The Dublin School of Architecture, founded more than 70 years ago has its origins in the skills and trades associated with construction. The education in Architecture and Architectural Technology has been orientated towards producing graduates who will be involved in the design and making of buildings through their respective professions. Through the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee and its earlier links with the Royal Dublin Society, which date back as far as the early 1730s, the Dublin School of Architecture has always been conscious of the fact that the Architects of today are the successors of the Master Masons of old.The fact that the School delivers programmes in both architecture and architectural technology reinforces this position, affirms its origins and clearly aligns with the profession of the Architect and the Architectural Technologist. It is conscious of the space between Education and the Profession, and regards the shaping and understanding of this space as one of its important tasks and adopted positions.In more recent times, particularly since the foundation of The Dublin Institute of Technology in 1992, there has been an increased emphasis on academic rigour, intellectual thought processes and the philosophies and theories that underpin the design process. The Dublin School of Architecture has developed its thinking and its approach to education so that it may function within a matrix of influences. It has been designed and developed to produce well-rounded graduates capable of combining philosophical theory and concept intellectualisation with technical excellence. The programmes have been structured to ensure that these graduates are capable of engaging immediately with the architectural and technological issues they will encounter on taking up employment, and to enable them to immediately contribute to their responsibilities as professional Architects and professional Architectural Technologists.This involves a vast spectrum of skills and disciplines that form the educational experience. It is well understood that the range of topics, disciplines and areas of expertise that graduates of the School of Architecture need to know greatly exceeds the teaching capacity of any School in the time period associated with this educational process. The School, therefore, aspires to teach its students how to learn so that they can continue the lifelong learning process after they have graduated and continue to develop without the support of the School or the Academic Institution. The success of this type of education can be measured by the ability of the graduate to continue their education after graduation because they have been taught how to engage in and contribute to this learning process. The graduate is therefore sustainable.The ethos of the School, however, goes much further. The academic education is delivered in an environment which promotes responsibility, tempered by social, political and economic awareness, where students and staff are expected to engage in projects which are often of immediate relevance to both local and wider communities. These projects require an intellectual approach, coupled with a sense of pragmatism and realism and can only be realised through a comprehensive understanding of the complexity of the issues involved. The poetic sits alongside the pragmatic. The reality sits alongside the vision.The importance of ethics is paramount. Ensuring an understanding of responsibility towards the planet, towards the Nation, towards the local society, towards their peers and towards those who will become their future clients is central to that ethic.The hallmark of the School is one of enthusiasm and commitment. It is present in both the staff and the students. The positive outlook that stems from this can be sensed and felt in the corridors and the studios. This enthusiasm is contagious and it thrives even in these difficult times.The School is acutely aware of the challenges and difficulties that must be faced in times where resources have diminished and will continue to diminish. The resources of the planet are finite. Therefore, the sustainability of the buildings and the impact of building on the environment forms a central part of the student’s education. The resources of the Nation are severely stretched and challenged, and the resources still available to continue to provide high level education have long been under threat. With a positive outlook, these obstacles need not necessarily be seen as totally negative but more as challenges for the future. The creativity of the staff and student body of the Dublin School of Architecture can be brought to bear on the present problems and those that have yet to be encountered.Since its foundation, The Dublin School of Architecture has been engaged in continuous change. That change has been driven by both described visions and response to challenges. I am confident that the School will continue this type of creative response, and to grow and flourish into the years ahead.Prof. James F HORANDipArch FRIAI RIBA MIDI ARB