Demolition Take Down

Type: Public Engagement & Research

Client: Creative Ireland, Creative Climate Action Spark Fund II

Location: Nationwide

Stage: On going

Published: RTE Brainstorm, Architecture Ireland, Traces Magazine: Switzerland, Adapt Reuse: Belgium & Type Magazine

Exhibition: IMMA

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Outdoor art installation featuring large, abstract, graphic structures with translucent orange and dark patterned panels, situated in a courtyard with cobblestone and concrete paving, surrounded by historic buildings and people observing.

Demolition Take Down is a research and engagement initiative aimed at revolutionising Ireland's demolition practices. The Irish construction industry accounts for 6% of the employed population, but generates 48% of all waste produced in Ireland.

We seek to uncover the underlying motivations behind demolition practices in Ireland. Through explorative research and cross-disciplinary conversations, we aim to spark a shift in attitudes and behaviours within the construction industry.

Close-up of a fabric with an abstract pattern in shades of orange, white, and gray.
A historic building with a clock tower and a spire, partially covered with construction or promotional fabric, with two people standing in front and a clear blue sky overhead.
A person taking a photo of an outdoor art installation, consisting of large, geometric structures covered with patterned fabric banners in orange, gray, and black, in a historic courtyard with cobblestone pavement and a building with multiple windows and dormers in the background.

Our existing buildings represent energy already expended and effort exhausted. To demolish a building and replace it with a new one repeats the environmental impact on the same site. The culture needs to change to one where adaptive reuse is valued over and above demolition and replacement buildings.

This project is a call to action for policy makers, decision makers, councils, construction industry works, clients and the public to take climate action now.

Public attitudes are the life and death of a building.

Close-up of construction barriers with orange and black coverings, supported by concrete blocks, on a sunny day.
installation of scaffolding mesh banners
Quote over a construction mesh background that reads: "Material & Labour costs may go up and down, but taking down a building is forever. It is final."

The installation shows the 146 tonnes generated by the construction industry on behalf of each person in Ireland.

The installation was a conversation-starter and an opportunity to engage with the public and wider construction industry on the topic of demolition.

A sign with orange background and black and white text about soil storing carbon and its role in construction and demolition waste in Ireland.

The first phase of the project was launched with the focus on the engagement of the construction industry through a survey and interviews. This phase sought to understand some of the reasons why existing buildings are often demolished and the challenges of adapting them for reuse.

The second phase extended to third-level education with a collaboration between TU Dublin's School of Architecture, Building and Environment and School of Surveying and Construction Innovation.

A large outdoor installation at IMMA was the third phase of the initiative and combines all of the research that has been uncovered during previous phases. It was designed in response to our research and conversations.

A photo of a cobblestone plaza through stone archways with a modern art installation and historic buildings in the background, under a clear blue sky.
A man walking a dog near a construction site with an orange informational banner about construction waste and environmental impact.

The Demolition Take Down installation was a key feature of the Earth Rising festival at IMMA and Culture Night 2024. In support of the installation a series of public talks, film screenings and public engagement surveys took place.

Find out more at www.demolitiontakedown.ie

Sign the HouseEurope! Citizens Initiative here!

People walking through a stone archway towards an outdoor exhibition featuring a large cube-shaped art installation with a patterned surface of black and orange circles and abstract shapes, set against a building with dormer windows on a sunny day.
A construction or event banner with text that reads 'Change requires resourcing.' The banner is attached to scaffolding, and part of a stone building with multiple windows is visible in the background.
Looking up at a construction scaffold structure with metal pipes and platform, with a blue sky and white clouds in the background.
Three people having a conversation outdoors in front of a large sign with an orange and white message about construction or demolition costs, on a cobblestone street near historic buildings.
Four people standing and talking outdoors, two wear orange hoodies, one an older woman with gray hair and cap, one man dressed casually, and another man with a dark jacket, in a historic city square with arched buildings in the background.

Research: Islander Architects

Photography: Brian Cregan & Islander Architects

Branding: Unthink

Funded by: Demolition Take Down is funded by Creative Ireland's Creative Climate Action Fund funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate & Communications. The installation at IMMA is funded by Creative Ireland, Building Change, IPUT Real Estate, the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) and the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI).