Hidden in Plain Sight: The Sandy Quarter

Architect led tour with Paul Mannion & Sawsan Bassalat, Scott Tallon Walker Architects 

Wednesday 01 October 2025, 11:00-12:30  

Tickets FREE 

Meet CREW Digital Innovation Hub, ATU Galway

The Land Development Agency (LDA), commissioned the RIAI in January 2020 to carry out a Design Review for a c.20-acre site near Galway city centre. The Design Review was undertaken by five RIAI Registered Architects - Dr. Alice Casey, TAKA Architects; Paul Mannion, Scott Tallon Walker Architects; Jonny McKenna, Metropolitan Workshop; Valerie Mulvin, McCullough Mulvin Architects and Michael Pike, GKMP Architects. Each Architect put forward different proposals and visions that show a range of possible ideas for the site. These ideas were reviewed in an online discussion at the 2020 ATTE. Since then, the LDA, in partnership with Galway City Council (GCC), has engaged a team led by Reddy Architecture + Urbanism to develop a Spatial Framework for the lands bounding Sandy Road. The future development of a new urban quarter at Sandy Road will be known as “Ceathrú an Ghainimh” – The Sandy Quarter.

Paul Mannion & Sawsan Bassalat, Scott Tallon Walker Architects will give a short presentation followed by an exploratory walk around the Sandy Road Quarter currently being master planned influence the surrounding areas including the hidden corners of Liosbán. 

Galway Rape Crisis Centre (GRCC)

urbanARQ Limited +
OCC Construction

Tours at 12.00 & 14.00, duration 45min. 

Tickets FREE but prebooking is essential 

Meeting point at Claddagh Church (5min in advance of the Tour)

Architect Led Tour: Eugene Mulcaire, Gavin Veeran, and William O’Connor – urbanARQ

Meeting point at Claddagh Church (5min in advance of the Tour)

At No. 7 Claddagh Quay, the new Galway Rape Crisis Centre building embodies both purpose and place. Designed to provide a safe, respectful, and supportive environment, the architecture reflects the Centre’s ethos of dignity and care. The building balances sensitivity to its historic setting with the creation of modern, functional spaces that allow the Centre to continue and expand its vital work.

For more than four decades, the Galway Rape Crisis Centre has been a lifeline for survivors of sexual violence across Galway City and County, Roscommon, and North Clare. This new facility not only strengthens that commitment but also stands as a physical symbol of resilience, community, and hope.

Event supported by OCC Construction.

On the Bay: Arigho Larmour, Wheeler Architects 

Sunday 05 October 2025

Tours: 12.00 / 13.00  / 14.00

Tickets: FREE but prebooking is essential 

Architect: Arigho Larmour Wheeler Architects

Private house, Connemara, Co. Galway

Renovation and extension to a Rural Cottage

Completed 2024

This project consists of the extension and refurbishment of a shoreline cottage facing south across Galway Bay towards The Burren and County Clare. The site is bounded by an existing dry stone wall built from large granite rocks, and the foreshore between the house and the sea is populated with large rock formations, shallow pools and seagrass. The site very exposed so the new house had to be designed to be able to withstand the brunt of heavy weather coming in from the Atlantic.  The clients wanted to extend the cottage in a way that would make the most of the view across the bay. As such, the extension was designed as a simple, low pavilion placed directly between the cottage and the sea. The elongated building form and sharp roof edge give the building a low horizontal emphasis helping the building to blend into the background when seen from the shoreline.

CREW (Creative Enterprise West) 
Cronin Architects 

Architect: Cronin Architects 

CREW Digital Innovation Hub, ATU Galway

Completed 2024 

CREW (Creative Enterprise West) is a leading innovation hub dedicated to growing the digital creative industries in the West and North-West of Ireland. It provides essential infrastructure, training, mentorship, and networking opportunities to entrepreneurs, startups, and scale-ups in sectors such as film, animation, game development, design, and digital arts. Our hub is a space designed to unite creative and tech-driven communities, promoting collaboration, innovation and growth Since its launch, CREW has successfully developed incubation and enterprise development programmes, engaged in a variety of regional industry development projects, forged strong industry partnerships and influenced policy to support creative businesses.

By engaging in collaboration between academia, government, and industry, CREW is supporting innovation, job creation, and regional economic growth. The 2025–2029 strategy builds on these achievements, ensuring continued support for the digital creative sector and positioning the West and North-West of Ireland for significant growth in the digital creative industries.

Irish Construction Excellence Awards Finalist.

Building Architect of the Year Awards Finalist. 

SBID Interior Design Awards Finalist.

Kylemore Abbey Benedictine Monastery, Education & Retreat Centre 
Axo Architects

Set in the ruggedly beautiful west Galway landscape - and in proximity to the celebrated nineteenth century gothic revival Kylemore Abbey this new building draws on long established monastic traditions, perhaps the most notably that of the cloister plan form. The architectural design of this monastery succeeds in reconciling interfaces between the public, semi-public and private realms but also between the timeless and contemporary.  The building exploits the challenge of a steeply sloping site, while respecting and enhancing its remarkable context. The design evolves from a central garth and cloister, unfolding into a series of brick volumes of varying height and scale. The result is a serene and timeless structure that quietly compliments its landscape through sensitive consideration of context, scale, materiality, and visual harmony.  

Awards: RIAI Irish Architecture Awards 2025:

Public Choice Award Winner

Best Living Project.

Highly Commended in Sustainable Design.

Highly Commended in Universal Design.

House in Connemara, TAKA Architects 

Architect led Tour 

Date Friday 10 October , 2025 

Tours at 2pm and 3pm, (Duration 45min)

Tickets FREE but prebooking is essential 

Architect: TAKA Architects

Private house, Connemara, Co. Galway

Renovation and extension to an existing house. Completed 2025

This project involves the renovation of an existing house built in the 1990s, located on an elevated coastal site. 

The guiding approach was to try to bring the experience of the surrounding landscape (both near and distant) closer to the home. The 2 new-build extensions (located at either end of the retained volume) are part submerged, with landscape coming directly up to windows. The overhanging roofs have cut outs to loosely frame distant mountain views.   

The retained part of the original house was substantially upgraded and the layout simplified. 

Project credits 

McDonnell Construction - Contractor, John McKinney - QS, CORA Consulting Engineers - Structural Engineers.