We remember Kevin Roche as a collaborator and friend, particularly as part of the ‘We Built this City‘ when the IAF went to New York, Chicago and London in a 2016 project, which aimed to highlight the contribution of the Irish to the built environment of these 3 cities.  Kevin Roche participated as not only a panelist and contributor for the New York iteration but also served as the epitome of someone who had had that strong influence on the built space in numerous locations around the world.

Born in Dublin but raised in Cork, Kevin Roche studied architecture in UCD School of Architecture until 1945. He then proceeded to work with architects including Michael Scott, Maxwell Fry, before continuing his studies with Mies van der Rohe and settling in the firm of Eero Saarinen where he eventually took the lead with John Dinkeloo and Joseph Lacy after Saarinen’s death in ’61 before founding his firm Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates.

RKJDA’s most famous work includes the Metropolitan Museum of Art, (where he developed the master plan and for nearly 50 years designed all the new wings), the Central Park Zoo, 60 Wall Street and the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Memorial to the Holocaust.

Roche’s only building in Ireland after relocating to America is the divisive Dublin based Convention Centre. An experience in which he expressed frustration but that ultimately lead to an instantly iconic building by this award winning architect right in the centre of the Dublin skyline.

We Built This City | New York – 19 May from Irish Architecture Foundation on Vimeo.