celtic connection
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You may be aware of the dissatisfaction from architects in Scotland with the R.I.B.A Some of us, would like the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland to split completely from London and also form an association or alliance with architects in Ireland. How would Irish architects feel about that’ I wonder?
Officialy the dissent is about the split of resource funding. Much more interesting and relevant , for me and others, it is that the work being done in Ireland has a resonance in Scotland. I also think we are much more compatible in our outlook and influences.
Why not?…….Ireland and Scotland have always shared a type of undefined kinship……. It’s actually quite a good idea alan to amalgamate them both.
Anyone agree?Thanks Jack for such a positive response. Some ideas to get started on:
A joint award for excellence in architecture, seperated from the RIAI Medal Awards and Regional Awards and the RIAS Regeneration Awards for Scotland. Replacing the RIBA Awards and in particular the Stirling Prize.
A joint publication magazine of work being done in Ireland and Scotland.
Strucured exchanges between architects and students in Ireland and Scotland to our universities.
A joint Convention. Lisbon is preferable to Dundee.
A structured but seperate exchange of ideas and experience, perhaps as part of a convention, about issues of urban regeneration effecting northern European cities.
Collaboration on publications.
The RIAI has always been very protective of its domain, do you think they would be open to such suggestions?
Why not, it will be a cultural exchange and a meeting of minds sharing a common interest: excellence in architecture. It would not dilute the necessary day to day running and practice information provided by either organisations. I am a fellow of the RIAS and know there may be resistance here too among members. Also, we have architects in Scotland who became architects because of the suffix RIBA after their name. No matter how irrelevant I think that is, it potentially highlights a difficulty in changing attitudes here as well as perhaps on the other side of the Irish Sea, but we can still be positive , like Jack and see what happens. As a “young” architect the work in London and consequently the interests of the RIBA has little relevance to me, or I would argue the majority of practices in Scotland.
I always wondered why the RIAI kept the ‘R’ after Independence. Anyone able to cast any light on this?
Cultural interaction is a good thing and perhaps the RSUA in N.Ireland could be interested as well?
A Scot/ Irish architect’s society sounds like a good idea (I’m not an architect though). It is most likely true that developments and interests in Ireland and Scotland have more similarities between each other than either do to the London –centric RIBA or, is that an unfair criticism?
Both parties could exchange ideas e.g. through a journal, and even foster a healthy bit of competition between the two nations! It could mean more work/ interchange between practices in the two countries and, a society could give people an excuse to visit each other’s cities for study and ‘cultural’ exchange visits.
Could people from other disciplines etc. join in these trips – for example in the way that the ‘Urban Design Group’(http://www.udg.org.uk) which operates in Britain and is meant to be multi-disciplinary, organises trips and has a (quarterly) journal?In reply to MG’s query, I guess that post – independence if every sign of our colonial past was extinguished e.g. select street names and ‘Royal’ affixations to organisations – that a section of Irish society might have felt unwelcome? Otherwise, I suppose people couldn’t be bothered to change and/or maybe thought ‘Royal’ affixations sounded good – like the unfortunate occurrence of new, ‘exclusive’ housing estates been called ‘Earlscroft’ or ‘Bellevue’ or some other similar vomit inducing names.
don’t understand why anything outside of merry olde would have royal attached to it, except perhaps as in royal pain in the ass
this is 2001? am i in the right century?
if you want to set up such an organisation, i’d be glad to help out with an online presence for it on archeire.com and in any other way….
Paul, I am reviewing responses to the idea of an Irish/ Scottish association, via the forum. So far it looks positive, I’m glad to say and if I can garner enough support from Ireland I will start officially raising the idea with the RIAS. We can communicate with architects in Scotland through Prospect, our national architecture magazine. And the national press ,I’m sure will also be interested. Unfortunately we do not have such a discussion forum web here so cannot gauge opinion as quickly. However it is a good opportunity and now is the time to grasp it, because of our difficulty with the RIBA. Thanks also for your offer of help it was greatly appreciated.
Paul, I am reviewing responses to the idea of an Irish/ Scottish association, via the forum. So far it looks positive, I’m glad to say and if I can garner enough support from Ireland I will start officially raising the idea with the RIAS. We can communicate with architects in Scotland through Prospect, our national architecture magazine. And the national press ,I’m sure will also be interested. Unfortunately we do not have such a discussion forum web here so cannot gauge opinion as quickly. However it is a good opportunity and now is the time to grasp it, because of our difficulty with the RIBA. Thanks also for your offer of help it was greatly appreciated.
Article from today’s BD 6 July:
“Celtic architects prepare to join forces”
“The four royal architectural institutions of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland have called for an architectural conference of the ” Celtic Fringe”. The idea, which would exclude England, is expected to be on the agenda at the twice yearly meeting of the UK’s architectural associations on July 19.
John Graby, director of the RIAI in Dublin, said he expected to see a conference within the next year. RIAS secretary Sebastian Tombs said the changing politics brought about by devolution increased the commonality between Celtic architects.
“It’s a question of our current position rather than common architectural traditions. We’ra all waking up to the reality of being closer to politics”, he said.
Frank McClaskey, head of the RSUA, which has achieved far stronger links with the RIAI following the Northern Ireland Piece Process said:” We’re very enthusiastic about it and think we should get together and do something about it. Many of us feel a lot of the architectural scene is London based. It’s an opportunity for us to wallow in our own good architecture”
Dublin appears to be the natural choice of venue for the first conference. But Graby said :” It’s something we’d be very interested in but it sounds horribly like we’d have to organise it. Nobody has crystalised what the concept should be”
The RSAW’s Mary Wren added “There’s a lot of goodwill to do something jointly but no one’s been quite brave enough to take it on.”
Well John, Seb, and Mary look no further but the title Celtic “Fringe” will have to go.
Sorry Alan,
all the talk about your proposals for Sligo &, Scottish and Irish architecture etc. reminded me of the above web discussion so i dug it up!Did RISA ever split from RIBA?
What ever happened to the celtic ‘fringe’ concept?? Still sounds like a nice idea to me.
Maybe Scottish architecture could have a spot on archeire just as there is the UK, world & Portugeese architecture forums.
(Apologies to Paul if that means more work for you – i’m just chock full of great ideas this evening?!!!?)Nothing came of the celtic connections because the RIAS in my view capitulated too easily and sorted out their differences with the RIBA. Unusually for me, I have to be careful here what I say because my partner will be the new President of the RIAS in May and does not need me sounding off.
Anyway, there is no doubt in both our minds that some of the best new architecture is happening in Dublin and Glasgow at this moment, it really is as simple as that so from that point of view I would be interested in reinvestigating the potential of a link.
Adrian Welch at http://www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk would be another very valuable contact. He is an excellent young architect currently working on the Scottish Parliament but also runs the best website for architecture in the UK.
Originally posted by DARA H
Maybe Scottish architecture could have a spot on archeire just as there is the UK, world & Portugeese architecture forums.
(Apologies to Paul if that means more work for you – i’m just chock full of great ideas this evening?!!!?)about a minutes work 😉
Archiseek is a lot more automated than its parent archeire
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