We are based in Dublin, and have been in practice for over 15 years. Over this time, we have worked with many great clients to design buildings and structures including housing, schools, community facilities and bridges. Our award-winning work is centered on environmental, social and economic sustainability, creating places and homes that are both humane and environmentally sensitive, touching the earth lightly.
We have three fundamental aims that inform every project. These are:
- To design sustainably
- To make 'better places'
- To celebrate craftmanship
We know the service our architectural firm provides is different to others. It stems from our pride and passion in our projects and aims, combined with our extensive experience of working with a broad range of clients from public bodies, to communities, to individuals. Over the years, we have come to recognise the areas where we stand out from the crowd:
1. We communicate:
We believe that successful projects start with careful listening; regular face-to-face dialogue with the client enriches the design process and ensures that clients are happy with the solutions we find. We produce clear reports to our clients at each programme milestone, to allow them to make informed decisions. We make a point of using non-technical, jargon-free language and we have extensive experience of presenting our works at community consultations, where clear communication is key. We also have a wide range of tools and skills to help us illustrate our meaning, including drawings, realistic 3 dimensional imaging, and physical scale models.
2. We know that sustainable design is affordable:
We are committed to finding sustainable solutions, in every sense of the word; our extensive experience allows us to successfully integrate understated sustainable design features into elegant contemporary design language. Sustainable features that suit the client’s budget and aspirations are incorporated and tested as the design develops. We are multi-award winning in this field.
3. We understand the importance of time and money:
We are a lean organisation; we work with experienced consultant Quantity Surveyors to prepare an initial cost report that we re-evaluate at each project milestone as the design develops. We produce extremely thorough, clear and detailed drawings for tender or construction contractors, to limit any possibility of contractual claims. We apply realistic timeframes for completion of each job stage and we deliver within those timeframes. When clients require delivery of a specific project in a fast-track timeframe, we successfully deliver through a combination of design innovation and alternative procurement methods
4. We care about how buildings are made
We take great pride in each building that we produce; each finished project is a stepping-stone in helping us refine and improve the next. We consider the design of everything, right down to the location of the smallest fixing or the orientation of a slotted screw head, knowing that quality is built on detail and attention. Our work is informed by our hands-on experience of making, and building site experience, giving us an in-depth material understanding that has built strong relationships with the many building contractors and craftspeople that we have worked with.
5. We are recognised as leaders in our field
We have an enviable track record; this is evident in the numerous national and international awards that we have received over the years, and more importantly, through the number of former clients that have re-commissioned us for new projects. We speak at many national and international conferences, and are frequently consulted in the areas of design, architecture, planning and sustainability. We are involved in leading visiting delegations in tours of various aspects of the built environment of Dublin and beyond, and contribute to ongoing national and international critical debate via architectural and design publications and platforms. Seán Harrington teaches and examines at several University schools of Architecture, and is frequently asked by our professional institution, the RIAI, to adjudicate on international design competitions. Recently, Seán was the first architect to be invited to be a Leonardo; an external policy adviser to the Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin.