A plan to renovate the Royal Hospital Kilmainham (RHK) site in Dublin falls short of international best practice, an architect who sits on the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma) has said.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) could take inspiration from the Louvre museum in Paris when updating the draft plan, John McLaughlin said.
The contentious plan is at the centre of a row between the OPW and Imma, which is housed on the Dublin 8 site. Earlier this year Imma chair Ali Curran said the site’s cultural significance was being “entirely overlooked” in the State plan and that differences between the museum and the OPW had been “escalating for some time”.
John McLaughlin said elements of the conservation management plan (CMP) were “at odds” with best practice guidance published by the International Council on Monuments and Sites.
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He said the current draft failed to recognise Imma as “one of the most important cultural attractions in Ireland” and made “little mention of Imma’s future needs in its policies and even suggests that these may have to be accommodated elsewhere”.
Imma has operated at the RHK, one of the oldest classical buildings in Ireland, since 1991. The OPW is responsible for the site’s conservation and maintenance.
McLaughlin outlined his concerns in a letter to the board’s chair, Ali Curran, on January 26th, having expressed reservations about the plan at a board meeting the week prior.
In his letter, released via a Freedom of Information request, McLaughlin said the plan should be updated to “outline how conservation of the site may be managed to retain Imma’s guardianship while allowing it to grow and meet its future needs”.
[ Imma seeks legal advice amid escalating row with OPW over Kilmainham plansOpens in new window ]
He suggested the OPW could take inspiration from how the site of the Louvre Museum in Paris has been maintained.
“There are many excellent examples of modern museums housed in historic buildings such as the Louvre which was originally a royal palace. These museums demonstrate how the needs of modern cultural institutions can be balanced with heritage values on sensitive sites,” he wrote.
Curran said Imma’s wider board had “serious concerns” about the plan and agreed with McLaughlin’s “professional opinion”.
In a letter sent to John Conlon, chair of the OPW, on February 18th, Curran said the current draft should be updated “in line with international best practice”.
She wrote Imma needed “additional space and buildings to enable its inclusive public engagement programme” and had “made representations to the OPW on the future uses of buildings on the RHK site that have fallen into disrepair or disuse”. Despite this, she said Imma’s needs were “not addressed” in the plan.
Shaffrey Architects was commissioned by the OPW to draft the plan in 2023.
In her letter, Curran said Imma “responded positively” to a draft submitted in September 2024. However, she said an updated draft sent to Imma by the OPW last October had “substantial” differences from the previous version.
A spokeswoman said the OPW had “worked closely with Imma over the years to support them in their work as a national cultural institution”.
The OPW commissioned the plan to “guide decision-making in relation to conservation of the property, future uses and any future development”, a statement noted.
“The draft CMP has been developed through a collaborative and consultative process which included Imma at all stages. The CMP is still at draft stage and the OPW awaits formal feedback from Imma on the draft.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Culture previously said the “feedback” provided by Imma forms “part of the ongoing dialogue between the stakeholders that will enable the final version of the plan to be fully reflective of both the conservation needs of the site and also its position as the home venue of a living national cultural institution”.
The Irish Times has contacted Shaffrey Architects for comment.
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