roof structure, designed to use as little
timber as possible for sustainability reasons. Referred to by locals
as “the peanut”, the building consists of an upper level light-weight
restoration workshop, where the museum’s carpenters restore and
build the timber frames that will go into the collections. Sinking
the lower archive level into the ground, protects its contents from
climate fluctuations. Ted Cullinan’s openness and ability to combine
cutting edge technology with traditional craft resonated well with
the student audience at the event. “It’s about what turns you on”,
replied Cullinan when quizzed by a student on his own preferences
for either high-end technology or craft.
The keynote lectures by Murcutt and Cullinan were inspirational
and timely, as DIT’s Head of Faculty, Professor John Ratcliffe spoke
of the need for a “new value system in society”. Quoting Albert
Einstein, Ratcliffe said that “the problems of today cannot be solved
by the present mindset, we must learn to understand the world
anew”. In four subsequent presentations by Cormac Allen of DIT;
Daniel P. Sudhershan of UCD; Máire Henry of Waterford Institute
of Technology and Kevin McCartney of UCC/CIT, the schools of
architecture demonstrated their methodologies on educating the
innovators of tomorrow with architecture, technology and problem
solving intrinsically linked.
www.dit.ie/faculties/built/architecture
AI 246 - 81
T he D ictionary of
I rish A rchitects
172 0 -19 4 0
By Colum O’Riordan
The Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720 - 1940
(www.dia.ie), the Irish Architectural Archive’s flagship
project, is an on-line database containing biographical
and bibliographical information on architects, builders
and craftsmen born or working in Ireland during the
period 1720 to 1940, and details on the buildings on
which they worked. Some 6,000 individual architects
or architectural practices are included in the DIA, as
are more than 40,000 building references. The DIA
provides for the first time comprehensive, authoritative
information on who in Ireland was building what, when,
where and for whom.
Adverts
The reading room of the Irish Architectural
Archive at Merrion Square
Photographs by Bartosz Kaluzny
During the last century and a half, there have been
at lease five attempts to write a dictionary of Irish
architects. In the 1870s or early 1880s, Christopher
Clinton Hoey, sometime editor of the Irish Builder, had
in contemplation the publication of “The Lives of the
Irish Architects” but received poor encouragement
or assistance, so that the project came to nothing.
Then, in the early 1900s, Walter Strickland planned
to add a volume of architects to his Dictionary of
Irish Artists, which was published in 1913, but this too
came to nothing. In 1962 the architectural historian
Constantine Curran, perhaps best known now for his
seminal work on Dublin plaster-work, started to make
notes for a dictionary of Irish architects. The project
went no further and the notes are now housed in the
Irish Architectural Archive. In 1973 an announcement
that “Mr Rolf Loeber has undertaken to compile a
Dictionary of Irish Architects under the auspices of
the Irish Georgian Society” appeared in the Society’s
Quarterly Bulletin (Vol. XVI, No. 1, Jan – June 1973, p. 71),
followed by a request for assistance and information.
This dictionary was to cover the period 1600 to 1900
and was to include artisans and craftsmen as well as
architects. The project quickly mushroomed into a
proposed multi-authored Biographical Dictionary of
Irish Architects, a collaborative effort, in which different
well-known scholars were to write entries for different
architects and different periods. Pressures of time and
commitment lead to contraction of ambition and, in
the end, only the original contributor was to complete
a part of the dictionary. Rolf Loeber’s A Biographical
Dictionary of Architects in Ireland 1600-1720 was
published by John Murray in 1981.
Starting at much the same time as Curran and in
parallel with the efforts of Loeber et al, the retired
Dublin architect Alfred Jones also began to work on
a biographical index of Irish architects. Over several
years he assembled an immense body of research
material but his project was brought to an end by his
death in 1973. In 1980, just before Loeber’s dictionary
was published, Alfred Jones’s family deposited on loan
in the Irish Architectural Archive nearly 2,000 individual
files which Jones had assembled, each one dedicated
to a particular architect. The physical nature of the
material presented access and consultation problems:
the files contain myriad loose file cards, unordered
pieces of paper, newspaper cuttings and rapidly
fading photocopies. Moreover, it was obvious that
so much information about individual buildings was
in effect hidden in Jones’s material, only retrievable
if you already knew the names of the architects who
designed them. It was in seeking solutions to the
specific access and information issues presented by
the Jones files that the project which would eventually
become the DIA was born.
