Gormley launches government architecture policy

Environment minister John Gormley yesterday published the government's policy on architecture for 2009 to 2015, titled Towards a Sustainable Future: Delivering Quality Within the Built Environment. 

At an event to launch the policy in the Customs House, the minister outlined his belief that the document “provides a dynamic framework for the implementation of public policy on architecture over the next seven years”.

The implementation of the policy should lead to a greater emphasis on the role of architectural and urban-design quality in the design of the built environment, the minister said.

He also emphasised that “the policy complements and supports the government’s wider economic strategy in areas such as research, green enterprise and the development of efficient and sustainable technologies for the built environment. Within the policy there are various actions that support initiatives on job creation, enterprise and the export of Irish skills and products abroad.”

The minister noted that “the policy is structured around 15 key statements and contains 45 actions to be implemented over its lifetime” and added that “my department will take the lead role in the implementation of more than half of the actions along with co-ordination of the implementation of all actions".

"The next stage in this process will be advanced as a matter of priority and will contribute to the overall national agenda towards economic recovery," he said. "The architecture we choose to build now is the heritage of the future and the policy recognises the cultural and artistic value of architecture.”

The minister had appointed a steering committee to oversee the development of the policy, chaired by Professor Loughlin Kealy, School of Architecture, UCD, with other representatives from across the public and private sector. 

The department said the work of the steering committee was "underpinned by three focus groups, each of which specialised on one of three core themes - promoting quality in the built environment,  promoting awareness, education and research and promoting sustainability."

The policy can be downloaded here .