What Buildings Do:An architecture podcast.

This special episode is a live recording made at IAF House, Dublin on June 10th, 2024.As part of conversation series, Books Donwstairs, on books and architecture, architect and writer John Tuomey and author and visual artist Adrian Duncan discussed their books, writing, memory, growing up with engineers and knowing your place. The event was chaired by architect and academic Miriam Delaney. . First Quarter by John Tuomey, published by Lilliput Press In his reflective and enriching memoir, John Tuomey navigates the places and memories of his life over the scope of twenty-five years. First recognised for the urban regeneration of Dublin’s Temple Bar, which included the construction of the Irish Film Institute, the National Photographic Archive and Gallery of Photography, his life in architecture led him to design social and cultural spaces such as the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, the Glucksman Gallery in UCC and the Victoria & Albert East Museum in London. . .Little Republics: The Story of Bungalow Bliss by Adrian Duncan, published by Lilliput Press Bungalow Bliss, first published in 1971, was a book of house designs that buyers could use to build a home for themselves affordably. It first appeared two years before Ireland was to join the EEC as a self-published catalogue by Jack Fitzsimons from his Kells Art Studios in County Meath. He and his wife designed and collated it and printed it locally.Fitzsimons sold these books out of his car to newsagents, petrol garages and bookshops. Over the course of thirty years, Fitzsimons sold over a quarter of a million copies of his catalogue. The first edition contained twenty designs – the final edition contained two hundred and sixty. . Recorded live | Additional music by Rachael Lavelle. What Buildings Do is spefically supported by the Irish Architecture Foundation in its mission to reach audiences.

This is the first of three episodes made in response to a project called Reimagining `Elderhood. Initiated by a group called SOA, or Self-Organised Architecture - a group already in conversation on episode 26 of the podcast - Reimaging Elderhood is an architecture-led project that explores the future housing needs of people in mid-life in Ireland. First up in this episode, Emmett Scanlon talks to Ailbhe Cunningham and Inka Drohn. Ailbhe is an architect based in Cork who, in this project, worked out of a record shop with a community of mjusicians, collectors and more who had formed around the shop. Ailbhe was mentored by Inka Drohn, an architect based in Berlin Germany who specialises in cop-operative and self-organised housing projects. Find out more about this project at www.soa.ie . The podcast we recorded on zoom in October 2023. . Graphic design by Eamonn Hall . Music by Sinéad Finnegan . What Buildings Do is supported by the Irish Architecture Foundation as part of their commitment to advancing the culture of architecture in Ireland.

In this episode we talk to Valerie Mulvin. The podcast is part of the Temple Bar 30 Series, an ongoing recording project with members of Group 91. Back in the 1980s a group of young and eager architects began working together in a loose collective, anxious to make things happen in Dublin city. By 1991, this group formalised as Group 91 and contained among others, Shelley McNamra, Yvonne Farrell (Grafton Architects), John Tuomey and Sheila O Donnell, Mc Cullough Mulvin architects and McGarry NiEanaigh. Valerie was part of G91 with Niall McCullough, who died in 2022. As practitioners and writers in and of architecture, Niall and Valerie have published since very early in their career. The podcast begins then, with Valerie reflecting on how and why the desire to research, write and publish came from and how she and Niall sustained this across their entire career. Valerie has just published Approximate Formality: Morphology of Irish Towns to public and critical acclaim and she is now working to complete a book underway by Niall before his death. With a mood and tone of reflection and optimism, Valerie looks back at how she and Niall became involved in G91, and their early research and study trips, their meetings with Aldo Rossi and their first book A Lost Tradition, all of which fundamentally formed their lives in architecture. She reflects too on the impact and legacy of the Temple Bar project, on Dublin, culture, policy and their own individual practice. _ The music is by Sinead Finnegan and is played by The Delmaine String Quartet. The podcast was recorded live at Valerie's home in August 2022.

This is a bonus episode of the podcast. It is a review of and a reflection on i see Earth, building and ground 1991-2021 an exhibition by Tom de Paor. The recording of this text was first broadcast at an event in VISUAL Carlow, on May 1st 2022, at an event called MAYDAY, a 108 minute orbit around the earth, curated by Nathalie Weadick and Hugh Campbell. The text read here will also be published on storybuilding.ie. “Still open, i see Earth presents an ambitious large-scale installation of sculptural work by one of Ireland's foremost architects, Tom dePaor. The exhibition spans his practice from 1991-2021 through the media of sculpture, objects, film and drawing, painting and writing. Curated and commissioned by Nathalie Weadick and including new documentary work by Peter Maybury, i see Earth is produced by VISUAL Carlow and the Irish Architecture Foundation.