In 1990, Ann Martha Rowan began the task of
designing a computer database that would adequately
record biographical information on architects and
information on the buildings they had designed. An
inspiration and point of reference was Howard Colvin’s
Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840,
the first edition of which had appeared in 1954.
Colvin was and is the gold standard for architectural
biographical dictionaries and provided the basic
template for the database design and of the structure
of the individual entries. However, it was clear from the
outset that a direct equivalent of Colvin for Ireland was
beyond the immediate scope of the project. Specific
editorial decision had to be made to suit the source
material, the limitations of the technology and the
expertise of the editor. The decision was made from
the start to be as comprehensive as possible, to include
minor and obscure names as well as the well-known,
and to include all the buildings that could be identified
for a particular architect rather than just a selected few.
In balance with this, it was decided to exclude stylistic
analysis of an architect’s oeuvre or any interpretative
comment on the importance or otherwise of individual
architects or particular buildings. The accumulation
of basic accurate information was prioritised over
subjective analysis.
Other editorial decisions emerged over time as the
project progressed. For example, the question arose
as to which professions would be included. The
AI 246 - 83
Michael Webb Chairman, Irish Architectural
Archive, Martin Cullen TD, Minister for Arts,
Sport and Tourism and Ann Martha Rowan,
Senior Archivist, Irish Architectural Archive at
the official launch of DIA
1
term ‘architect’, especially as it was applied in the
eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, could be
vague and imprecise, while a great many buildings, in
particular those of the infrastructural variety, are the
work not of architects but of civil engineers. As data
entry proceeded, it became obvious that inclusivity
should again be the general principle applied. Entries
have been created for every relevant architect from
the rank amateur to the highest professional. A large
number of engineers are included too, along with a
smaller number of craftsman and builders and some
writers on architectural subjects. Architects from
Britain and elsewhere who never resided in Ireland but
designed buildings here are not given full biographical
treatment, and only their Irish works are listed in the
database. Irish-born architects who emigrated are
similarly treated; their careers after their departure
from these shores are not described in detail, and only
their Irish works are listed in full.
Data inputting began in 1991 and in April 1994 the
Department of the Environment, recognising the
potential of the database to be of value and relevance
to the work of local authorities, particularly in their
planning function, agreed to provide a grant of
IR£8,500 initially for three years. This support, which
was increased to IR£10,000 in 1997, was maintained
year on year until 2004.
Aside from the contents of Alfred Jones’ files, research
data was generously made available by amongst
others Dr Edward McParland, Alistair Rowan and the
Buildings of Ireland project, and Brendan O’Donoghue,
whose study of Irish county surveyors was published in
2007. Collections held in a wide variety of institutions
provided a great deal of information and as new
books and articles appeared, the new discoveries
they contain were incorporated into the database
as well. More recently, the Internet has begun to
make unexpected and intriguing contributions to
our knowledge of architects’ lives. But perhaps the
most important source of information for the DIA has
been the growing collections of the Irish Architectural
84 - AI 246
Archive itself. These have been carefully mined and as
new collections are acquired and listed, information
in the database is updated and adjusted. Indeed, so
extensively are the collections of the Archive reflected
in the DIA that the DIA can stand almost as surrogate
index to a large part of the Archive’s holdings.
Direct public access to the database was provided first
by means of a specially designed researcher interface
made accessible on two computers in the Archive’s
reading room at the start of 2005. Researcher reaction
to the database was overwhelmingly positive and it
was immediately apparent that such a limited form
of access would never be sufficient. The possibility of
publication in book form was briefly explored but the
obvious route was to make the database available in its
natural environment, the Internet. A special grant from
the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism at the end
of 2006 allowed the Archive to engage Terminal Four
to carry out the transfer.
Despite the heroic efforts of the editor, Ann
Martha Rowan, the DIA is not free from errors, both
typographical and factual. These remain to be routed
out and it is hoped that some of them will be spotted
by on-line readers who are urged to send in their
corrections. It is also hoped that the on-line user
community will be able to add new information to the
DIA content, a process facilitated by the web-interface.
