Following on from a successful pilot programme in 2023, the Irish Architecture Foundation is delighted to offer a second series of New Life for Old Buildings for 2024, in Limerick. This year’s programme combines knowledge from industry experts and those with hands-on experience through walks, talks, clinics, and site visits that tackle issues of vacancy across Ireland.

New Life for Old Buildings is a national programme about the future of buildings that are already built. It is developed and delivered by the Irish Architecture Foundation as part of Reimagine, the IAF’s placemaking programme. Our aim is to empower people determined to transform Ireland’s vacant buildings into homes by providing opportunities for on-the-ground learning and knowledge exchange, building a national network of individuals determined to breathe new life into old buildings.

In 2024, the New Life for Old Buildings programme will be delivered in Limerick in partnership with our anchor venue, the Hunt Museum, with our launch event being held at the International Rugby Experience building. Our Culture Night launch is the first of a number of Limerick based walks, talks, clinics, and site visits events in 2024 and 2025. The 2024 programme is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Weekend 1

We Are What We Build, 20-21 September 

Join us for a unique Culture Night experience as the Irish Architecture Foundation launches our New Life for Old Buildings programme for Limerick in 2024. This evening, held in the iconic International Rugby Experience building, explores how cultural memory embeds itself within the built and vacant fabric of our cities. Through tours of Georgian Limerick and insightful panel discussions with thought leaders in city-making you’ll gain a fresh perspective on how we can breathe new life into old buildings in Limerick and beyond.

Culture Night Highlights:

 ‘Georgian Limerick’ City Walking Tour, 17:30-19:00 (free)

Explore Limerick’s Georgian architectural heritage with local architect and conservation expert Cáit Ní Cheallacháin for a walk about tour of where it all began. Meeting at the Hunt Museum and finishing at the International Rugby Experience Building. Register for the Walking Tour.

‘We are What We Build’ Panel, ‘The Dugout’ at the International Rugby Experience Building, 19:00-20:15 (free)

Kick off your culture night with the official launch of our programme and welcome from IAF Director Emmett Scanlon and the Mayor of Limerick, John Moran. Then join us for our first talk series of the event where we will be joined by a diversity of city-makers and thinkers as they discuss themes of cultural memory within cities through the lens of vacancy, adaptive reuse, and breathing new life into old buildings. Panel members include Professor Sally Stone, Jamin Keogh, Kieran Reeves, and the Mayor of Limerick. Register for the Panel Discussion.

Our Culture Night events are free to attend.

Saturday Morning: 

Site Visits, 10:00-12:00 (€10 for both)

If you’re in the process of bringing a vacant property back into use or just thinking about it, then join us for the first two site visits for 2024 where we’ll meet first-hand the people of Limerick who are at different stages of converting vacant buildings into homes. Each visit will be hosted by the property owner and/or a built environment professional involved in the project and will be followed by a nearby cup of tea and a chat. This will be a chance to swap tips, woes, and joys, and learn from each other. Held in the Georgian neighbourhood of Limerick City, meeting at The Crescent. Register for the Site Visits. 

What to look forward to: 

Weekend 2

First Steps: No Finance, No Project, 4-5 October 

This weekend provides the opportunity to engage with essential financial and practical guidance and inspiration for those beginning their journey in building transformation. Join us for a city-walking tour of vacant Limerick, specialist clinics with experts who will be able to advise you on how to get your project off the ground, and presentations from chartered surveyor Nick Taaffe and architect Gráinne McMahon, who will share their experiences and tips on overcoming challenges in the early stages of your project. This will be followed by our Saturday morning site visits to meet first-hand with the people of Limerick who are at different stages of converting vacant buildings into homes. 

Weekend 3

On-site Insight, 11-12 October

This weekend is dedicated to providing hands-on advice and technical know-how for those looking to transform vacant buildings into vibrant homes. Join us for walks, talks, clinics, and site visits that will dive deeper into the practicalities of home renovation. If you’re currently undertaking a renovation project and need advice specific to your project’s needs then this event is for you. 

Further details and booking information for weekends 2 and 3 coming soon. 

New Life for Old Buildings is a key part of the IAF’s mission to inspire new ways of thinking about the built environment and turning challenges into opportunities for community-driven change. We extend our gratitude to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for funding this programme and to all of our project and venue partners and contributors for making this valuable work possible.

Photo: Still from New Life for Old Buildings – Georgian Limerick, copyright Irish Architecture Foundation.