In this short episode Emmett Scanlon describes the origins and purpose of the new platform Story, Building. The podcast, What Buildings Do, is now part of that platform. Story, Building is a new platform for the critical discussion of architecture in Ireland. The podcast also shares information on how to submit work for publication in print or online. Full details are on the website. Music is by Rachael Lavelle.

In this episode we discuss two new books on architecture, buildings and Ireland's capital city, Dublin. The books are The Dublin Architecture Guide 1937-2021, by Paul Kelly, Cormac Murray and Brendan Spierin, published by the Lilliput Press and designed by Eamonn Hall. The second book is The Dignity of Everyday Life: Celebrating Michael Scott’s Busaras, with text by Eoin O' Broin and photographs by Mal McCann. The book is designed by Stuart Coughlan and published by Merrion Press. The podcast covers the themes and content of the books individually and together, paying particular attention to the design of the books and how photographs are used. Joining Emmett Scanlon to discuss these books are architect David Capener and photographer Noel Bowler. ABOUT THE CRITICS David Capener is an architect, educator and writer and a lecturer at the Belfast School of Architecture. He himself has just published a book as part of ANNEX, a six person team who made ENTANGLEMT, the national pavilion at the 2021 Biennale of architecture in Venice. The book, STATES OF ENTAGLEMENT: Data in the Irish Landscape, is published by ACTAR and designed by Alex Synge. Noel Bowler, who studied at the Belfast School of Art and is currently Senior Lecturer in Photography at the University of Suffolk. Noel Bowler is a photographer and educator. His photographs, exhibitions and publications continue to look at the ongoing consideration of the political forces that shape our world, reflected through the organisation of social space. Made over a six year period, Noel’s most recent book ABOVE THE FOLD is a series of photographs taken in some of the most respected and recognised newspaper newsrooms from around the world. The book was designed by Robert Farrelly at POST STUDIO and published by RARE editions. NOTE: The podcast was recorded on zoom. During the course of the recording there was some local distortion on some aspects of the sound. We apologise for this and have done our best to correct this. Music in this podcast is by Rachael Lavelle.

In the podcast Emmett Scanlon talks to James Albert Martin and Eibhlín Ní Chathasaigh, who together with Anne Dorthe Vester and Maria Bruun are Soil Lab. In September 2021, Soil Lab unveiled their installation on a vacant lot in Chicago as part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial.  In the podcast the pair discuss  the project from the initial idea which, after an open call from the Danish Arts Foundation, was to make a housing for a ceramic kiln on the site, and all the way through to the opening. They share the obvious logistic challenges of making a project like this from Denmark and Ireland and in America, especially during a pandemic. However, challenging as it was, it is clear the team remain enthused, emboldened and engaged with and by the work and all that unfolded day by day across the project, and in particular how the project was enriched by the participation of residents and others who live and work adjacent to the site. James begins by telling us about the Chicago Architecture Biennial and from their pair talk directly and honestly about what happened, what they learned, and a little about what might be next. More about the project here: https://www.instagram.com/soillabnorthlawndale ABOUT SOIL LAB The Soil Lab project team is made up of three architects, James Albert Martin, Eibhlín Ní Chathasaigh, and Anne Dorthe Vester, and one designer, Maria Bruun, working across different scales, materials, and disciplines. James, Eibhlín, and Anne Dorthe studied together at the Aarhus School of Architecture in Denmark and have since collaborated on several projects. James and Eibhlín are based in Dublin, where they have both worked for internationally renowned architecture firms. Maria and Anne Dorthe are based in Copenhagen, where they founded the studio MBADV in 2013. Their practice with MBADV is at the intersection of architecture, design, and fine art. The project team comes together around a belief in making as a collaborative act: making moments, and making spaces and places for people to gather, to celebrate, and to treasure space. Eibhlín Ní Chathasaigh graduated from the Aarhus School of Architecture, Denmark, in 2011. Since graduating she has worked for Atelier Peter Zumthor in Switzerland and Grafton Architects in Dublin, Ireland. In 2018, Eibhlín joined James and Anne Dorte in participating in the REFORM Design Biennale with their collaboration Woven Construct, constructed in the garden of Munkeruphus Center of Contemporary Art, in Zealand, Denmark. Eibhlín believes imagination is the central strength of architecture and is interested in the social act of architecture and design as a collaborative conversation. It is with great pleasure that, together with the people of North Lawndale and the Soil Lab team, she embarks on transforming a vacant lot in West Chicago into a new public space. James Albert Martin is a registered architect with the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and Grade 3 Accredited in Architectural Conservation. He has taught at The Aarhus School of Architecture and at University College Dublin where he is currently a Design Fellow. James is interested in the act of making, and his work is informed by this collaborative act. James holds a MA from The Aarhus School of Architecture and has also undertaken courses in joinery at Capellagården - a school for craft and design. Since graduating he has worked with international studios; Sou Fujimoto Architects, Herzog & de Meuron, and Grafton Architects. In 2018, James, Eibhlín, and Anne Dorte participated in REFORM Design Biennale with their collaboration Woven Construct, a seat, a screen, space, which they constructed in the garden of Munkeruphus, north of Copenhagen.

