The Open House weekend takes place later this month. Emma Cullinanreports
The Custom House will be open, as will private mews houses and penthouses and there'll be a boat tour of dockland buildings during the Open House weekend taking place for the second time later this month. Members of the public will have a chance to gain access to buildings they wouldn't normally see inside from Friday to Sunday, October 19th to 21st.
All of the buildings will have people on hand to explain the history and design behind them so even buildings that are usually open to the public will be worth visiting to find out more about them. Such knowledge is the reasoning behind the weekend. "Of all the art forms, architecture is one that needs to be explored in an intimate way," says Sandra A O'Connell, programme curator. "Only by physically standing in a buildings can you experience the quality of spaces or how light affects the interior."
While we all have views about certain buildings she says that these might be changed once people have visited them. One of the open buildings is the contentious Palace Street office beside City Hall and those who dislike it may have a different perspective once they've been inside. The Irish Architecture Foundation, which is behind Open House, has a philosophy that everyone in society has a right to influence the built environment but it helps if this comes from an informed stance. So the organisation hopes that by showing and explaining buildings, Open House will create a better understanding of architecture among the wider public.
"The built environment affects everybody; we inhabit its terrain physically and emotionally. We live within the city and we also evolve with it," says Nathalie Weadick, Irish Architecture Foundation director. Buildings on show include homes, offices and heritage structures. The Foundation's ethos is that good buildings stand the test of time; heritage buildings display why.
The OPW has come on board in big way this year, showing a number of buildings including its own offices on St Stephen's Green and the Custom House, which should be a big draw. Queues were common last year, with more than 1,000 people visiting Liberty Hall and Busarus (in which there was access to non-public areas). New this year are Open Space tours, including a bicycle ride around Phoenix Park, led by Hugh Boner of the OPW; a boat trip to look at buildings in the docklands and a tour of the new Italian quarter, between the Millennium and Ha'penny Bridge, by architect George Morris.
What to see
FRIDAY 19TH OCTOBER
Provost's House, Trinity and Evening Walk
SATURDAY 20TH OCTOBER
Various Trinity tours Iveagh Play Centre and Trust Museum Flat Daintree Building Green Building Georgian townhouse 25 Eustace Street Wooden Building Palace Street Office Architect offices: 11-12 Baggot Court, D2 Architect offices at 4 St Catherine's Lane, D8
Sophia Housing: 25 Cork Street, D8 Croke Park
SATURDAY 20TH + SUNDAY 21ST OCTOBER
Liberty Hall , Eden Quay, D1
SUNDAY 21ST OCTOBER
3,4,5 Temple Cottages, Broadstone, D7 Custom House Clarion Quay penthouse Hanover Quay, Grand Canal Square Riverside One, Sir J Rogerson Quay, 1 Grand Canal Square Penthouse at Gallery Quay, D2 Belvedere House, Gt Denmark St, D1 Cigar Box Apartment: 26 N G Georges St, D1 Cigar Box architect's house: 26 N G Georges St, D1 11,37,38,40,50NGGeorges St House 31a Pembroke Lane, D4 Mansion House, Dawson Street, D2 House: 54 Percy Lane, D4 Fitzwilliam Lane mews house, behind 63 Merrion Square, D2
Times vary. All events are free. Some require booking. See www.architecturefoundation.ie/openhouse, tel: 01-670 8620. There will be an information point in the Temple Bar Cultural Centre at 12 East Essex Street from 13th October.