And so, the DIA remains, and will always remain, very
much a work in progress. Nonetheless, it is now as
fundamental in an Irish context as Colvin’s seminal
work is in a British context. It is the essential first
port-of-call for all those interested in the architecture
of the entire island of Ireland, an indispensable aid
to the student and an invaluable tool for architects,
conservationists, planners and other professionals
concerned with the origins, development and
maintenance of the built environment. More than that,
it is a wonderful resource for anyone and everyone
with even just a passing interest in their house, their
street or the buildings they encounter on a daily basis.
www.dia.ie
P assive H ouse
STUDENT RESIDENCES
A Roadmap to Green Building Design
By Tony Rigg, Kavanagh Tuite Architects
The foundation of all good building design is getting the basic
design concepts right. For green building design this involves
considering site micro-climate conditions, orientation, solar
access, ecology and water regimes. The first aim is to design
buildings that have minimum energy needs for heating,
cooling and lighting as a result of their basic design concepts
and construction – the passive elements of building. Passive
benefits all depend on intelligent architectural design.
Only then should you use optimal, economically feasible
technologies for the residual energy demands, preferably
renewable – the active elements of building. While the
ultimate responsibility rests with M&E consultants, the
architect needs to understand the options available and guide
their integration into the project as a whole. An integrated
‘whole system design’ makes the most of both passive and
active components of a building project. However, never
forget that we are here to make ‘green architecture’.
will have a coffee shop/ light meals outlet, laundry, internet
lounge, and fitness facilities at ground level.
At Kavanagh Tuite Architects we emphasise that the process
of ‘green design’ is the basis of all good architectural design,
not an optional add-on. Achieving it requires committed
integration of the whole design team from the very beginning,
but it has to be architect-led from the position of informed
professional knowledge, commitment and responsibility. This
approach informs all our work, from large commercial office
development, such as the Irish Life Centre redevelopment on
Marlborough Street, Dublin, to small residential projects such
as Gracefield House, Blackrock.
Passive House Student Residences
Roebuck Hall II is the second phase in the development of a
UCD Student Village centred on Roebuck Castle. Roebuck Hall
I was completed in 2006 and accommodates 300 students.
The new development will bring the total up to around 1,000,
in a number of stages. The plan was developed as ‘buildings in
the park’, with blocks 5 to 8 stories high (end-on to a proposed
motorway), and a long, low 3 to 4-storey curved block
between them and the Castle, giving a transition of scale. The
project concept revolves around the scale and quality of the
‘park’ spaces between the buildings, and the more formal
court between the curved block and the Castle. The first
stage (135 students) is located adjacent to Roebuck Hall I and
In line with UCD’s Sustainability Brief, the design team aimed
for a high level of sustainability, a BER (Building Energy Rating)
of at least A3, and an “Excellent” BREEAM rating. The project,
however, had to keep within current UCD budget standards
for student residences, with cost-benefit justified uplift for
energy and water conserving capital cost additions.
Sustainability Concepts
It was decided to adopt the ‘Passive House’ approach, with
high standards of envelope insulation, high performance
windows, and a good level of air-tightness, with heat-recovery
ventilation.
The building U-values will be:
Walls 0.170 W/m2k
Roofs
0.150 W/m2k
Windows
0.800 W/m2k
Ground slab
0.150 W/m2k
PHPP sensitivity studies indicated that for this building form,
with relatively small window area, high internal mass and a
highly insulated envelope, building orientation had marginal
impact on either winter heating energy requirements, or
summer overheating potential. For water conservation the
project will use rainwater harvesting for WC flushing, and
low-flow fittings on all water outlets to reduce hot and cold
water consumption. Low environmental impact materials
will be used as far as possible, with eco-concrete for the main
structure, sustainably sourced timber and water-based paints.
Project Design Concepts
The ‘Hall of Residence’ style accommodation was best served
by a ‘hotel’ type plan, with study-bed and common rooms
on either side of a central access corridor, resulting in a long,
narrow building form. The first stage building, with six floors,
has two groups of 12 student rooms on each floor, sharing lift
and stair core. The corridor is enlivened and partially day-lit by
windows at each end and the glazed walls of common study,
lounge and kitchenette/dining areas.
AI 246 - 85
ARCHITECTURE IN PRACTICE
B ook R eview
Ground floor plan
While adjacent buildings give a design context, the high
level of insulation largely determined the façade design. It
was not feasible to stabilise and support a 6-storey brick
facing through 200mm of insulation required to achieve the
desired U-value. This led to the conclusion that rain-screen
cladding was the only real option, on a light steel framed,
full thickness insulated wall panel. This process of design
through exploration of practical available options, to achieve
a new and different standard of building construction and
performance, largely informed the aesthetic design of the
whole project.
