Architecture at the Edge (AATE) and Galway Culture Company announce the three selected project teams for Design Lab bursaries programme 2024.

The aim of these bursary awards is to provide an opportunity and support for creative practitioners from or living in Galway City and County to develop a workshop-based  schools program that invites young people to be part of a creative design process that results in a real design for a space or place to build. Over the course of the program, young people will not only learn about, but take part in and manage the design and build process from start to finish. With the guidance of our Design Lab ambassadors, students will channel their ideas and inspiration into creating a real, tangible, design for a large-scale build.

Bursary Award Artists Spotlight:
Cormac Adams & Sean Connolly

Cormac Adams

Cormac Adams, from Corofin, recently completed his BSc in Architecture at UCD and is now working in practice as a Part I Architecture Assistant at Sean Dockry & Associates, Galway. In his last year of college he was acting Auditor of UCD’s Architecture Society while also working as a student curator for The Building Change Programme, UCD.
His recent work has focused on exploring the Irish vernacular and landscape, utilizing both as tools for progressive and circular architectural thought and practice. This is seen in his recent work curating the ‘As an gCeo’ ('Out of the Fog') exhibition, which is currently being exhibited in the Solstice Arts Centre, Navan.

Seam Connolly

Sean Connolly, originally from Turloughmore in Galway. With a passion for the arts and creativity, he is now based in Dublin, pursuing a B.A. in Fine Art at TUD. His work has been featured in various exhibitions, including The Holy Art Gallery’s “Oppositions” virtual exhibition in London. In 2022, he was a featured artist on the RTÉ series ‘This Is Art’.
Sean's artistic practice encompasses sculpture, painting, and filmmaking, delving into the interplay of space, form, and structure. He is especially intrigued by the potential of found materials, incorporating them into his work to craft dynamic and compelling pieces.

Bursary Award Artists Spotlight:
Brian O’Curnain + Eduard Valenzuela

Brian O’Curnain

Brian Ó Curnáin, an architectural graduate from Connemara in Galway, is dedicated to enhancing Ireland's building culture by fostering public appreciation for high-quality, sustainable architecture. During his university studies, he focused on creating spatially and formally interesting designs that prioritise decarbonisation and reuse to address the climate crisis. Brian is passionate about bridging the gap between architects and the general public, especially young people, by reimagining how we communicate and collaborate with the community. He has worked for the architectural practices Scott Tallon Walker, Boyd Cody, and MGNÉ Architects. Recently, he displayed a piece in the Solstice Centre in Navan as part of the ‘In Search Of Hy Brasil’ Exhibition.

Design Lab Bursaries Artists Spotlight:
Brian Kelly & Grace Gacquin x Dérive

Brian Kelly

Brian is currently a student of Architecture at TU Dublin. He has recently completed his year-out experience in London working with Floyd Slaski Architects as an architectural assistant. Growing up in the west of Ireland, he has developed a strong interest in the environment and design within the surrounding landscape. He has worked on realising projects outside of university at 1:1 scale following a successful competition entry alongside Grace and other fellow university students for an installation at the Electric Picnic.

Grace Gacquin

Grace, is also studying architecture at TU Dublin. Having recently returned from working in London for Paul Smith Design, she has gained a renewed appreciation for her west of Ireland architectural heritage. Grace, has an interest in the creative re-use of existing buildings, especially within rural communities. Realising projects at 1:1 has developed her fresh understanding of the challenges involved with design in rural landscapes.

Both Brian and Grace are also recipients of The Seamus Barrett Scholarship Programme which celebrates the life and achievements of Seamus Barrett as one of the most successful and highly acclaimed businessmen in the west of Ireland. The Scholarship is awarded to three TU Dublin students enrolled in Construction or Built Environment undergraduate programmes, who hail from “West of the River Shannon”.
Brian & Grace have partnered with @LINA fellows @derive.practice.eu to deliver the project. A collaboration founded by Hedwig van der Linden and Kevin Westerveld, Dérive is a research-driven practice operating between architecture, public space and urban strategies.

Hedwig van der Linden

Hedwig trained as an architect at Delft University of Technology and is co-founder of design practice Dérive, operating from Brussels and Rotterdam. She gained experience as a researcher at the Chair of Area Development in Delft on the role of design research as a strategic tool and at Architecture Workroom Brussels she worked on design and cultural production for the transformation of the social and physical living environment. Hedwig is a guest tutor at the Amsterdam University of the Arts, the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and at the Faculty of Architecture in Delft. 

Kevin Westerveld 

Kevin studied architecture at Delft University of Technology and ETH Zürich. After working at international offices such as OMA and 51N4E, he co-founded design practice Dérive – based in Brussels and Rotterdam. Kevin seeks synergy between conceptual thinking and co-creative practice by providing space for dialogue and creating local coalitions within complex transition challenges – consciously starting from the qualities and resources of existing habitats. Hedwig is a guest tutor at the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and at the Faculty of Architecture in Delft. 

What is Design Lab?

Design Lab pairs schools and creatives in Galway to work with students on an innovative and inspiring architecture education programme. The programme involves hands-on designing and making using real-life process and collaborating with leading practitioners and current students in the field. It enables and empowers each student to participate in a genuine creative, design process that results in real design proposition for a space or place.

The project was initially developed in partnership between Architecture at the Edge (AATE) based in Galway, with architecture education organisation Matt + Fiona based in London. Matt + Fiona is a social enterprise that believes all young people should have the opportunity to shape their built environment. Through their collaborations they offer unique, hands-on education programmes for children and young adults, which enable them to directly create full scale places and spaces.

The programme aims to:

• Empower students to physically realise their ideas

• Build confidence and curiosity in the next generation

• Provide understanding about the built environment though constructive teaching, playing and making

• Inspire students, creatives and schools to see how they can shape and influence the spaces in which we live, work and play

• Familiarising students, teachers and creatives to the processes involved in design and construction within the built environment

• Enabling students, teachers and creatives to work collaboratively towards a collective goal

• Encourage young people to consider studying or a career in design, architecture and construction. In turn, increasing the diversity of who enters these fields. 

• Build young people’s essential skills in making, communicating and collaborating which are missing from the current curriculum

SPONSORS

Funded by Arts Council. Thanks also to our generous supporters and sponsors made this project a reality.