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PLACE’s Christmas Book Sale
4 - 19 December 2014 The Christmas Book Sale hosted a wide selection of our own publications on architecture, design and photography, alongside similarly themed titles from other arts organisations and independent artists and designers. We’ll also offered some special editioned posters, and postcards as ideal stocking fillers. All monies raised went towards our public programme. |
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Talk: Undocumented - The Architecture of Migrant Detention
17 December 2014 Tings Chak, a multidisciplinary artist and architect, led a presentation and discussion around questions of architectural ethics in the design of spaces of confinement such as prisons and detention centres, and placed the issues in a larger context of global migration and displacement. Tings recently published Undocumented: The Architecture of Migrant Detention (The Architecture Observer, 2014), a graphic novel that documents the invisibilized architectures of incarceration. Her work draws inspiration from anti-colonial, migrant justice, prison abolition, and spatial justice struggles. She is an organizer with No One Is Illegal - Toronto and the End Immigration Detention Network. For more information, visit: www.undocumented.ca. |
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The 2014 Fréd Awards
12 December 2014 PLACE hosted the 2014 Fréd Awards, organised by The Fréd CC and NI Greenways. The awards are awarded to those who put significant effort into campaigning and working to build a better cycling culture for everyone and are voted for by the cycling public in an open vote. |
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Kids Workshop: How to Design a Building
6 December 2014 Jenny Russell, writer and illustrator of How to Design a Building led a kids drawing workshop that explored the big questions an architect has to think of when designing a building; Why? Who? What? Where? When? How? Participants (aged 7 - 11) were encouraged to think about and design their own building. This workshop was part of PLACE’s City Saturdays programme, which was supported by Belfast City Council Arts & Heritage Small Grants Funding. |
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Exhibition & Book Launch: How to Design a Building
4 December 2014 As part of Late Night Art we launched a new publication, How To Design A Building, illustrated and written by architect Jenny Russell. The book is a learning tool for children to engage in the process of design and architecture. An exhibition featuring Jenny's original illustrations accompanied the launch event. How to Design a Building can be purchased for £5 from PLACE, 7 - 9 Lower Garfield Street, or online by clicking on this link. |
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Late Night Art Sale
6 November 2014 Belfast City Council's Property & Projects team held an art sale at PLACE during Late Night Art. Money raised enables the team to travel to Cambodia to build homes as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Orphans and Vulnerable Children programme. |
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Consultation Event: draft Bicycle Strategy for NI
4 November 2014 This consultation event was part of the Department for Regional Development's consultation on the draft Bicycle Strategy for NI. This event was an opportunity to meet the Cycling Unit team, ask questions and provide feedback. DRD Minister Danny Kennedy also attended and answered questions from the audience. |
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Bus Tour of Craigavon
1 November 2014 Arguably, the best way to see Craigavon is by its distinctive road network. To accompany our Craigavon New Town exhibition, we offered a free bus tour of the roads, roundabouts, leisure facilities, retail centres, and residential areas that make Craigavon such a fascinating place. The tour was led by Andrew Molloy (Architecture PhD student). This event was part of Absorbing Modernity 1914-2014. A series of events and exhibitions looking at the history of architecture with specific reference to the impact of modernity in Northern Ireland over the course of the past century. It was inspired by the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale directed by Rem Koolhaas, and the exhibition A Clockwork Jerusalem at the British Pavilion in Venice. It was developed by the Arts Council in Partnership with PLACE, Forum for Alternative Belfast, Belfast Exposed, QUB, QFT, University of Ulster, and the Ulster Museum. |
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Launch of the 2014 Urban Design Summer Academy publication
30 October 2014 A launch event for the 2014 Urban Design Summer Academy publication. |
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The Lost City of Craigavon: Film Screening & Panel Discussion