Construction & Services
Building Structure: For cost and efficiency of construction,
it was decided to use concrete cross-wall construction,
with concrete floor slabs. Eco-concrete, based on ground
granulated blast-furnace slag, will be used.
External Walls: With this high-mass internal structure giving
good thermal stability, it was decided to use a 162mm thick
system building panel, integrating a 100 mm galvanised light
steel frame, with full thickness, pressure moulded insulation.
This provides a fully insulated façade, simple to air-seal to
the surrounding concrete floor slabs and cross-walls. Fixed to
slab-edge with steel brackets, it has minimal cold-bridging.
The panels will be finished internally with an additional
50mm insulation and plasterboard lining, and externally with
a magnesite board and a proprietary rain screen cladding
system, of Trespa or Rieder FibreC boards. The cladding will
have a limited number of ‘earth’ colours, relating to adjacent
buildings and natural context, to help give the building a
domestic feel and scale.
Windows: Triple glazed argon filled glass units, thermally
insulated wood frames, and external aluminium facings, with
an overall U-value of 0.8 W/m2K.
Air Tightness: The aim is to construct the building envelope
to air-tightness of <3.0m3/m2/hr for this project. If we achieve
the passive house standard (<0.6m3/m2/hr) we shall be very
pleased, but we do not expect to do so on this first building.
Envelope energy performance: At this stage, final energy
simulation figures are not yet available, but the preliminary
figures, which are well within the Passive House standards,
coupled with current project budget estimates, show that
the over-costs associated with higher insulation and window
specifications will have a payback period of between 5 and 7
years.
Space Heating: Preliminary simulations of the building
performance indicated a space heating demand of 11 kWhr/
m2/yr, and the PHPP 2007 programme indicates 10 kWhr/m2/
yr, both considerably less than the Passive House standard
of 15 kWh/m2/yr. This represents a reduction of about 80%
compared to pre-2007 Building Regulation standards. The
residual heating demand will be supplied by very small
thermostatically limited hot water radiators at the supply air
location. The radiator will have a shut-off valve, operated if the
window is opened, similar to standard hotel operation. The
86 - AI 246
Typical upper floor plan
heat source for this system will be spare capacity from existing
condensing gas boilers in the adjacent Roebuck Hall.
Ventilation: The mechanical ventilation system will be a
central, roof-mounted AHU, with an air-to-air heat exchanger
of 80% to 85% efficiency. High-efficiency electronically
commutated (ECM) motors will give reduced power
consumption. Initial studies show a payback period of
approximately 3.5 years for this HRV system.
Hot Water Supply: Hot water consumption is a major energy
issue, and after adjusting expected demand for waterconserving fixtures, various energy conservation and supply
options were considered. The optimum system for the project
was determined to be evacuated tube solar collectors to
supply 33% of DHW demand. While the payback on this is not
good (27 years, including SEI subsidy), this will supply 20% of
the combined space heating and hot water demand from a
renewable source, as required by the Building Regulations.
Water Supply: Water consumption will be conserved through
the use of dual-flush, low volume toilets, and low-flow shower
and tap fittings. Rainwater will be collected from the building
roof to a 15,000 L under-ground tank and used for WC
flushing.
Electric Lighting: High-efficiency lighting will be used
throughout, with regular and compact fluorescent lights for all
functional lighting, and LED lights for any decorative fixtures.
In common circulation areas the lighting will be controlled by
daylight sensors. It is expected that these measures will give a
70% reduction in electricity used for lighting.
Provisional PHPP Calculation Results at the time of submitting
this paper are as follows:
PHPP Category
Value
Space heat demand
10 kWh/(m2a)
Air-tightness – project goal 3.0 h-1
Total primary energy demand 100 kWh/(m2a)
Frequency of summer overheating (over 24 deg C)
0%
PH limit
15 kWh/(m2a)
0.6 h-1
120 kWh/(m2a)
Following thorough analysis of all PHPP inputs and calculated
results, further sensitivity studies will be carried out to
determine whether some reduction in insulation standards
could reduce construction costs, while remaining within the
Passivhaus standards. It is anticipated that the air-tightness
will be better than the stated goal of 3.0 h-1, but even with
this figure the overall Space Heating Demand is well within
PH limits.
