Thursday July 27th

6.30 pm – 7.45 pm.

ZOOM event. Booking Required, click here. 

FREE EVENT

Are you interested in the process of bringing a vacant property back into use? This online event invites you to hear from three property owners who have been bringing vacant and underused property back into use, as well as hear about some of the practical supports available to you. This event is part of the New Life for Old Buildings project, which organised a series of site visits to renovation projects in Dún Laoghaire, Cloughjordan and Limerick city. This event brings these renovators together to share their experiences and provide insight into the challenges, learnings and benefits these projects bring.

The New Life for Old Buildings site visit series was aimed at sharing knowledge among those who are bringing vacant properties back into use. Each site visit was hosted by a property owner who is undertaking their own project, and gave those who attended a chance to swap tips, woes (and joys!), and learn from each other.

Speakers: Caelan Bristow, Samira Kaissi, Nicholas Taaffe

Caelan Bristow – Above Shop Restoration

Architect Caelan Bristow has been renovating a stone house (c.1800) in Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary since 2018. The building is a 3-storey stone terrace house with two shops at ground floor. Previous unsympathetic renovations were removed, and modern features were introduced including a large open plan living/dining room. Building works included a full energy retrofit using healthy building principles, breathable materials and a renewable energy system including ASHP and MVHR.

Samira Kaissi – Commercial to Residential Georgian Building

This building has undergone many transformations, having served as a provisions shop for boats, a wedding dress shop, an electronics shop, a medical supply store, and a Tibetan meditation centre, among other things. It has undergone two major renovations in which the basement was rendered uninhabitable and all historical features were removed. The current owners bought the house in 2021 as a commercial property and are giving it another life by restoring its residential purpose, room by room, window by window, layer by layer… with some surprises along the way!

Nick Taaffe – Barbershop to Residential Conversion

Returned emigrant and Chartered Surveyor Nick Taaffe has been converting an empty barbershop, joining a number of other homes on his street which until recently were commercial units.

About the IAF

Established in 2005, the IAF is an independent organisation dedicated to the promotion of architecture as culture. We encourage people to engage with their built environment, to inspire new ways of thinking about architecture.

Irish Architecture Foundation core funders: Arts Council of Ireland; Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage; and Office of Public Works.