The Irish Architecture Foundation and Arup have come together in a partnership initiative to present NEWNOWNEXT, a series of 12 architectural talks over three years, all free to the public, to shine a spotlight on great architecture from around the world and here at home. The 2013 NEWNOWNEXT series came to an end on November 27 with this talk by Andrew Griffin and Maxim Laroussi of Urban Agency (IRL/DK).

URBAN AGENCY, with offices in Dublin, Copenhagen and Lyon, is a young and dynamic practice with extensive international experience. Founded just six months ago by four partners – Maxim Laroussi (FRA/MOR), Andrew Griffin (IRL), Henning Stüben (GER), and Heechan Park (KOR) – this most international group of partners have been working all over the world on projects of various scale and complexity, from a small artists’ studio to the National Stadium of Oslo, for almost a decade.

“We believe in an architecture that promotes social engagement and creates democratic cities – places which are aesthetically inviting and build a strong identity”, said Urban Agency Partner Andrew Griffin.

“The diverse make-up of the practice brings a wealth of styles, cultural perspectives and experience which shape our work: we design robust projects that can absorb complexity and change, while maintaining and building-up on existing qualities”.

Rory McGowan, Director of Arup, noted “Looking forward to hearing from Urban Agency on their international work and how they bring that experience to bear in the local market – a great close to the first NEWNOWNEXT lecture series.”

“Urban Agency is what NEWNOWNEXT is all about: a new innovative design practice that is both local and international. We are delighted to confirm that ARUP and IAF will be continuing the partnership into 2014 and will announce the international line up soon”, added Nathalie Weadick, Director of the IAF.