Through this design process, we found it is possible to design
a project of this type and scale to ‘Passivhaus’ standard within
an economic framework, with all extra costs having a payback
period of seven years or less, according to detailed cost
predictions from the project Quantity Surveyors.
Composing Landscapes
Dublin Docklands – An Urban Voyage
Analysis, Typology and Experiments for Design
by Clemens Steenbergen
Review by Desmond Byrne
by Turtle Bunbury
Review by Ruairi Quinn
Composing Landscapes makes a welcome and timely contribution to the
understanding of landscape, its relationship to architecture and urban
form, and of how this is portrayed in drawings. Drawing, by hand or by
computer, still remains the common language of communication for
those involved in the designed environment. With increasing awareness
of the importance and sensitivity of the Irish landscape, it is important
that designers are able to identify fundamental landscape elements and
characteristics through drawing in order to address them in the design
process. Ordnance Survey maps are a common point of departure for
designers but, unlike the historic editions, the modern mapping offers little
or nothing in the way of a description of the landscape itself.
Over the years, Clemens Steenbergen has made very informative analytical
and explanatory drawings of historic gardens to accompany texts and
illustrate the relationship between villas, palaces, their gardens and the
larger landscape or urban contexts in which they are located. ‘Composing
Landscapes’ contains a selection of the early hand-made and CAD
drawings, with the addition of many recent drawings that investigate
other architectural and landscape themes using advanced CAD and GIS
techniques. Together, they cover a rich variety of media at many scales of
urban, landscape and architectural investigation.
Steenbergen’s drawings are not drawings for drawings’ sake; they belong
to a methodology of analysis and design with a drawing type chosen
to suit each kind of investigation. They do not try to provide a definitive
catalogue but aim to inspire designers to invent and develop their own
method of drawing. For this reason Composing Landscapes makes a strong
contribution to the understanding of the making of landscape drawings
and hence an understanding of landscape itself. It should be added to the
library of all landscape architects, architects, planners, engineers and all
those interested in the designed landscape.
Published by Birkhäuser, 2009
ISBN 978-3-7643-8782-2 €49.90
www.birkhauser.ch
This well-illustrated book tells the story of Dublin Port and its communities
from the 1700s to the present day. The city’s eastern boundary began with
the Custom House and was defined by the loop-line bridge over the Liffey.
Beyond was a place of warehouses, ships, coal yards and introverted port
communities such as East Wall and Ringsend. Port cities, like Dublin, have
moved down river as ships got bigger and carried their cargo in containers.
Large sections of the old port land were no longer fit for purpose yet
remained a valuable resource at the heart of the city.
Dublin’s down-river journey began in the 1970s. In 1985, an Urban Study
Conference in the UCD School of Architecture proposed a series of measures
to stimulate urban renewal and reuse. The Fine Gael / Labour Government
introduced a number of tax initiatives, including the establishment of the
Custom House Docks Development Authority (CHDDA) on the 27 acres
adjacent to Busáras and the Custom House. An architectural competition was
held for the revitalisation of this redundant dockland area. In 1987 Taoiseach
Charles Haughey established the Dublin Financial Services Centre and located
it in the CHDDA. As Minister for Finance, I raised with Brendan Howlin, TD,
Minister for the Environment, the future of the remaining docklands area
in 1995. This exchange eventually led to the establishment of the DDDA on
1 May 1997. The new authority had Statutory responsibility for the Social,
Economic and Physical regeneration of the entire area of 1300 acres.
Turtle Bunbury expands this story with photos and stories. Five communities
are explored, described and illustrated with photos of the new contrasted
with images of the past. New social programmes, housing and planning
initiatives were developed. A Community Council complemented the work of
the Board and the Executive team of the DDDA. Lessons were learned from
some early mistakes. Trust and confidence grew as the positive results were
shared by the new companies and the old communities. Dublin Docklands is
now the centre of Ireland’s thriving financial and legal services sectors, albeit
struggling in the current international recession. It is also the home of an old
urban cultural folklore and legacy which is now being celebrated. This book
tells the story of a thriving port that, as it moved down-river, created the
space for a prospering city centre and a rejuvenated community housed in
modern buildings and surrounded by exciting civic spaces.