The last years have seen a growing consideration of the terms and conditions of employment for architects. In this episode Emmett Scanlon speaks to Charlie Edmonds who cofounded in 2021 the Future Architects Front, a group founded to end "the exploitative practices" of workers in architecture. Charlie outlines the reasons he and Priti Mohandas founded the group, their engagement with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), he calls for more diversity in education available to architects and how discussions of preparing students for the "real world" in architecture education are often about holding the status quo and resisting change. | About FAF: Future Architects Front is a grassroots organisation of architectural workers and students. FAF campaigns to end the exploitative practices that have come to define the world of architecture. It was created and is run by Charlie Edmonds and Priti Mohandas, British designers and researchers. The pair met and began the work of FAF while conducting their Master’s in Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Cambridge. | Music is by Sinead Finegan, played by the Delmaine String Quartet (Philip Dodd, leader). The podcast was recorded on Zoom in July 2021.

In this episode, Emmett Scanlon talks to Will Hurst, the Managing Editor of The Architects’ Journal, based in London. Will has been leading the RetroFirst campaign at the Architect's Journal since late 2019. The podcast covers the origins and ambitions of this campaign, at the heart of which is the idea that "the greenest building is the one that already exists". The conversation touches on the challenges faced by all in construction at a time of climate crisis, the reaction of the architecture profession to RetroFirst, the circular economy and why it makes little climate sense to demolish buildings like the Derby Assembly Rooms in Derby. _ ABOUT WILL HURST Will Hurst is an award-winning journalist who has spent his career writing about architecture and construction in the building press and for national titles such as the Guardian, Times and Financial Times. Will has written extensively about the built environment’s contribution to the climate crisis and is currently leading the AJ’s RetroFirst campaign for the re-use of existing buildings. His investigation into the Garden Bridge won him a Press Gazette British Journalism Award in 2017 and was shortlisted for that year’s Paul Foot Award. __ Music is by Sinead Finegan, played by the Delmaine String Quartet (Philip Dodd, leader). The podcast was recorded on Zoom in July 2021. _

In this episode Emmett Scanlon talks to Padraig Flynn and Tom O Donnell of SOA (Self Organised Housing). In the podcast the pair outline the origins of the group and the social, spatial and architectural potential of community-led housing. The pair present a realistic but optimistic way of understanding and providing housing in Ireland.  - About SOA  SOA SOA is a not-for-profit action research think tank, formed in 2017 to research and promote cooperative and collaborative approaches to housing in Ireland. We study proven and successful UK, European and North American strategies and look at how these might be adapted to Ireland. In 2019 SOA hosted a series of events on the subject of Community-Led Housing, including an international conference which was attended by over 400 people. Building on the research base generated by this and other activities, throughout 2020 SOA have coordinated a comprehensive multi-stakeholder study to ‘Roadmap a Viable Community-Led Housing Sector for Ireland’. SOA are also currently the Irish partner in the EU Interreg Sustainable Housing for Inclusive and Cohesive Cities (SHICC) project, which seeks to support the establishment of more successful Community Land Trusts (CLTs) in cities across the North-West European region.  - About Tom  - Tom O’Donnell studied architecture at UCD and in 2000 completed an MPhil at Cambridge University under Peter Carl and Dalibor Vesely. He worked at Cork City Architect’s department on a number of public projects until 2007 and since then, has been in practice in Germany and Ireland. In 2017, he co-founded SOA Research CLG, an action research think tank to promote cooperative and collaborative approaches to housing and community development, where he is currently a co-director.  - On Padraig  - Padraig Flynn studied architecture in UCD, and currently works in practice with LiD Architecture, an Irish/Berlin architecture and research practice specialising in innovative housing and participative design techniques. Previous work at Cullen Payne Architects (Dublin) and Heren 5 Architecten (Amsterdam) included housing projects at a range of scales in Ireland, London and Amsterdam. Padraig is a founding director of SOA Research, and co-author with Tom of the recently published Roadmapping a Viable Community-Led Housing Sector for Ireland series, which outlines the development of a community-led housing infrastructure for Ireland. Music is by Sinead Finegan and is played by the Delmaine String Quartet. The podcast was recorded on zoom in May 2021.

