Dedalus Architecture is an award-winning architecture and specialist historic building consultancy based in Moville, Co. Donegal.
Founded in 2001 by Duncan McLaren (BSc Dip Arch RIBA FRIAI), Dedalus is an RIAI-accredited Grade 1 conservation practice which provides architectural, conservation and heritage research services to Government agencies, local authorities, corporate bodies, private developers and community groups. The practice’s name was inspired by Daedalus, who in Greek mythology, was a skilful architect and craftsman who designed the legendary Cretan labyrinth. He was also the character in James Joyce’s work, a stand-in for the writer himself.
“The name is apt as we work with both ancient and modern buildings. The oldest was the Iron Age Cashel in the middle of a lake called Doon Fort near Portnoo in Co. Donegal. It is reputed to be 1,500 years old,” says Duncan, who is originally from Somerset, but has been living in Ireland since the early 1990s.
Dedalus Architecture has completed many other conservation projects throughout Ireland; these include ancient monuments, banks, castles, churches, historic houses & gardens, mills, offices and public buildings.
In 2022, the company was recognised with the ‘Urban Design’ award at the RIAI (Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland) Architecture Awards for its work on the Ramelton Castle Street Historic Towns Initiative project, which also made the final shortlist of three in the SPAB UK and Ireland Awards for Sustainability. There was further national recognition for Dedalus Architecture last November when it received a Heritage-led Regeneration Award from the Irish Planning Institute for a similar initiative in Ballyshannon. The Irish Planning Awards recognise innovation and excellence in Irish planning.
The coveted accolade followed on from earlier successes that saw the Ballyshannon Historic Towns Initiative jointly win the Community & Heritage Award at the KPMG – Irish Independent Property Industry Excellence Awards in 2022 and was commended in the ‘Conservation, Adaptation & Re-use’ category at the 2023 RIAI Awards.
The Ballyshannon Historic Towns Initiative was a partnership between Donegal County Council, Ballyshannon Regeneration Group, Dedalus Architecture, local property owners, The Heritage Council and the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage.
The project involved repair of 19 run-down or unused buildings in and around The Mall, The Diamond and Main Street. This resulted in a massive improvement in the appearance and future fortunes of the historic town core ‘on a shoestring budget’ of €1.2 million, which included funding from the Department of Housing Local Government & Heritage, and from The Heritage Council over two consecutive years. Ballyshannon was the first designated heritage town in Co. Donegal with a ‘heritage-led’ design guide, also prepared by Dedalus Architecture.
The restoration of local derelict buildings involved a dedicated project team that included the Ballyshannon Regeneration Group and Donegal County Council. They established connections with building owners to undertake a series of repair projects. The project demonstrated the potential for modest conservation and repair work to address regeneration ‘inclusively, sustainably and cost-effectively’.
“Having also worked on similar projects in Sligo O’Connell Street, at Church Lane, Letterkenny and Castle Street in Ramelton, we had developed the experience and expertise to deliver the Ballyshannon Historic Towns Initiative along with our partners,” Duncan explains.
“We carried out a health check of the building stock initially, from which we were able to draw up a development plan for the historic town centre. We used targeted repairs to sustain and reuse each of the separately-owned buildings, developed local skills and awareness, and encouraged community involvement in future actions. The project demonstrated the value of the town centre for community and tourism, proved that much-loved old buildings could be viable again and raised awareness of appropriate and responsible methods of repair.”
“It’s still very much a live project which has been a ‘win, win’ for the local community and economy.”
The implementation of the Historic Towns Initiative was focused on regeneration through repair of buildings, some already in use, some secured while new uses could be found. Dedalus Architecture was involved separately in projects to reuse some of the buildings which, after giving priority to historic fabric, investigated means by which access could be improved through minimum intervention.
An inclusive process was adopted in developing the plan where local people and others were invited to participate in the preparation of a design guide. Even though works were mostly focused on buildings in private ownership, community engagement and the dramatic improvement in the appearance of the most-loved buildings generated civic pride and enjoyment of the public realm as well as artwork in the form of murals, metalwork restoration and curated window exhibits.
In summary, the project establishes a repeatable strategy involving repairing multiple buildings; a pilot project to reverse dereliction within a provincial Irish town. Actions were established by means of a Conservation Plan. No single building was completely renovated. Instead, vulnerable elements of fabric such as chimneys, roofs, rainwater-goods and joinery were prioritised, halting rapid deterioration and helping owners bring buildings back into use.
In addition, the project demonstrates that modest conservation works undertaken at an urban-scale are affordable, environmentally responsible, educational and sustainable among other things.
Successful, longstanding and trusted partnerships with larger practices is key to Dedalus Architecture engaging in large-scale and prestigious projects on a regular basis.
“We’re a small practice which enjoys working with good people. Rather than getting bigger, which is a major challenge for any rural practice, we see collaborations with larger practices as being the way forward,” Duncan adds.
“As accredited conservation specialists, we can bring something to the table. We’re currently assisting big practices with town centre schemes in Gort and Strokestown. We’re working on 30 projects in total.”
“With historical building work, there are niches. We’ve worked on about 30 traditional farm building projects over the years. You learn a lot about conservation repair from them and how to become more efficient. It also goes without saying that having good people you can rely on is crucial to the success of every project.”
As Dedalus Architecture continues to go from strength to strength, Duncan would like to take this opportunity to thank his clients, suppliers and partners for their unwavering support.
Dedalus Architecture
Bath Terrace,
Main Street,
Moville,
Co. Donegal,
F93 FT72.
Telephone: +353 (0)74 938 5122
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, October 2024, Vol 10 No 10
