RIAI Gold Medal: Donaghy + Dimond awarded Ireland’s most prestigious architectural honour
Posted 5 December, 2024
Pictured: Kathryn Meghen, RIAI CEO; Will Dimond FRIAI and Marcus Donaghy MRIAI, Donaghy + Dimond Architects, Recipients of the RIAI Gold Medal for Model School; and RIAI President Sean Mahon FRIAI Credit Conor Healy
The refurbishment of a 19th-century primary school by an architectural firm headed by UCD Assistant Professors (opens in a new window)Will Dimond and (opens in a new window)Marcus Donaghy has received Ireland's most prestigious architectural honour.
Donaghy + Dimond were awarded a Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of Architects (RIAI) for their repurposing of the (opens in a new window)Model School Inchicore's original 1853 building and design of a three-storey extension.
The new building and entrance at Model School, Inchicore Credit: Ros Kavanagh
The medal was presented by RIAI President, who praised the architects for creating a “transformative experience for students and teachers alike - from the light-filled classrooms that open to a beautiful old chestnut tree to the many well-considered breakout spaces that foster play and teaching.”
“This building, through its inventive reimagination of the old also delivers a highly sustainable building in all its facets, from adaptive re-use of the old school, to the creative design and use of natural materials in the new, transforming an existing place, and supporting people and communities in the process.
“The RIAI Gold Medal is the pinnacle of architectural achievement, a prestigious honour, steeped in history and the highest recognition an architect can attain,” he added.
Presented once every three years or more to a building constructed by an Irish architectural practice, whether built in Ireland or abroad, the awarding of a RIAI Gold Medal is made several years after completion so that the success of the building can be confirmed by the passage of time.
The buildings at Model School were completed more than a decade ago, and were chosen from a shortlist of structures built during the period 2013 - 2015 which included Dún Laoghaire’s Central Library, the student centre at the London School of Economics, and a chapel in Oxfordshire in England.
The RIAI jury was unanimous in awarding the Gold Medal to Donaghy + Dimond, saying that they had delivered "a project of real delight and social significance for the school and the local community".
The jury noted the significance of the 2013-2015 timeframe for the award, when the economic and social conditions for the production of buildings were exceptionally challenging.
The classrooms now look into trees at Model School, Inchicore Credit: Ros Kavanagh
“The Model School exemplifies the core values that the RIAI Gold Medal represents – a close engagement of the architects with the client and their requirements, the resultant architecture of light and space, the quality of construction, and the robustness of which was evident, given the timeframe of completion. Donaghy + Dimond Architects are truly deserving of this prestigious accolade,” said Chair of the jury, Derek Tynan FRIAI.
Past recipients of the RIAI Gold Medal have included Michael Scott (Busáras), Arthur Gibney and Partners (Irish Management Institute), Liam McCormick (Burt Church), de Blacam and Meagher Architects (The Library at CIT), O’Donnell + Tuomey (Ranelagh Multidenominational School and Lyric Theatre Belfast), Des McMahon (Croke Park), Tom Maher and Kevin Bates (Poustinia) and Grafton Architects (Bocconi University).
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
