Around the houses of Dublin's fair city

Open House is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the capital's architecture, from grand Georgian houses and modern designs to walking tours, children's events and exhibitions, writes FRANK McDONALD

OPEN HOUSE has mushroomed in recent years and is now second only to Culture Night in terms of pulling power. It has also spread from Dublin to Galway and Limerick, although curiously not yet to Cork.

Féile Ailtireachta na Gaillimhe, now in its fourth year, features a cycling tour of contemporary houses, a talk by architect Roddy Mannion about his book, Galway – A Sense of Place, a children’s workshop at the Clever Box Club and an exhibition, 21st Century Homes in the West.

The inaugural Open House Limerick has “Living in the City” as its theme, with 30 buildings selected for people to explore, highlighting the adaption of existing houses for contemporary needs, the role of public housing in the city and even the big house and demesne.

In Dublin, almost 100 buildings of all types and periods will once again open up to allow visitors explore the architecture of the city, with tours by hundreds of professionals and enthusiasts, along with 40 other associated events. And it’s all free of charge.

This year’s theme is “Architecture Alive!”, promising “an exploration of the vitality of Dublin through its architecture and the people who experience it”. The list includes numerous private houses, some built recently, as well as public institutions not usually open.

One of the highlights was to be Ronnie Tallon’s home in Foxrock, a stunning Miesian box of brick, glass and steel inspired by the master’s Farnsworth House, in Illinois. Tours were available only by lottery, but unfortunately this event has been cancelled.

Photography is big this year, and the Irish Architecture Foundation has commissioned photographer Rich Gilligan to document the city’s architecture for exhibition at the RHA Gallery.

A photography competition for the public is also being run with The Irish Times.

Apart from predictable places such as City Hall and Leinster House, this year’s Open House Dublin includes the splendid Provost’s House at Trinity College and many of the college’s other buildings, as well as less likely but innovative structures such as Donnybrook bus garage.

People will also have a chance to compare and contrast Chancery House, an early Dublin Corporation housing scheme from the 1930s, by the legendary Herbert George Simms, and Seán Treacy House on Buckingham Street, newly completed by Paul Keogh Architects.

One of the new additions this year is St Fintan’s Church in Sutton, by Andy Devane, which dates from 1973 – at the height of post-Vatican II liturgical reform. Fan-shaped, it is known for its sculpted seven-storey belfry, described in the brochure as “a northside landmark”.

The original terminal at Dublin Airport, dating from the romantic era of air travel, is open for prebooked tours. Designed by Desmond FitzGerald and completed in 1940, it has sadly been compromised by aluminium replacement windows and the intrusive nature of Pier D.

Georgian enthusiasts will have a field day, with five houses on North Great George’s Street open for prebooked tours, as well as Belvedere House, at the head of it, and another grand house on Henrietta Street, as well as Tyrone House, where Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn currently rules the roost.

Interesting contemporary houses include Architecture Republic’s Plastic House in the North Strand area, with its surprising interior made from polycarbonate and steel and inset light fittings to illuminate spaces in a radically different way to ordinary terraced houses.

Donaghy and Dimond’s House-Garden Graft in Donnybrook involved the rehabilitation of a protected end-of-terrace house to create a family home oriented to the garden, with new glazed brick and timber elements that “graft” the house and its mews to the garden.

Not far away, also in Donnybrook, Taka Architects’ award-winning House 1 + House 2 scheme will also be on view. These houses – a refurbished Victorian house and a new mews – are home to two generations of the same family, separated by the garden.

Open House Junior is back with a series of creative events that encourage children to play architect for a day. There are also Open Space walking, cycling and boat tours to explore the spaces between buildings. And Open Minds is a series of talks, critical discussions and exhibitions.

“The Open House concept is simple but powerful,” Minister for Arts and Heritage Jimmy Deenihan said at its launch. “It is a chance to unlock the architectural gems of our cities [and] walk through the doors of a Georgian mansion or step into a modern urban mews, for free.”

It runs from October 5th-7th. Many of the tours are on a first-come, first-served basis but some need to be prebooked.

Further information at openhousedublin.com