Ard Bia will prepare a menu that will be served alongside a facilitated discussion inspired by 'homeward.' More details soon!

Presented by Architecure at the Edge in association with Common Knowledge.

Dinner at Ard Bia Restaurant - €40

To reserve your place email info@ourcommonknowledge.org

Common Knowledge is a non-profit social enterprise based outside Ennistymon on Ireland’s beautiful West Coast. visit https://www.ourcommonknowledge.org for more info.

@ArchAtTheEdge

Curated by Common Knowledge, HOMEWARD is a discussion about the real ingredients that make up a home. In a departure from the bricks and mortar envelope, we’ll explore what we really need to feel at home in a space, and how best to create those things. We’ll explore the role of food, art, community and design, and how these interlinked ideas can help us create more joyful homes. We’ll also explore the current housing crisis and discuss what we can do both as individuals and as a community, to maintain a sense of home, throughout.

This event is brought to you by Common Knowledge, the non-profit social enterprise focused on sharing the skills, knowledge and community one needs to create more affordable, sustainable and joyful homes. See the work Common Knowledge is doing here - and please contribute to their crowdfunder to create a new centre for sustainable living in the Burren.

Location: ArdBia The House at Folans Lane, followed by a ticketed group meal at Ard Bia the Restaurant at Nimmos

Presented by Architecture at the Edge (AATE) in association with Common Knowledge.

@ArchAtTheEdge

This workshop sets out to illuminate the art of repair and in particular the notion that creative repair can add character and value to cherished but damaged possessions

As we address global waste output and the need to rethink our relationship to objects,  this workshop embraces our attachment to things and explores how creative repair can both preserve meaning and breathe new life into our possessions. In place of a mindset that replaces something that is no longer of use with something new, we should, instead, encourage a repair culture. 

Presented by An Mheitheal Rothar, Urban Lab Galway and the AATE Design Lab

For the workshop, members of the public have been invited to submit broken objects – or objects that have seen some repair  - accompanied by the story of why they are attached to them. Everything will be returned to the owners.

Workshop leader: Paul O'Donnell, An Mheitheal Rothar

‘Shaping Galway’ is a free interactive workshop led by Islander Architects exploring the tools of spatial organisation & land use zoning in Galway City through abstract compositions.

Unleash your creativity through studies in composition to piece together your vision of the city. Participants will create a personal zoning strategy to depict what is important to them in order to maintain a vibrant city centre. Learn how future developments are controlled through land use zoning objectives & explore the value in community-led approaches.

Islander Architects will demonstrate how to create unique architectural diagrams using basic shapes & colours to express your hopes & ambitions for Galway. We invite you to make a case for the characteristics of the city that need to be protected & cared for.

Drop by The Mick Lally Theatre & join us in creating a vibrant & healthy mixed use city.

Take your personal zoning strategy home with you.

Islander Architects was established in 2020 by Laura Carroll & Ciarán Molumby, they are passionate about creating well crafted & joyful architecture. The name Islander evokes the spirit of their work; of being resourceful & responding to the uniqueness of each project. They are deeply inspired by the contexts they design within & the people they design for. Their work covers a wide range of typologies, from one-off houses to community-led public spaces.

FREE/ Drop-in event but prebook is also available

Multigenerational - all ages welcome

Homeowners Kevin and Lindsay bought an 1800s stone cottage and 1900s stone barn on a large site near Craughwell, Co. Galway and embarked on a three year project to dramatically restore the two buildings, connecting them with a modern link. The result, a 3 bedroom home for their family, honours the unique features of the old buildings, with stone exposed, original hearths featured and all openings retained. This cottage restoration and barn conversion was seen on RTE Great House Revival, and made extensive use of natural building materials.

Guides:
Lindsay Deely, Home Owner
Architect Patti O'Neill https://oneillarchitecture.com/
Laurik Mathieu, Mathieu & Mitchell Ltd

FREE but prebook is essential

This walk explores the past, present and future of Nuns’ Island. Situated in the heart of Galway, the former industrial district is undergoing significant change. Participants are invited to explore spaces of reuse and repair in an area that combines the historic and the contemporary as well as the urban and the natural. Taking in points of interest that include Persse’s Distillery, Nuns’ Island Theatre and the many waterways that surround and intersect the area, the walk also includes a site visit to The Mill. Also known at the McLaughlin Building, The Mill is a former industrial space spanning the Gaol River and will soon be redeveloped by the University of Galway. Participants will be invited to step inside and see the building as it is now and plans for its future.

