Many of the leading designers behind the major buildings and fit out projects dominating the skyline and streetscapes of urban and rural Ireland will be at The Mansion House on January 30th, to kick off their 2018 design year.
ArchiteX FitoutX is a new forum where designers of the spaces of the future talk about trends, ideas and their work. The forum is free to attend, you can register here.
"It's a great way to start the year. We're going to look at some of the award-winning entries from the Building of the Year and the Fit Out Awards and take a look into the trends driving the next wave of activity", says Frank McDonald, former environment editor at The Irish Times, who will be moderating a series of talks which run throughout the day covering office, retail, hotel and education.
It's not just the designers who will have the floor. Brown Thomas's head of store development, Aisling O'Leary, will be on hand to talk about the recent fit out at their flagship Grafton Street store. "It will be an interesting insight into fit out design and its part in retail strategy," according to Kirk McCormack from Longform Architecture who designed and executed the project. For the panel titled Retail Fit Out - Fashion & Food, they will be joined by Andrew Griffin, Urban Agency, Ronan Holohan, MD, Millimetre Design, Gerard de Brun, HSEQ consultant & director, Fiontar Safety Management and Paul McGinn, contracts director, McCabe McGinn, to discuss the role of fit out in fashion and food retail and how it integrates with strategy and brand.
A panel on the office sector will include Tony Reddy, chairman at Reddy Architecture + Urbanism, who won a Building of the Year Award for Whitaker Court and who were shortlisted for a Fit Out Award for Baggot Street Plaza in the office categories of those competitions. Paul O’Brien, director, at Henry J.Lyons, and Cathal O’Leary, director, at O’Leary Sludds Architecture, will join Tony on the panel discussing the ongoing office development environment in Ireland, multi-national client expectations and Irish design realities and optimum team structure for project delivery.
"Offices continue to be developed and there's a mix of indigenous and international clients who compete globally. Design is key to delivering their brand and it is now common for design to be integrated with brand", according to Michelle Hetherington, interior architect and creative director, DJI Design & Construct, who will give her views on 'fit out design as brand extension'.
Internationally acclaime
will join Mc Donald in conversation on their Medieval Mile Museum Kilkenny project and will look at how client brief and heritage influenced the final design.
The panel on Public Architecture and Fit Out discusses build and design across three very different pieces of public architecture. The panel includes; Dan Daye, McCauley Daye O’Connell Architects (Elizabeth's Tree House, Barretstown Camp), Niall McCullough, McCullough Mulvin Architects (The Kilkenny Mile Museum Kilkenny) and Colm Doyle from DMVF Architects - Another Level Living. The panel focuses on client needs, solutions and outcomes under the unifying sense themes of place and purpose shared by these three otherwise distinct projects.
"It's a unique event bringing the two key design disciplines, architecture and fit out, together in one place. Traditionally these have been viewed as very separate processes, but the edges are becoming blurred", Nikki O'Donnell, principal at NODA which specialises in Hotel interior architecture. The firm has recently been commissioned to complete a number of new hotel fit outs and O'Donnell will run through the hot trends that will drive the sector in the next 18 months.
"Ideas are brought to life by the contractors, suppliers, crafts people. We find that the right mix is vital in making sure that the job is done right", says Barry McCabe, winner of the Fit Out Designer of the Year. Seeing so many top suppliers supporting this event is very encouraging.
Andrew Griffin of Urban Agency will be reviewing his Shoe Shelf Shop in Munich which showcases an innovative retail design concept that was the winner of the retail category at the Building of the Year Awards.
With tech driving much of the office development activity in Dublin and regions, Cathal O’Leary from O’Leary Sludds Architects, who recently completed a production facility and offices for BARD, ClearStream Technologies in Wexford, will discuss the challenges of designing buildings for multi-national tech clients within an Irish context.
ArchiteX Fit Out X is staged in partnership with the Building of the Year, Construction and Fit Out Awards. Angela Connolly, president of the Interiors Association, director Conbu Interior Design will present a seminar titled ‘How to Win’ which will review winning submissions of the recent Fit Out Awards, and will give attendees the opportunity to get the best advice on how to win a Fit Out Award from the judging coordinator herself.
Exhibition
Along with a distinguished programme of speakers, there will also be an exhibition by a range of companies within the sector showcasing their products and services. One of the companies who will be exhibiting is Irish company 3D Design Bureau. They are a highly-experienced 3D Studio specialising in digital 3D services that include Architectural Visualisation, BIM Modelling and Consultancy, Virtual Reality & 360 Tours, 3D Product Design and 3D Graphics. "Our work enhances design decisions & processes, helps secure planning permission and maximises sales and marketing strategies," says Nicholas Polley, managing director.
ArchiteX Fit Out X is supported by leading industry suppliers like: Ashview Consultants, 3D Design Bureau, Hunt Office Interiors & Exertis Supply Chain Services.
Exertis Supply Chain Services is supporting this event to inform and support Irish companies looking to roll out large scale fit-out projects and capitalise on continued property market growth, with its award-winning solutions.
ArchiteX Fit Out X is free to attend, to register click here.
If you would be interested in finding out more information about exhibiting at the event click here.
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