Eight architect-led solutions to help unlock housing in Ireland going on display in major national exhibition from Friday

The Housing Unlocked exhibition by the Irish Architecture Foundation and The Housing Agency opens on 14^th October at The Science Gallery, Naughton Institute, Trinity College Dublin

 How do we build affordable homes and resilient communities? How fast can we deliver low-carbon homes? Can we increase housing density within our town and city settlement boundaries? Do policies and regulations need to be adapted? How can we use untapped potential to solve housing problems in our towns?

Eight architect-led teams will answer these questions and more through their innovative installations, which will be on display in a major new exhibition called Housing Unlocked, opening at The Science Gallery Dublin, Naughton Institute, Trinity College Dublin from this Friday (14.10.22). 

Repurposing vacant banks across Ireland, converting churches to homes in Dublin city, modular construction, and regenerating towns and urban areas such as Mountrath in Co. Laois are just some of the ideas on display at the exhibition, which is the first of its kind in Ireland. The exhibition was created by the Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) and The Housing Agency.  

The ideas were chosen after an open call went out to architects, who teamed up with professionals from a variety of disciplines and members of the public, to submit ideas to solve housing issues in Ireland’s cities, towns and villages. Entries selected by an expert jury received €7,500 in funding to develop their proposal into an exhibition piece.

People attending the exhibition will be able to view physical models of each proposal, along with photographs, maps, drawings and artists’ impressions of what the projects would look like if they were completed. There will also be guided tours of the exhibition, at 1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 3pm on Saturdays. A series of public engagement workshops, seminars and talks will be run throughout the exhibition period.

Speaking at the launch of the Housing Unlocked exhibition in The Science Gallery Dublin, Nathalie Weadick, Director of the Irish Architecture Foundation, said: “Housing Unlocked reveals how architects are working to enhance the way we live together. The exhibiting teams have challenged us to question existing conditions and have put forward alternative design solutions, innovative methods of construction, and ways to deliver not just homes but thriving communities. Housing Unlocked is charged with a sense of urgency, optimism and innovation, as people and ideas are coming together to improve the Irish housing sector.”

Also speaking at the launch, Bob Jordan, CEO of The Housing Agency, said: “This exhibition showcases innovative and practical solutions by people working in the housing sector in Ireland, who come from a wide variety of disciplines, areas and backgrounds. At The Housing Agency, we believe collaboration is key to delivering housing in sustainable communities. We are excited by the projects on display, and we are hopeful that they will inspire local communities, housing professionals, and policymakers.”

A programme of parallel events will also take place in connection with the exhibition. These include the Workers’ Villages exhibition, which is a celebration of architect Frank Gibney and communities in the Bord na Mona villages; a Reimagine Session called Estate, taking place on 19^th November which will be an afternoon of talks and workshops focusing on the role and future of housing estates; the Simms’ City symposium on 1^st December 2022, which will explore the work of Herbert Simms, Dublin City’s housing architect from 1932 to 1948 who built 17,000 homes; and the Housing in Common Workshop on 18^th January 2023, which will bring together a group of people, representative of wider society, to deliberate on housing issues. These events, with the exception of the Workers’ Village exhibition, will require booking through the Housing Unlocked website.

Housing Unlocked is taking place at The Science Gallery Dublin, Naughton Institute, Trinity College Dublin from Friday, 14^th October until 21^st January 2023. Admission is free.

Further information on Housing Unlocked can be found here: www.housingunlocked.ie.