25 October 2014 A screening of the 2007 BBC documentary The Lost City of Craigavon followed by a panel discussion that set Craigavon within the broader context of modernist trends in landscape architecture. The panel featured William J Cairns - former Chief Landcape Architect at the Craigavon Development Commission, Dr Taina Rikala - Senior Lecturer in Urban Design, School of Architecture and Design at the University of Ulster, and Victor Sloan - a leading visual artist who has documented the development of Craigavon over many years. The panel was chaired by Michael Corr, Creative Director of PLACE. This event was part of Abosrbing Modernity's Ulster Museum Day. Absorbing Modernity 1914-2014 was a series of events and exhibitions looking at the history of architecture with specific reference to the impact of modernity in Northern Ireland over the course of the past century. It was inspired by the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale directed by Rem Koolhaas, and the exhibition A Clockwork Jerusalem at the British Pavilion in Venice. It was developed by the Arts Council in Partnership with PLACE, Forum for Alternative Belfast, Belfast Exposed, QUB, QFT, University of Ulster, and the Ulster Museum. |
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Walk: Art Deco Belfast
21 September 2014 With sleek, futuristic lines and exotic flourishes, Art Deco was a design hallmark of the early 20th Century. It swept across the world and Belfast caught the bug too. This walk uncovered the colourful, electric buildings found throughout Belfast. This walk was part of our 'Where is … Lower Garfield Street?' series of events. Supported by the Department for Social Development's City Centre Events Grant. |
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Talk: Modernism on Royal Avenue
20 September 2014 Architect George Scott designed Hampden House, our modernist neighbour across the street, while working for Robinson McIlwaine Architects in the mid-1960s. The white tiles used on the building were the starting point for this talk. In an engaging professional history, Scott traced his career, connecting projects through materials, from unique tiling to an unusual solution for a staircase. This talk provided a sense of the architect's journey, celebrating a passionate interest in materials that give form to the buildings around us. This talk was part of our 'Where is … Lower Garfield Street?' series of events. Supported by the Department for Social Development's City Centre Events Grant. |
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Walk: Georgian Belfast
20 September 2014 Although regarded as a Victorian city, Belfast still retains architectural gems from the Georgian period (1714 – 1837). This tour explored Georgian architecture in its many guises, visiting public architecture at its finest and uncovering hidden terraced housing. This walk was part of our 'Where is … Lower Garfield Street?' series of events. Supported by the Department for Social Development's City Centre Events Grant. |
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Lamps on Lower Garfield Street
19 September 2014 A street light installation marking the important pedestrian link between the commercial area of Royal Avenue and the vibrant cultural activities of the Cathedral Quarter. This installation was part of Culture Night Belfast 2014. This installation was part of our 'Where is … Lower Garfield Street?' series of events. Supported by the Department for Social Development's City Centre Events Grant. |
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Talk: Young & Mackenzie Architects
18 September 2014 As Belfast developed rapidly in the 19th century new local architectural and civil engineering firms were established to cater for clients’ expanding needs, creating an imposing and varied cityscape. In this talk Dr Paul Harron charted the history of one of the largest and longest-lasting of these Belfast firms, Young & Mackenzie, architects of the former J.C. Mayrs building where PLACE is now based. This illustrated talk presented a wide range of material including the most notable instances of the firm’s work during the Victorian, Edwardian and early 20th century periods, including buildings in the Royal Avenue area. Dr Paul Harron is a communications professional with a special interest in architectural history. He holds a PhD (QUB) on Young & Mackenzie Architects, is a former architecture specialist at the Arts Council of NI and has worked as an architecture & design editor for both Laurence King Publishing and Phaidon Press. An Honorary Member of the RSUA, he is Vice Chair of Hearth Revolving Fund, sits on the committee of the UAHS and served on the Historic Buildings Council for NI from 2007 to 2013. This talk was part of our 'Where is … Lower Garfield Street?' series of events. Supported by the Department for Social Development's City Centre Events Grant. |
