I think both are still going for now. Although I haven’t seen “house” magazine RIAI’s domestic magazine for a while.
I admire PLAN magazine for attempting to make an alternative commentary to that of the RIAI, but I really think they shoot themselves in the foot by allowing such low-grade work by talent-less Irish practices into the magazine. It is also cruel and wrong to delude the architects who produce these banalities that their economic expedient faciltiations of the clients briefs warrant publication in the first place. I know for a fact that this lack of quality control on projects puts off anyone decent from allowing their schemes to be published in the magazine. Dont get me worng, i am all for seeing alternatives to the regular suspects but there needs to a certain standard set. a credit union in ballinasloe clad in kingspan panels and UPVC windows does not make the mark in my book.
Also the lack of any analysis of the projects is woeful: just getting the architect to supply a “brief” does not constitute architectural journalism.
I think if Plan tightened itself up a bit it could be taken more seriously.