Guides: Mark Rainey / Dr.Patrick Collins / Denis O’Connor

FREE, Pre-booking available

Note* The Mill (The McLaughlin Building) is not universally accessible and includes steps. The walk will follow a path that includes uneven pavement and possible steps.

Acts of repair are an essential part of our social world and built environment. They not only allow for the smooth functioning and enhancement of our cities, but also indicate what is valued and worthy of care and maintenance.

Hosted by UrbanLab, this symposium explores how repair forms our relationship to the past, present and future. Taking place at the Mick Lally Theatre on Druid Lane, Julia Corwin, Tim Edensor and Andrew Karvonen discuss the importance of electronic repair work, the preservation of heritage sites and the improvement of cities through incremental actions. These different perspectives together combine scholarship and activism, provoking discussion on how acts of repair shape the world around us.   

Moderator; Mark Justin Rainey

FREE, Pre-booking available

Related events:

The Temporality of Repair symposium will be followed by two events. At 1.00 pm there will be participatory walk through Nuns’ Island that will include a site visit to The Mill. At 2.30 pm, a workshop will be hosted at An Mheitheal Rothar in their new premises at the Old Squash Court, Earl’s Island.

St Patricks Redemptorist Monastery is an impressive multi-phase religious complex, completed in 1903 which retains much of its original form and character. The monastery, together with the former seminary and chapel, creates a significant architectural group that continues to contribute to the community. The chapel has been undergoing sensitive conservation work in phases to repair former interventions and ensure it maintains its character and utility into the future.

Guides: ​Sinéad Hughes, Head of Conservation, Carrig Conservation International Ltd 

Drop in / on a first come basis

Demonstration of the traditional skill of forging wrought and cast iron to create the gates , railings and rain water goods evident in towns and villages and in the country side . Master blacksmith Stephen Quinn will explain the skilful techniques and material he uses in this ancient art. The venue is at the restored forge to the north of the village of Claregalway . 

Guides: Stephen Quinn

Drop in / on a first come basis

Ballygar Tidy Town Committee have been very active in repairing , maintaining and enhancing their place. The historic masonry and metal work of Killeroran graveyard with its iconic round tower forming part of Kelly’s mausoleum has been repaired. The former court house was purchased from the Credit Union in 2014 and refurbished as a meeting place. The bandstand was erected in 2019 to commemorate  local man Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore who found fame in the United States. 

 Guides: Tomas Kenny and Tidy Town Committee

Meet at bandstand, Opposite St.Marys Roman Catholic Church, Ballygar, F42 YD83

Drop in / on a first come basis  

Presentation of the conservation repair and consolidation works carried out at Menlough, Tirellan and Merlin castles by Fergal Mc Namara, 7L Architects, followed by walking tour to Tirellan Castle (Terryland) led by Dr. Jim Higgins, Heritage and Conservation Officer, Galway City Council.

The first stage of the Conservation repair of Menlough, Tirellan and Merlin castles was carried out in 2021 and continues in 2022. While the conservation works have partially stabilised the ruins, it is anticipated that a a programme of landscaping and access works will allow them to be safely opened up in the future for the enjoyment of Galwegians and visitors to the city.  Tirellan is a fortified house of the seventeenth century which enjoys a riverine setting with views towards the University of Galway. Merlin, a tower house of the sixteenth century is an essential element of Merlin Woods and now forms the centrepiece of a large residential scheme. Both castles are located in established amenity areas that share their names; Terryland Forest Park and Merlin Park Woods. Their potential to animate and enrich the use of these parks will be explored with proposals for the public realm of the city, where these landmark structures would play an enhanced role.

Please note; Rough Terrain at Tirellan castle will be encountered, please wear suitable boots and clothing.

