SAPV Lecture Series, Versailles

Shelley McNamara will give a lecture focusing on Grafton Architects work in three cities, Dublin, Milan and Toulouse. Hosted by the University of Illinois Study Abroad at Versailles Program, the lecture will take place at 6.30pm at Auditorium De La Forge – 5 Avenue De Sceaux - Versailles

contact@illinois-sapv.fr

ARCHIPEL, Ghent, Belgium

Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell will give a lecture on the work of Grafton Architects on Wednesday, February 16th. Hosted by ARCHIPEL, the lecture will take place at 8.30pm at De Centrale, Kraankindersstraat 2, 9000, Ghent.

www.archipelvzw.be

Presidents House, University of Limerick

Grafton Architects have completed a house for the President of the University of Limerick located on a riverside site on the campus. The house is located on the Clare side of the river Shannon setting up a relationship with the more formal estate of Plassey House. Given it’s setting in the more agrarian landscape, this new house situates itself within the continuity of the Irish vernacular tradition.

The formal rooms of the house occupy three levels facing south. The more private informal rooms and bedrooms are stacked to form a protective wall to the north. Two staircases allow for two parallel worlds to co-exist; that of the private family life and the more formal public role for which the house has to cater. This adds to the intrigue and richness of the house, in the manner of many traditional Irish houses where private or service routes were kept separate from the formal world of the house.

See the Work»Living section for more images and drawings.

Photos: Alice Clancy

Harvard Kenzo Tange Chair

Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell held the Harvard Kenzo Tange Chair in 2010 and together with their students undertook a research project in Toulouse. A small publication by Harvard GSD has recorded this work.

Building For Brussels

Grafton Architects are participating in the exhibition ‘Building For Brussels: Architecture and urban transformation in Europe’

‘This exhibition looks at some outstanding projects in European cities and considers their relevance to the challenges facing Brussels: demographic growth, mobility, public services, new industries, and, last but not least, accommodation for international institutions’.

The exhibition runs from October 8th to October 29th in Centre For Fine Arts in Brussels.

www.bozar.be

Triennale di Milano

Universita Luigi Bocconi will be exhibited as one of the five finalists in the 2009 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, Mies van der Rohe Award.

The exhibition runs from October 2nd to October 31st at the Triennale di Milano.

www.triennale.org

Upcoming Grafton Architects Lectures

22 September 2010: Ordem do Arquitectos SRN, Casa da Musica, Porto, Portugal.

4 October 2010: Washington University, USA.

5 October 2010: Kansas State University, USA.

6 October 2010: University of South Florida, Tampa, USA.

27 October 2010: ARCHIZOOM, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Université Toulouse 1 Capitole

Grafton Architects have won an international competition to design a faculty of economics for the University of Toulouse. Positioned in the heart of the historic city, the new building will provide research and lecture facilities that are designed to promote collaboration and exchanges between the students and faculty.

Grafton Architects Lecture in the National Gallery

Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell will be giving a lecture in the National Gallery of Ireland on Thursday the 12th of November at 6.30pm. They will be discussing the Universita Luigi Bocconi project as well as presenting new work. The lecture is presented in association with the Irish Architecture Foundation, University College Dublin and the Office of Public Works. Admission is free.

UL Medical School and Student Housing

Construction has begun on two new projects for the University of Limerick. The new Medical School and Student Housing are due for completion in Spring 2011.

Waterloo Lane Mews Houses