UCD College of Engineering & Architecture

Architecture Centenary 2011/12

Image: Red Room at Richview and Centenary Ceiling (Credit: Alice Clancy)

From September 2011 to June 2012, UCD School of Architecture celebrated its centenary year, starting with a launch party and exhibition opened by Minister for Education and Skills, and graduate of the School, Ruairi Quinn TD.

The School took in its first few students in 1911 and by the mid-1920s, a full teaching programme was established. Within the first 100 years, numbers grew to 2046 B.Arch graduates (with another 39 joining them this summer), not to mention many more B.Sc graduates and a growing number of postgraduates.

The launch in September included the unveiling of a permanent installation of the ceiling of the Red Room, one of Richview’s primary lecture spaces. The installation was designed and made by students, a colourful piece recording the name of every B.Arch graduate from the first 100 years.

Lectures were held throughout the year, including the Portraits series (spotlighting the work of a number of graduates) and First Encounters (with current and former staff presenting on a significant early encounter with architecture.) In March, the School organised a one-day symposium, Architecture for Society, at the School’s former home in Earlsfort Terrace. The event’s speakers included many UCD graduates speaking about issues around positive societal change, as well as two guests invited with the kind support of the Norwegian Embassy: Erlend Blakstad Haffner (Fantastic Norway) and Lisbet Harboe.

This year’s Yearbook was produced as a special edition for the Centenary, documenting and reflecting on the year’s special celebrations, as well as showcasing the life of the School today.

To close the Centenary year, an exhibition at Earlsfort Terrace presented new, temporary installations and work by architects and their collaborators, selected through an open call. The event was marked with a large party on June 16^th, with a site-specific installation relating to the School’s history in the building and the launch of an audio documentary based on interviews with graduates, staff and friends of the School. As part of the exhibition, architect and artist Blaithin Quinn created a time capsule which will be buried at Richview to open on the next centenary in 2112.