This walled garden, laid out c. 1820 with its  forge, are physical remainders of Mountbellew demesne, once a thriving estate . The enclosure was designed to grow cucumbers, melons and flowers, amongst other plants, and the remains of a greenhouse, grapery and peach house can be seen. In addition, a gardener’s house was built into the very walls of the garden. The estate was taken over in 1937 by the Land Commission and the house destroyed in 1939 to provide stones to fix roads, despite protests from the locals who tried to have the house converted into a district hospital. An enthusiastic local group have driven the repair and capping of  the masonry walls , removal of ivy and repair of wrought iron gates . They are carefully uncovering the paths and following best conservation practice in their endeavours.

Guides:
Jimmy Noone, John Walsh & members Mountbellew Heritage and Tourism Network

Tour of ongoing works at the complex site of The Walks in Loughrea. 18 bridges span the water course which follows the line of the medieval defenses, leading to burgage plots lining the main street of the town. In 1796 a cruciform promenade was laid out alongside which has been a place of recreation and contemplation for the residents of Loughrea for over two hundred years. Diverse groups and owners in the town have come together to fund the conservation works which protect the brown trout habitat in the watercourse, its historic masonry fabric, and sylvan setting.

Guides: Ursula Marmion

Drop in / but pre-booking available

Led by plattenbaustudio, this one-day workshop invites the public to actively join in a large-scale group drawing exercise in which we take on the centre of Galway city as our subject matter. Together we will use architectural sketching, mapping and field notes to study and observe the city through a wide range of lens, from the physical to the ephemeral. Filed notes will be used to record the situation on the ground, while also using a massive group drawing back at our base in the Mick Lally Theatre to input and grow the information we gather. At the end of the day we hope to have created a large-scale group drawing that is part-survey, part-dreams, encouraging everyone share their observations on the city today, as well as their wishes for the city of tomorrow.

We will provide all drawing materials, just bring yourself.

Attendees are advised to wear warm clothes as part of workshop will be spent outside.

plattenbaustudio is an architecture and drawing studio based between Berlin and Ireland. Alongside built projects the studio is active in the fields of architectural communication, exhibition and research, focusing on the realities of architecture in use and on the far-reaching consequences that our built environment has on human lives.

Tickets FREE

Omey, a tidal island accessible on foot, is a beautiful place of rock and sand and a spiritual place with secret Monastic Sites, St. Féichín founded a monastery here and his Holy Well is still venerated by local fishermen. Omey is now home to a handful of people now, but its many archaeological sites are evidence of a once thriving community, its history mirroring the many waves of change throughout the millennia.  This easy walking, along small road, coastline and open beaches, takes up to three hours and will be an exploration of the hidden archaeology and the eroding coastal archaeology exposed in the Midden Sites by ongoing winter storms.  A very important Cupped Hammer Stone dating to the Mesolithic was discovered on Omey and is just one of a long list of other important finds, including Kite Brooch; Comb; Hiberno-Norse Ringed Pin, Cross-Inscribed Cross; Coin and Human & Animal skeletons remains, discovered along these coastal dunes. 

Tickets FREE

10am (Start by 10.30am-1.30pm) *High Tide @ 4pm

 Guide: Michael Gibbons, Archaeologist

Michael Gibbons is hugely experienced field archaeologists.  He is a long standing member of the Institute of Irish Archaeology and has a wide and broad range of managerial, field and publishing experience and has spent almost 40 years mapping the archaeology of Ireland, particularly the West Coast as was well as gaining invaluable experience from working abroad in the Negev Desert, Sinai, Greece and for the London Museum.

Recognised as one of Europe’s greenest cities Freiburg has an important story to tell about regeneration and challenging convention with creative initiatives in neighbourhood and housing, planning, transport and energy whilst maintaining its trajectory to become an extremely liveable city which effectively combines modernity with tradition.

Awarded the title European City of the Year 2010 by the Academy of Urbanism, Freiburg celebrated the recognition by hosting a study tour for Academicians, culminating in the production of a Charter which advocated best practice in sustainable urbanism.  The Charter comprised twelve high-level principles, distilled from experience, for reflection and adaptation to suit different geographical circumstances and local administrative structures. The Academy championed the Charter as a catalyst for progressive dialogue and in the twelve years since its inception it has helped to raise aspirations and improve practice among our growing network of cities, towns and people. 

In August 2022, as the enduring impacts of Covid on work and commuting patterns crystallise and as the challenge of climate change moves from esoteric theory to hard edged existential threat in a context exacerbated by an energy crisis which threatens global stability, the moment seems opportune to contemplate a New Charter for a New Challenge.

Galway is a city which is looking to remodel itself for the emerging new age and is starting on the long-term conversations required to facilitate a significant transformation using work carried out by the Irish Cities group as jumping off point.

In support of the process and in pursuit of the mission to foster and promote best practise in urbanism generally the Academy, in association with the RIAI, is organising a conference in Galway in Spring 2023.

In advance of the conference and as part of the Architecture at the Edge Festival, a full day Workshop will be held on Friday 07th October 2022, at the Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Ln, Galway.

The workshop will engage a wide spectrum of interested parties and will explore the issues, challenges and exciting opportunities which lie in wait for an Atlantic Edge City looking to recreate itself and provide leadership for other urban centres in the decade ahead. 

Booking for the spring Conference will be available in the new year online at;

www.Academy of Urbanism.org.uk or www.RIAI.ie  

Vacancy and dereliction blight the centres of our towns and villages. Why? Because nobody is thinking about them with imagination as the brilliant spaces they could be.  

Pandemic – developed expertise with Zoom means remote working is not just an idea but a new paradigm for a parallel existence.  Flexible working allows us to re-imagine in turn how we live – changing traditional mindsets which have been baked into us since the 1960s. 

We all want to live more lightly on our fragile planet.  It’s time to change our view about endless growth and consider everything from the ground up, asking the question, do we need to build at all? Could we adapt? Re-use? Re-imagine? 

Irish towns are a built idea distilling the essence of how to live together around a communal space. Revitalised, they could present us with thousands of instant environments,  PLACES made by a wall of buildings,  a theatre of the everyday.  Smaller size and scale put us directly in touch with nature, and give us places for kids to play and learn, the 15-minute city translates to a town environment where there is life, fun, community, and culture.  

How can we move from simply thinking this is a great idea, to achieve it?

Vacancy and dereliction could be investigated for the potential they accidentally offer.   If used imaginatively they could become a serious part of solving our housing problem while offering people a sustainable and interesting way of living together. 

New plans for our towns need to be about small-scale brilliant ideas in all kinds of places. Using what’s there, being ingenious, imagining it into something fresh for now,  developing new models of habitation. In doing this we are reinforcing the unique cultural landscape in towns we have inherited,  into which we should intervene with care.

Three of Ireland’s emerging practices will present their own unique approach to investing the existing fabric of our towns and villages with historic and cultural value. Essentially a form of architectural salvage; a sustainable and viable means of rebuilding remakes our towns and re-purposes them to be functional brilliant places.

Moderator: Valerie Mulvin (McCullough Mulvin Architects)
Damien Curry, https://canicearchitects.com
Helena McElmeel & Blair Stanaway, https://mcelmeel.ie
Pasparakis Friel https://www.pasparakisfriel.com

FREE, Pre-booking required

Galway City Council Architects, Housing and Planning Departments, along with Tax experts will explain two current incentives that existing in Galway for tackling vacancy within the City urban core. The Living City Incentive and the Repair and Leasing Scheme are two specific financial schemes that are currently available. The format of the event is to have a number of quick presentations to explain the schemes along with the finical and tax benefits. There will also be presentations with Architectural examples of dealing with the issues of Urban Vacancy and the associated planning requirements.

Moderator:
Emmet Humphreys Senior Executive Architect Galway City Council
Contributors:
Peter Staunton Executive Planner Galway City Council
Maremoto Architects Karen O’Reilly Senior Tax Advisor with PWC.

Pre-booking required.

Historian Fintan O Gorman will guide a walk around the outside of the Ashford Castle building, including a guided tour of the estate gardens. This is followed by an interior tour offering an opportunity to view the castle’s exquisitely restored interiors, including the vaults and the magnificent Oak Hall.  Then settle into the cinema room with fresh popcorn, and watch a programme of short touristic films made in and about Galway and environs, restored by Irish Film Institute and learn about the recent restoration works at Ashford Castle with a short video.

Tickets €10. Pre-booking required

Experimental lens based media and animation workshop with artist Aideen Barry

In this workshop artist Aideen Barry will impart some of the visual trickery she used to create her feature film Klostės. The workshop will included a little bit of stop motion animation, an intro in to Chroma Keying and some video projection mapping to create a 3d video installation on an architectural maquette.

Ideally for young people interested in film, architecture, art, experimental media.

Pre-booking required. Tickets: FREE

Sos Seotoireachta, Ros An Mhil / Rossaveel Small Craft Harbour

The Rossaveel SCH Amenity Building or “Sos Seotoireachta”, meaning “Sailors rest” is the first building on the man made pier for the recently expanded small craft harbour at Rossaveel. The project which was designed by Stephen Foley and Johan Berglund (SFA42 Architects) and procured through public competition by the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine.

The project is a response to its exposed site, combining functional elements such as a shower block an ESB substation with offices, and a canteen for harbour users. The structure is made of a fragile concrete shell roof which is sculpted to direct rainwater back towards the sea. This rises on the corner to allow the super intendants office to look out over the harbour entrance. The ground plane which is made of natural stone, folds up onto the building and the roof which is made of exposed reinforced concrete continues down the facade. Rectangular openings are formed where these two materials meet giving an undulating materiality reflecting the landscape beyond the project.

The project is at internal fit out stage. External completions such as windows and stone cladding are being installed. The visit will include a short visit of the small craft harbour and description of the construction process to date.

Guides:
Stephen Foley Director SFA42 Architects
Kevin O Byrne, Client, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

FREE but prebook is essential

Meet Wild Atlantic Way Discovery Point, Rossaveel Ferry Terminal

Bio
Stephen Foley (Dublin, 1983) is director of SFA42 Architects with over 15 years’ of International experience working on cultural, sports & religious buildings in Ireland, the UK and the Middle East. His work represents the highest standard of contemporary practice and in 2017 he was given the RIAI Future Award for Emerging Architects.

Project Credits:
Client: Marine Engineering Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Architects: Stephen Foley, Johan Berglund, Marta Lopez Garcia, Sara Acebes Anta
Structural Engineer: Alex Sancraian, JJ Campbell Engineers
Main Contractor: Carra plant hire
Fit Out Contractor: O’Malley Construction
Glazing: Seasonmaster Ltd

Working with Kylemore Abbey and led by Architect Michael Horan, AATE has created a programme of activity focussing on the Conservation works at Kylemore’s Gothic Church.  This will include a classroom-based introduction to the Gothic Church building and its heritage; followed by a tour of the site, detailing the conservation works underway.  Attendees will have an opportunity to see the impact of these conservation works to the Gothic Church, led by architect and experts Michael Horan & Neil Crimmins, and practical demonstrations with Michael McHale.

Itinerary

10.30am: Registered participants arrive to Visitor Centre, Kylemore Abbey and directed to Training Room in main Abbey Building.  Tea/coffee on arrival in Training Room (provided  gratis by Mitchell's Café).

11.00am: Welcome by Conor Coyne, Exec Director, Kylemore Abbey

• 11.15 – 12.00: Michael Horan – Project Description: The Gothic Church at Kylemore Abbey

• 12.00 – 12.40: Neil Crimmins – Conservation Plan and Scope of Works

• 12.40 – 13.00: Q&A – panel: Mairin Doddy, Michael Horan, Neil Crimmins

1.00pm: Lunch in The Kylemore Café – participants can purchase lunch in café (adjacent) and tour Abbey.

2.00pm: Site Visit:  Participants walk to The Gothic Church, tour led by architects and on site talks and practical demonstrations with Michael McHale.

4.00pm: Return to Kylemore Abbey Training Room – summary/wrap up. Tea/coffee. Participants depart.

Tickets FREE. Pre-booking required

RIAI CPD points applicable

Abbeyknockmoy possesses one of the best surviving examples of medieval wall painting in Ireland, protected under the vault of the presbytery.   Paintings feature the popular medieval tale of the Three Living and Three Dead Kings, intended to remind viewers of the inevitability of death, and an image of the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, the saint invoked for protection from plague. The east end of the abbey is the work of the so-called ‘School of the West’, a group of masons renowned for their fine stone carvings and idiosyncratic sculptural detailing. Good examples of their work can be seen on the east windows and the carved head of a king – possibly Cathal Croibhdhearg, located in the nave. 

Guides:
Colm Murray, Architecture Officer, The Heritage Council
Dr Karena Morton, Head of Conservation, National Museum of Ireland

Free / Meet at Abbeyknockmoy graveyard carpark

Accessibility The abbey is located down a short walk from the graveyard carpark to the north of Abbeyknockmoy town. There is a stile (a passage over a fence via steps and a narrow gap) that might prove difficult to those with mobility issues.

Dr Karena Morton has been Head of Conservation at the National Museum of Ireland, based at the Museum of Country Life, Mayo, since March 2017. Karena’s PhD. thesis was on Irish Medieval Wall Painting. She worked for fifteen years as a freelance conservator of archaeological finds and wall paintings, particularly ones of late medieval date.

This eclectic style of this church, with its Romanesque revival elements, is owed to William A. Scott, one of the leading Arts and Crafts designers of his time. Built in 1904 it has been repaired over several years recently under the direction of architect Michael Walsh . Michael will lead a tour of the church and discuss the issues involved in its maintenance. 

Guide: ​ Architect Michael Walsh

Drop in / on a first come basis

Gemma Ginty Architects

An architect and engineer owned project, creating a family home adaptable over time, in a rugged landscape. Using offsite construction of timber frame, clad with a ventilated façade of Cedral boards and Baumit render. The 270mm walls and roof are pumped with Cellulose (recycled newspaper) to provide excellent insulation, acoustics and a low carbon home. Concealed gutters and a limited palate of materials create a strong architectural form. The house makes the most of light, landscape and volume, connecting to framed views and outside spaces.

Guides:
Building Owners – Gemma Ginty & Cian O’Donnchadha

Project Credits:
Timber frame Builder – Irish Eco homes, Adrian Gallagher
Vertex Roofing – (roof and cladding) Martin Lee
Groundworks – Máirtín ÓFlatharta Teo
Membranes/Wufi Analysis – Partel – Hugh Whiriskey

FREE but prebook is essential

Architecture at the Edge, in association with Kylemore Abbey, is pleased to present 'Interpreting Landscape: Tim Robinson and the West of Ireland' which celebrates the immense contribution that Tim Robinson made to understanding the landscape of the west of Ireland.

Drawing on the Robinson Archive at the Hardiman Library, University of Galway, and curated by Jane Conroy and Nessa Cronin, it was originally exhibited at the university in 2014/15.

This exhibition at the Fordham Hall, Kylemore Abbey, is a tribute to the life’s work of Tim and Mairead Robinson, whose shared passion for and knowledge of place has left a scholarly legacy of books and maps of the West of Ireland which will endure for generations.

Included in the exhibit is a piece by acclaimed Galway sculptor, John Coll, which pays tribute to the late writer and cartographer. John Coll is one of Ireland’s most prominent figurative sculptors and we are delighted to have him at the Architecture at the Edge Festival.

Opening event 01 October, FREE but prebook is essential

AATE Festival 2022 : 01 – 10 October. Exhibition runs 1 October to Spring 2023. 

Please note after 02nd October, entry included in regular admission to Kylemore Abbey

Architecture at the Edge(AATE) in association with Architecture Association Ireland (AAI) present;
House at Sky Road

Architect Peter Carroll, A2 Architects led tours at 11:30 and 12:30pm (max 15 per tour). 

With a desire to draw its own emphatic datum line panning from the contoured hills either side this house registers and faces the force seaward winds while creating the opportunity for a sheltered microclimate within. A forty-two-metre long cast-in-situ concrete beam spans a dip in a local ridge to enable a clear-spanning living, dining and kitchen space at the core of this house. Two lower perpendicular flanking wings lie on either side – one of the bedrooms and another of ancillary spaces. The resultant primary apertures made by the beam are in contrast to the remaining smaller window openings with their own expressed lintels.

The layout and landscaping of the sheltered courtyard garden make this another room of the house. Large, lichen-covered boulders found onsite, granite patios and local stone walls provide focal points for approaching the house and encourage the use of this space. This garden is anchored by trees and hedging saved when the site was cleared and contrasts with the nature of the far larger landscape beyond.

Pre-booking required. Prebook essential via the AAI website *

*ticket holders are requested to meet at Clifden Boat Club, Castle Demesne, 20min in advance of the timed tour.  The house is located a short walk from the boat club carpark in Clifden