Northern Ireland is 100 years old on May 3rd 2021. In this podcast Emmett Scanlon speaks to four people working in and through architecture in Norther Ireland. Aidan McGrath is a director of McGonigal McGrath architects. Jane Larmour leads ArighoLarmourWheeler architect based in Dublin and Belfast. Aisling Rusk is founder of Studio Idir and Ciaran Fox is the Director of the RSUA (Royal Society of Ulster Architects). What follows is a broad conversation in which individually and collectively the quartet outline their own understands of the current terms and conditions in which architecture is being commissioned, designed, built and finally shared with a public. Naturally the specific political context of Northern Ireland comes up - you will have heard Aidan refer to this in the introduction - and we hear how this might be driving and informing types of architectural practice.  __ Music is by Sinead Finegan, played by the Delmaine String Quartet (Philip Dodd, leader). The podcast was recorded on Zoom in April 2021.

In this episode host Emmett Scanlon meets Nathalie Weadick. Nathalie is the director of the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF). The IAF is an independent organisation dedicated to the promotion of architecture as culture. In a wide ranging conversation, Nathalie recalls her early career in Visual Arts and as Director of the Butler Gallery in Kilkenny and how she moved into architecture. The conversation covers risk taking, growing a desire for architecture, the impact of public engagement practices and that the time is here for a new "house" for architecture in Ireland. (The podcast was recorded on zoom) About Nathalie Weadick: Nathalie Weadick is a curator of architecture and spatial practice based in Dublin. She has been the director of the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) since 2007. Through the IAF she has delivered many initiatives exploring the impact of architecture on society, culture, and history. She initiated the development of a BMX Skate and Play Park, a community-led design project with Dublin City Council, Ballyfermot Community, and architects Relational Urbanism. The framework for this project developed into a national program called Reimagine. She established the ongoing and successful National Architects in Schools Initiative and produces Open House Dublin, Ireland’s largest architecture festival engaging thousands annually. From 2013 to 2021 she curated with Arup New Now Next a series of talks in Dublin with David Adjaye, Jeanne Gang, Tatiana Bilbao, Rozana Montiel, Kunle Adeyemi, Workac, Minsuk Cho, Ole Scheeren, Bjarke Ingels, Winy Maas, and Grafton Architects. 2017-2018 she was on the team of assistants to the Curators Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell of the 16th International Architecture Exhibition at Venice.  In 2015 she was the Architecture Advisor for Irish Design 2015 and co-curated with Raymund Ryan New Horizon_Architecture from Ireland and presented ten emerging and current Irish practices at the London Festival of Architecture, the Chicago Architecture Biennial, and the Hong Kong/Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale. In 2015/16 she curated We Built This City a series of panel discussions in London, Chicago, and New York about the impact of Irish creativity on global cities. In 2013 she curated The Everyday Experience in the Irish Museum of Modern Art about the impact of architecture on people. In 2008 she co-curated with Prof Hugh Campbell The Lives of Spaces for the Irish Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale and in 2010 she was Commissioner of the Irish exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale. 2004-2007 she held the position of Deputy Director at The Architecture Foundation in London and with Director Rowan Moore produced the London Debates in the Turbine Hall TATE Modern. Formerly, she was Director of the Butler Gallery in Kilkenny for five years, where she curated shows by international artists. She has written for many publications on visual arts and architecture. In 2017 she received an Honorary Fellowship from the RIBA. She is currently researching a Ph.D. at RMIT Melbourne and Queens University Belfast, Schools of Architecture. __ Music is by Sinead Finegan, played by the Delmaine String Quartet (Philip Dodd, leader). The podcast was recorded on Zoom in April 2021.

In this podcast host Emmett Scanlon talks to property developer Derek Poppinga of Mm Capital. In 2015 Mm Capital purchased the Phibsborough Shopping Centre site. In 2020 Mm Capital lodged an application to amend their previously approved project for student housing, proposing instead to include co-living units on the site. The podcast covers several aspects of development in Ireland, including cost and supply, the apparent inability for experts and developers to agree on how much it costs to build housing, the social responsibility of property developers and of course, co-living. About Derek Poppinga: Derek co-founded Mm Capital, an Irish real estate investor and developer in 2013. He is currently developing out c.Eur500m of real estate spread across social housing, standard apartments and co-living to name a few areas. A qualified barrister, he previously worked in roles in Morgan Stanley, Bridgewater Associate and H.I.G. European Capital Partners, working on over €1Bn worth of real estate transactions in this time. __ Music is by Sinead Finegan, played by the Delmaine String Quartet (Philip Dodd, leader). The podcast was recorded on Zoom in March 2021.