Published by Montague Publications, 2009
on behalf of the DDDA, €30
Desmond Byrne
Desmond Byrne qualified as an architect in 1986
at UCD and worked for fifteen years in Germany
and The Netherlands. In 2002 he set up practice in
Ireland and since then has also been teaching in
UCD in an emerging school of landscape design at
undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Ruairi Quinn
Ruairi Quinn TD, Architect and Planner, is Labour Party
Spokesperson for Education and Science. He has a
deep interest in urban and planning affairs which he
has written about in his memoir Straight Left A Journey
in Politics.
AI 246 - 87
ARCHITECTURE IN PRACTICE
1 0 Q uestions
for... Peter Carroll
Where did you study and what did you do next?
Which piece of office equipment could you not do without?
Peter Carroll
One of my abiding memories as a kid was being taught how
to say ‘umbrella’ with my mouth as wide-open as possible
by Ms. Radmell my elocution teacher. Fortunately she failed
in ridding me of my Limerick accent! Having graduated from
UCD, I went to work for O’Donnell + Tuomey for seven years
followed by another three years working for Rafael Moneo in
Madrid before returning home to establish A2 Architects with
Caomhan Murphy in 2005. I have also enjoyed teaching design
and construction to 2nd Year at the School of Architecture,
University of Limerick (SAUL) for the last three years.
Peter Carroll
My trusted scalpel. I love making card models, although we
have started to make metal models of late.
What is your favourite building?
Peter Carroll
For me this would be a piece of infrastructure: walking along
the Promenade in Salthill, Galway following its swerving,
wide concrete path elevated above the sheer drop to the
beach, enjoying the brightly painted concrete shelters in the
foreground and the distant Burren and Aran Islands in the
background, terminating at the diving boards at Blackrock. It
must be the edge condition that I appreciate most.
What is your favourite material to build with?
Peter Carroll
Working with steel is really enjoyable. We worked with James
Healy Steel Founders recently on the fit-out for Smock and
we used weathered steel almost exclusively for linings and
fittings. It has great depth, yet a reflective blue-black lustre
that is beautiful.
Which architect’s work do you admire most?
Peter Carroll
I would like to have worked with Robin Walker or Peter
and Mary Doyle. Their built legacy is truly profound and an
absolute joy to visit. I recently brought 2nd Year SAUL students
to both the O’Flaherty House in Kinsale and Birr Community
School and we were so moved by their rigour, making and
loving occupation.
What makes for a perfect client?
Peter Carroll
To be honest, each and every client brings their own intriguing
baggage to the table. For A2 Architects our valued and varied
clients have been both very stimulating and very challenging.
What exhibitions have you recently seen?
Peter Carroll
I am an avid pilgrim to Eileen Gray in The National Museum
in Collins Barracks close to where I live. I have spent hours
repeatedly listening to her video talking about the craft of
lacquer or marvelling at her elaborate aluminium cabinet on
exhibition. Otherwise, I often visit The Oonagh Young Gallery,
a new art space we recently completed in No.1 James Joyce
Street, Dublin 1.
What books do you read?
Peter Carroll
I just re-read Teach Yourself Business Plans for the times that
are in it. Old Man Goya by Julia Blackburn is another; It vividly
imagines the life of Goya from the time he contracted an
illness that left him stone-deaf, spending the next 35 years
in a world emptied of sound but bursting with images of
pageantry and cruelty.
What music have you recently bought?
Peter Carroll
I depend on Caomhan in A2 crew for new sounds. One minute
it might be Glenn Gould followed by DJ Tiesto and Empire of
The Sun…. Anything goes really….
Finally, what would you have become if you had not become
an architect?
Peter Carroll
I was set on being a hotel manager, as I was convinced that
the points requirement for architecture was way beyond me.
I spent my teenage years working in hotel kitchens operating
the giant dishwasher and scrubbing pots. Big hotels have
always fascinated me, especially what goes on behind frontof-house operations.
Birr Community School
by Peter and Mary Doyle Architects
Photo: John Donat /
Gandon Archive, Kinsale
SYSTEMS FURNITURE Ad Hoc, design: A. Citterio / Vitra
professional worktools
Ad Hoc is a mature system that evolves
continuously. The beauty of the concept is that
as the nature of work changes, the system does
as well, but the aesthetic core remains stable.
In that way new components may be added,
and old components subtracted, without
undermining the essential nature of the system.
ARCHITECTURE
PDF version of Architecture Ireland the Journal of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.
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To express interest in receiving
the PDF version of Architecture Ireland
simply email: digitalversion@architectureireland.ie
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12 - AI 243
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