Tuesday
4 August\, 7.30pm
\n
\n In the fourth
talk of Ireland’s 2026 lecture series\, Jonathan B
uckley of Shaffrey Architects will talk about the
conservation of Dromdiah House and the careful app
roach taken to repair\, revive\, and secure the fu
ture of an important historic building.
The lecture will explore how the project balan ced conservation principles\, technical challenges and long-term sustainability\, while respecting t he character\, fabric and significance of the hous e. Drawing on the project team’s experience\, it w ill consider how the building was understood\, how priorities for repair were identified\, and how d ecisions were made around materials\, craftsmanshi p and intervention. It will offer insight into how thoughtful conservation can address structural is sues\, weathering\, decay\, and adaptation needs w ithout losing the integrity of the original buildi ng. It will also reflect on what made the scheme a ward-winning\, and what lessons it offers for the wider care of historic houses in Ireland.
\n \nAttendees will gain a better understanding of how high-quality conservation projects are develop ed and delivered\, from first assessment through t o completed works. There will also be an opportuni ty to ask questions during a live Q&A at the end o f the session.
\n \nThis lecture is aimed at those direct ly involved in working on traditional buildings wi th a technical side to the lecture. Private owners of traditional buildings are also welcome.
\n \nYou will need a computer\, phone or other device with a stable i nternet connection
\n \nJonathan Buckley is an Asso ciate working at Shaffrey Architects. He holds int ernational experience on a variety of projects acr oss Ireland\, the UK and Germany. To date\, he has worked on a range of significant conservation pro jects in Ireland including the major refurbishment and expansion of the Crawford Art Gallery\, and t he sensitive restoration of West Gate House in Dro gheda\, which transformed the historic structure i nto a vibrant community center and theatre space. Additionally\, Jonathan contributed significantly to the Office of Public Works (OPW) guidance docum ent and case studies\, Approaches to Improving the Energy Performance of Heritage Properties in State Care\, a pioneering publication that wa s honoured with the prestigious Europa Nostra Gran d Prix Award 2026. His professional interests focu s on careful adaptive reuse of existing heritage a ssets and sensitive design interventions to histor ic contexts.
\n \nClosed captions are available for this talk.
\n \nThis event is generously supported by The Heritage Council.
\n \nAll bookings are subject to our Terms and Conditions.
\n \n < p>Photo credit: Rosemary Kane/ Alamy DESCRIPTION:Tuesday 4 August\, 7.30pm\n \n \n \n In the fourth talk of Ireland’s 2026 lecture series\, Jonathan Buckley of Shaffrey Architects will talk about the conservation of Dromdiah House and the careful ap proach taken to repair\, revive\, and secure the f uture of an important historic building. \n \n \n \n The lecture will explore how the project balan ced conservation principles\, technical challenges and long-term sustainability\, while respecting t he character\, fabric and significance of the hous e. Drawing on the project team’s experience\, it w ill consider how the building was understood\, how priorities for repair were identified\, and how d ecisions were made around materials\, craftsmanshi p and intervention. It will offer insight into how thoughtful conservation can address structural is sues\, weathering\, decay\, and adaptation needs w ithout losing the integrity of the original buildi ng. It will also reflect on what made the scheme a ward-winning\, and what lessons it offers for the wider care of historic houses in Ireland.\n \n \n \n Attendees will gain a better understanding of h ow high-quality conservation projects are develope d and delivered\, from first assessment through to completed works. There will also be an opportunit y to ask questions during a live Q&A at the end of the session.\n \n \n \n Who is this talk for?\n \ n \n This lecture is aimed at those directly invol ved in working on traditional buildings with a tec hnical side to the lecture. Private owners of trad itional buildings are also welcome.\n \n \n \n IT requirements\n \n \n You will need a computer\, ph one or other device with a stable internet connect ion\n \n \n \n Speaker(s)\n \n \n Jonathan Buckley is an Associate working at Shaffrey Architects. H e holds international experience on a variety of p rojects across Ireland\, the UK and Germany. To da te\, he has worked on a range of significant conse rvation projects in Ireland including the major re furbishment and expansion of the Crawford Art Gall ery\, and the sensitive restoration of West Gate H ouse in Drogheda\, which transformed the historic structure into a vibrant community center and thea tre space. Additionally\, Jonathan contributed sig nificantly to the Office of Public Works (OPW) gui dance document and case studies\, Approaches to Im proving the Energy Performance of Heritage Propert ies in State Care\, a pioneering publication that was honoured with the prestigious Europa Nostra Gr and Prix Award 2026. His professional interests fo cus on careful adaptive reuse of existing heritage assets and sensitive design interventions to hist oric contexts.\n \n \n \n Accessibility\n \n \n Cl osed captions are available for this talk.\n \n \n \n Supported by\n \n \n This event is generously supported by The Heritage Council. \n \n \n \n \n All bookings are subject to our Terms and Conditio ns (https://www.spab.org.uk/content/booking-terms- and-conditions).\n \n \n \n Photo credit: Rosemary Kane/ Alamy\n \n CATEGORIES:Talk CALSCALE:GREGORIAN DTSTAMP;TZID=Europe/London:20260804T193000 DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260804T193000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260804T213000 LOCATION:Online\n United Kingdom\n URL:https://www.spab.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1467 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR