Fans of buildings and and how they impact our lives, you are in for a treat in Galway and Mayo next month — Architecture at the Edge is a new festival in designed to encourage citizens to explore their built environment and to gain a deeper understanding of the many ways architecture impacts our lives. Celebrating the west of Ireland’s rich architectural heritage, both old and new, the inaugural Architecture at the Edge festival will take place from September 29 – October 1 throughout County Galway and into County Mayo. The festival will feature a series of talks, expert-led guided tours, workshops and exhibitions and will offer audiences a unique opportunity to explore homes, buildings and spaces that are not usually open to the public.
Speaking about Architecture at the Edge, Frank Monahan, Festival Director said they have created this festival with the aim of raising public awareness about of the value of architecture and the built environment.
“We want to get people thinking about the importance of protecting and promoting public spaces, the relevance of recreational and working waterfronts and the broader impact of architecture on our personal well-being, economic prosperity and social cohesion”.
The festival will open on Friday September 29 with a half day symposium entitled ‘Placemaking - visualising a future for Galway’ followed in the afternoon by hands-on workshops that will focus on different aspects of placemaking within Galway City and across smaller towns and villages. The symposium will take place at the O’Donoghue Centre for Theatre, Drama and Performance at NUI Galway, which was awarded Public Choice in the RIAI Irish Architecture Awards 2017.
“We are thrilled with the line-up for the symposium”, continued Frank Monahan, “The speakers include local and national experts who will share their experiences and knowledge. By posing questions like ‘what kind of places are we creating?’ and ‘what makes a great place to live?, we very much look forward to stimulating debate on standards of design and planning in both urban and rural contexts and to encouraging citizens to consider how people live, work and use buildings and spaces.
“The programme for Saturday and Sunday includes architectural tours in Connemara, Mayo and East Galway as well as an open invitation to view homes and public buildings free of charge throughout both counties; one of the programme highlights is a house at Killeenaran, County Galway, designed by Richard Murphy OBE. Richard Murphy’s House at Hart Street Edinburgh won the RIBA/ Grand Designs UK House of the Year 2016.”
The full programme and booking details for Architecture at the Edge will be announced next week.
