August 10, 2016

Fancy a look at Airbnb’s headquarters at Hanover Quay in the south docklands, or Facebook’s headquarters at Grand Canal Quay, designed by international architects Frank Gehry and Daniel Libeskind?

Open House Dublin 2016 takes place from October 14th-16th. The event, now in its 11th year, is organised by the Irish Architecture Foundation. This “Architecture Festival” opens up buildings for viewings to the general public.

The theme of this year’s Open House is “The Presence of the Past”, an effort to reveal how the development of the cityscape conveys the changing social, political and cultural priorities of Dublin.

This will involve an exploration of how architecture – domestic, civic, commercial and public – frames and structures the patterns and practices of our collective life.

Nathalie Weadick, director of the Irish Architectural Foundation, says this year’s programme aims to connect time to buildings and uncover how they reflect our priorities culturally, socially, economically and politically.

“Buildings, as designed structures, are signifiers of evolution and revolution,” she says.

The Open House Dublin 2016 programme will be available from September 9th at architecturefoundation.ie/openhousedublin.