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Living Places Launch Symposium
18 September 2014 PLACE hosted the launch of the Department of the Environment's Living Places: An Urban Stewardship & Design Guide for NI at the Duncairn Centre for Culture & Arts. The event opened with Minister Mark H Durkan officially launching the design guide. James Hennessey (The Paul Hogarth Company) then provided background to the development of the guidance and Michael Corr (PLACE) highlighted the main issues to arise from the Living Places Training Workshops (delivered by PLACE in March 2014). Following a short break, Suzanne Wylie (Chief Executive, Belfast City Council provided an overview of how local government will benefit from the guidance and Lara Kinneir (Member, MAG) reflected on experience working with Design for London. Darran Crawford (Scottish National Parks) highlighted the Scotland's Creating Places document and the use of design charrettes to accompany the Scottish guidance. Event supported by DoE Planning Policy Division. |
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PLACE at European Heritage Open Days 2014
13 - 14 September 2014 Free Urban Walks for European Heritage Open Days:
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Talk: Oscar & Oscar: Selected Projects
6 September 2014 With their work appearing across Belfast and further afield over the past number of years, architect duo Orla Maguire and Martin Barrett (aka Oscar & Oscar) have established a reputation for designing striking and unusual fit-outs for bars and restaurants. Following the talk, Orla and Martin led a walk to our neighbours on Lower Garfield Street, Aether & Echo - for its design, the pair have been nominated for the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2014. This talk was part of our 'Where is … Lower Garfield Street?' series of events. Supported by the Department for Social Development's City Centre Events Grant. |
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Talk: Garfield Street, North Street and Royal Avenue
4 September 2014 Marcus Patton, author of Central Belfast: An Historical Gazzetteer, brought his encyclopaedic knowledge of Belfast buildings to PLACE. Marcus discussed the architecture of Garfield Street, Royal Avenue and North Street. This talk was part of our 'Where is … Lower Garfield Street?' series of events. Supported by the Department for Social Development's City Centre Events Grant. |
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Culture Night Belfast Launch
28 August 2014 The launch event for Culture Night Belfast 2014 took place outside our new home on Lower Garfield Street. |
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PLACE Urban Design Summer Academy 2014
4 - 8 August 2014 Young people aged 14 - 19 explored the architectural ideas and utopian ideals that led to the creation of Craigavon, Northern Ireland's only "new town". Our 3rd annual Urban Design Summer Academy offered the group a unique opportunity to spend five days creatively discovering architecture and urban design through all kinds of creative drawing, model making, site visits and more. Studio leaders and project leaders included Nuala Flood (Lecturer at QUB), Jane Larmour and Pat Wheeler (Belfast-based architects), Michael Hayes (2ha magazine), Andrew Molloy (architecture researcher) and Ronan McParland (ARUP, Qatar). |
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Vacant to Vibrant: 55 High Street
2 August 2014 A group of young people aged 16 - 25 came together to propose the future of 55 High Street. The group explored innovative, viable and sustainable uses for a 16,000ft2 space in Antrim town centre. |
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summer of somewhereto_
10 July - 2 August 2014 summer of somewhereto_ was a youth-led celebration, offering young people the opportunity to inject their natural energy, ideas and entrepreneurism into a vacant space on Antrim High Street. Young people opened up and activated the space in Antrim town centre with activities like fashion stalls, pop-up shops, entrepreneurial showcases, film screenings and food and drink events. The event built on the success of 2013's somewhereto_re:store. |
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Launch of PLACE at Lower Garfield Street
19 June 2014 We launched our new public space and office at Lower Garfield Street and launched the 10 Years of PLACE exhibition. 2014 marks ten years since the creation of PLACE - this exhibition looks back on the previous 10 years. PLACE is grateful to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for funding support to refurbish the premises and purchase new equipment. |
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Urban Pioneers Derry~Londonderry
