events

New Life for Old Buildings
New Life for Old Buildings is an event bringing people together to discuss the future use of vacant buildings in our towns and villages. Join us on February 10th at 3pm, in the Science Gallery, Dublin.

New Life for Old Buildings is an event bringing people together to discuss the future use of vacant buildings in our towns and villages. Join us on February 10th at 3 pm, in the Science Gallery, Dublin.

Booking is required here. 

The CSO reported 166,752 vacant houses and apartments in Census 2022. While there are many reasons that homes lay empty, with the current housing and climate crisis we have a responsibility to find new ways of bringing these buildings back into use. We are excited to bring together an interesting line-up of speakers who will share ideas, case-studies and initiatives, with the aim of inspiring discussion, ideas and action.

Presenting at this event will be:

1. Alison Harvey – The Heritage Council

2. Shaheena Din – Scottish Empty Homes Partnership

3. Emmet Walsh – EWA Architects/The Working Home

4. Nick Taaffe – Chartered Surveyor and host of the Feb 11th site visit to his converted barbershop.

This event is hosted as part of the Irish Architecture Foundation’s Housing Unlocked exhibition. Audience members are invited to stay after the event for a special short tour of the Housing Unlocked exhibition, focusing specifically on projects that explore the adaptive reuse of vacant buildings.

Are you undertaking your own building reuse project? You might be interested in joining a special site-visit of the project that guest speaker Nick Taaffe is undertaking in Dun Laoghaire on February 11th. More information here.

About the Speakers:

Shaheena Din: Shaheena Din has been working with Shelter Scotland since 2009. As National Project Manager for the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP), her role is to influence and encourage councils and other partners to bring private sector empty homes back into use. This policy issue is a part of the solution to the shortage in housing supply, and breathing life into empty homes can bring other positive benefits to the local community and economy.

Housing Unlocked is a collaboration between the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) and The Housing Agency (HA), driven by the need to apply innovation and expertise not just to the final product but to the integrated system that delivers our homes.

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.

IAF Re-Imagine