Students have reimagined the spaces where we spend our time for a new Architects in Schools exhibition taking place in the Museum of Country Life in Castlebar, Co Mayo.
The work on display was created by transition year students from more than 70 schools in collaboration with teachers and the Irish Architecture Foundation.
This exhibition is a celebration of the creativity of youth as they seek to improve the places where we live, work and play. The themes of home, sustainability and community were inspired by the Irish Folklife collection at the Museum of Country Life.
The 2D drawings and 3D models were made by TY students in workshops across the country under the guidance of their teachers along with the expert advice of participating architects.
Students from Castletroy College in Limerick were thrilled to see their handiwork displayed at the exhibition. It was the culmination of months of hard work. Their projects were based on the "tiny house" concept as a response to the housing crisis in Ireland.
"We did sketches of a tiny house village layout and each of us designed a unique tiny village and built a scale model of it. We think a tiny house can appeal to young people wanting to get their first home, small families, people who choose to live alone and people who want to downsize. Everybody wants to be part of a community so we designed our site like a small village. We believe that in some locations small houses like our tiny house designs are more sustainable."
As well as the exhibits, the voice of the students is at the heart of the Architects in Schools programme. They feature in a specially commissioned production running at the venue's audio visual theatre.
Le Chéile Secondary School in Tyrellstown in Dublin focused on community. The school is in one of the most culturally diverse areas in the capital and providing a safe space for everyone to enjoy was the key priority. Students chose their local park and drew up a plan for proper seating and shelter when it's raining.
Mark Costello Architect MRIAI said: "Here in Tyrellstown students chose the theme of community because they felt it was relevant to a newly developed suburban context. After an initial discussion we looked at some of the artefacts in the Museum of Country Life. They felt that engaging the community through a collaborative process was key."
Students from Mount St Michael school in Claremorris in Mayo concentrated on wellbeing in the community.
"We put the focus on greenery for mental health reasons and creating a nice peaceful space with a little lake for respite from a busy day to day life."
The IAF programme was set up in 2013 to create opportunities for young people to connect with architecture professionals and the art form of architecture, through facilitated workshops in schools.
Funding is provided by the Arts Council of Ireland, the Departments of Housing and Education, with additional support from the National Museum of Ireland.
Lynn Scarff is Director of the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life.
"We're delighted to collaborate with the Irish Architecture Foundation and all the Transition Year students participating in the Architects in Schools programme and exhibition," she said.
"It is wonderful to see how the students involved have responded to the museum collection while visioning solutions for global challenges through a design process guided by architects – I'd like to congratulate them on such an impressive body of work and I’m sure their ideas will resonate with many of the visitors to the museum."
Blaithin Quinn of the Irish Architecture Foundation said the "youth voice is central to the Architects in Schools programme and this exhibition offers a valuable platform for young people to showcase their visionary ideas, as they advocate for a better built environment".
The exhibition runs until the end of June and admission is free.
