INTBAU All Ireland

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Poster exhibition continues its tour
INTBAU Ireland meets Northern Ireland Minister
INTBAU Ireland article in The Local Planet

INTBAU Ireland Poster Exhibition continues tour

Newry Arts Centre
At its inauguration in October 2008, INTBAU Ireland exhibited a display of contemporary traditional designs from various parts of the world, including Ireland. The objective was to demonstrate that the option of designing and building using traditional design principles and disciplines is available to clients and architects now.

Members of the public view the exhibition in Belfast
The cost of such designs is not much different to conventional building design with glass curtain wall facades, as the core costs will be much the same. These include the cost of site clearance, foundations, civil and structural engineering, services, transportation, lift shafts, electrical work, etc. The extra cost of producing beautiful buildings is marginal, and in whole life costs, is likely to be less than conventional designs.

Detail of two of the posters in the exhibition

The display has been exhibited in Belfast, in Ballymena, and most recently in Newry Arts Centre, which is adjacent to the City Hall in Newry City. INTBAU Ireland believes that bringing the attention of the public, clients, and architects to the option of traditional design is an important part of its raison d'être.

INTBAU Ireland meets Northern Ireland Minister

Joe Drew (Chairman), Rosemary Dobbin (Secretary) and John Smylie (Treasurer) met with he Departmentof Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister, Gregory Campbell, at Stormont to introduce INTBAU Ireland and contribute to the Department’s policy research into design quality in architecture and the built environment.

The meeting took place on 24th March 2009.

The INTBAU Ireland delegation gave a presentation in six parts:

Part 1: Examples to demonstrate that traditional architecture has followed similar design principles drawn from Nature since the dawn of civilization.

Part 2: Mistakes of the recent past (from the 1930s onwards), when a break with the past took place.

Part 3: Some suggested Principles of Aesthetic Design.

Part 4: Some examples of modern contemporary traditional design, demonstrating that the option to build traditionally is available and is being used in many places.

Part 5: Some examples of poor decisions in recent times.

Part 6: Discussion on the way forward

In the course of discussion, the following points were made. INTBAU Ireland exists to promote traditional design aims and work. In supporting inclusivity and diversity, it is understood that DCAL would reflect the views of all design options in its policy on architecture and the built environment.

Traditional architecture is philosophically and intellectually a thoroughly robust design practice, and is naturally sympathetic to the character and beauty of the existing built heritage and environment. It is thus a very valuable design approach in all cases, not just within conservation areas and other designated character zones.

Research indicates that traditional architecture is very popular with the general public and is based on shared values within a democratic system. It should be encouraged to allow culture to flourish with respect to the built environment.

Traditional architecture is based on principles established over thousands of years which are constantly being refined and which have produced beautiful places all over the world, including the best examples of Northern Ireland's built heritage. Traditional architecture is a living practice, extending from the past through the present and into the future. It is timeless and therefore truly modern.

Traditional architecture encourages the use in construction of relatively uncomplex, locally produced materials in order to strengthen the sense of place. This supports the local economy. It is thus an environmentally sustainable design approach to developing the built environment.

Because traditional architecture favours local and natural building materials, it encourages craftsmanship and pride in construction.

The Minister expressed his interest in taking this forward by requesting that INTBAU Ireland make a formal presentation on the above to his Ministerial Advisory Group.

Watch this space for further news.

INTBAU Ireland article in The Local Planet

INTBAU Ireland Chair, Joe Drew, published an article on INTBAU in The Local Planet, an Irish magazine on sustainable living.

"INTBAU is an international organisation, with chapters in 13 countries, dedicated to promoting traditional design in both the conservation of existing buildings and in the construction of new buildings. Perhaps the latter is the more important of the two.

Tradition means the handing on of knowledge and experience from one generation to another. Far from being backward looking, its purpose is to integrate and make use of knowledge from previous generations.

Right: Images of Bann River Bridge - before and after restoration

Bann River Bridge after

Many modernist designs break completely with the past, the resulting architecture providing no continuity or harmony with the existing built or natural surroundings. Architecture is the Art and Science of building. By eliminating Art, we produce monotony and unfortunately ugliness. A box is a box. It doesn’t matter if the walls are glass, concrete or plastic.

However, Tradition is not only about beauty and harmony. It also informs us about the correct use of materials and sustainability. A masonry building with punched traditional windows is a great deal more energy efficient than a glass box. Glass is an excellent transmitter of heat and thus heat loss. Modern designers compensate with double or triple glazing. They replace the traditional breathing building with sealed air-conditioned and central heating so that winter or summer, the building is consuming energy. Such are the consequences of following fashion rather than tradition – ugly designs, waste of energy, and urban places where transport is more prominent than pedestrians.

The main objectives of INTBAU Ireland will be to promote new developments based on durable architectural principles, to encourage crafts and skills in buildings of all sizes and to preserve local character by encouraging all new buildings to harmonise with the existing built and natural environment.

INTBAU Ireland is an open organisation with free general membership available to all people interested in the creation and preservation of beautiful architecture, which extends to buildings, urban layout, and harmony with the existing built and natural environment.

Join at www.intbau.org/join.htm
Joe Drew, INTBAU Ireland Chair