March - May 2014 The Architecture Foundation's Urban Pioneers programme engages teams of 16-19 year olds in urban areas undergoing change. Young people are empowered to critically explore the transformations around them and develop new skills through a series of workshops with a wide range of creative professionals. In partnership with PLACE the programme was brought outside of London for the first time. From March to May 2014 seven young people from Derry~Londonderry worked with architects, artists, writers and designers to examine the city's built environment and the issues it faces. They worked together to explore methods for telling new stories about the city and produced a series of images, models, videos and texts, including An Inventory of Spaces in Derry, which was made from observational recordings the group took with Tom Keeley over Sunday the 6th of April 2014. The Pioneers: Alison Baird, Georgia O'Kane, Joshua Cheung, Niall McLaughlin, Scott North, Siobhan Davis, Sophie Devlin. Visit the project website: derrylondonderryurbanpioneers.tumblr.com *** Derry~Londonderry Urban Pioneers was curated by The AF in partnership with PLACE: - Aislinn White (Education Manager, The Architecture Foundation, London) - Michael Corr (Creative Director, PLACE) - Conor McCafferty (Creative Producer) Collaborators: Alan Cusack, Andrew Molloy, Axel Feldmann, Fergus Jordan, Joanne Butler, Tara Kennedy, Tom Keeley. An Inventory of Spaces in Derry was designed by Objectif and printed by Ditto Press. The Urban Pioneers programme is sponsored by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, with additional support for the Derry~Londonderry Urban Pioneers from PLACE and with in-kind support from CCA Derry~Londonderry. |
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Know Your Place: Bangor
24 May 2014 Photographer Simon Mills led a free interactive workshop for ages 16-25 exploring Bangor's built heritage through digital media. This event was supported by North Down Borough Council. |
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Derry~Londonderry: An Urban Walk
24 May 2014 / 1pm Led by architectural historian Prof. Alistair Rowan and local architect Marie Lynch. This free walking tour of Derry~Londonderry highlighted some interesting and little-known facts about this historic city’s unique architectural gems. Along the way we began to introduce and explain architectural concepts, styles and materials. The tour explored the many layers of history that make up the fabric of the Walled City. |
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PLACE Walking Tours at Belfast City Council's Giro d'Italia Festival
3, 4, 10 & 11 May 2014 Free walking tours during Belfast City Council's Giro d'Italia Festival 2014. Charles Lanyon's Belfast / Churches of Belfast City Centre / Victorian Banks of Belfast / Art Deco Belfast |
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The Open Source
1 - 11 May 2014 The Open Source returned during the 2014 Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival to provide a performance space, music venue and workshop hub bringing life back into an empty space in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter. The Open Source 2014 was produced in partnership with PLACE, somewhereto_, and Seedhead Arts. Supported by Belfast City Council, Community Arts Partnership and the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. Visit www.opensourceni.com for more information. The Open Source aims to improve town centre vibrancy, highlight the benefits of diversity of uses in town centres and showcases culture & arts as a driver for growth. The project generates footfall for surrounding businesses, provide a platform for creativity and start-ups, demonstrates possible town centre alternative uses and facilitates a discussion around the future opportunities for our town centres. |
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Belfast City Tour and Workshop for St Mary's University College
15 April 2014 On 15 April, we welcomed 20 students from St Mary's University College to PLACE to explore the architecture and urban history of Belfast. We had two groups, one training to become primary school teachers and another group on the Liberal Arts degree pathway. Both groups were exploring Belfast and its environs for their Geography fieldwork. A bespoke tour and workshop by PLACE was the perfect introduction, allowing the students to experience the city's architecture and to get an insight into its history, geographic setting, society and culture. We began with a presentation slideshow outlining the history of the city, followed by a walking tour of Belfast. Highlights on the tour included historic buildings from the city's rich mercantile history, civic and religious buildings like City Hall and St Anne's Cathedral - and newer gems like the MAC and the recently extended Merchant Hotel. Finally, during a workshop session the students traced their route through the city using drawings, and discussed their own perspectives on how the city could be made better. |
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The Belfast Urban Motorway: Book Launch & Talk
3 April 2014 Dr Wesley Johnston was born into a transport family. His father is Norman Johnston, well-known local railway historian. Wesley's interest with maps led naturally into an interest in transport infrastructure. He launched the "Northern Ireland Roads' website in 2006 to provide information about road construction schemes and future plans. The following year Wesley uncovered a dusty 1967 report into the Belfast Urban Motorway and began researching this ambitious engineering project. The Belfast Urban Motorway is the result of this extensive research. The book provides an understanding of Belfast's urban development and the economic, engineering, political and social forces that have shaped the city's transport decisions. This event launched the publication and provided an opportunity to hear from the author and ask questions. Organised by PLACE in partnership with Colourpoint Books. |
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PLACE at the Belfast Film Festival
29 & 30 March 2014 School on Screen PLACE, in partnership with the Forum for Alternative Belfast and Ulster Architectural Heritage Society presented film classics in two schools designed by Architect Reginald Sherman Wilshere. Wilshere is best remembered for his much celebrated school designs in Belfast in the 1920s and 1930s. In all he oversaw the construction of 26 schools of various sizes and styles. Wilshere's team were skilful in a number of architectural styles and are attributed to have built the first modern movement style schools anywhere in Ireland. Drawing on Life The first screening of Drawing on Life in Belfast. The film followed architects amidst their studios and projects, tracing their thoughts and asking them why and how they draw. The film watches them sketch, and talks to them about their work and ideas - revealing a hidden world of why architects draw. Produced and directed by Paul Clarke. Edited by Conor McCafferty and Paul Clarke. |
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Living Places Training Workshops
21, 24, 26, 28 & 31 March & 7 April 2014 These free workshops outlined the concepts and principles of Living Places Urban Stewardship & Design Guide and explained how it should be used in practice. Supported by DoE Planning Policy Division. Workshops took place in Ballymena, Belfast, Coleraine, Craigavon, Derry~Londonderry, Dungannon, Jordanstown, Lisburn, Newcastle, Newtownards and Omagh. |
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Vacant to Vibrant: Exchange
19 & 20 March 2014 Vacant to Vibrant: Exchange was a two-day event exploring international and local solutions to vacancy. Decision makers, academics, artists and urbanists came together to share inspiring projects that transformed places and spaces. The conference also marked the launch of a new PLACE publication, 'Vacant to Vibrant: Rethinking Town Centres', featuring case studies of projects tackling vacancy and essays examining the issue in terms of culture, urban policy, retail and activism. Speakers included: Xavier Boneta Lorente, Barcelona Provincial Council / Eddie Bridgeman, Meanwhile Space / Heather Carr, Arts & Business / Michael Corr, PLACE / Donagh Horgan, Multidisciplinary Design Strategist / Michiel van Lersel, Founder, Failed Architecture / Mark Minkjan, Editor in Chief, Failed Architecture / Heather Ring, Wayward Plants / Ola Wedebrunn, Docomomo / Dominic Cools-Lartigue, Street Feast / Wayne Hemingway MBE, Hemingway Design / Shane O’Toole, Architect, Critic & Historian Vacant to Vibrant: Exchange was supported by the NGO Challenge Fund and the British Council. Vacant to Vibrant: Rethinking Town Centres was supported by Arts and Business NI. |
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Know Your Place
4, 5, 11 and 12 March 2014 Four workshops across Belfast provided young people with the opportunity to capture and explore local built heritage through digital media. Know your place provided training in digital photography, sound recording, and film making and provided unique insights into many of Belfast's most well-known heritage buildings. Workshops took place at the Falls Road, Donegall Pass, Clifton Street and Templemore Avenue. Know Your Place Belfast on YouTube: Click here to view the video. This project was supported by Belfast City Council. |
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Podcast Training Workshop: Exploring Cities Through Sound
1, 8 and 15 March 2014 To complement our ongoing Place-Making Podcast, we offered a free 3-day training workshop for those interested in using podcasting and broadcasting to discuss architecture, urban design and built environment issues. Participants received training in interview skills, writing for the airwaves, sound recording and production. Supported by the NIEA NGO Challenge Fund. |
