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Practice Profile
Founded in 1961, ABK Architects is a design-led practice with an international reputation for the delivery of buildings of the highest quality. Renowned for its work in many fields including housing, education, healthcare, office and work-space as well as public buildings and the arts, the practice’s imaginative approach has led to a succession of acclaimed buildings.
The practice offers skills in architecture and related fields including master-planning, urban design and planning, interior and furniture design and is one of the leading exponents of sustainability in the field of architecture.
Implicit in the work of ABK is a search for quality, which concerns the character and atmosphere of spaces.
From the office’s very first project, the Berkley Library in Trinity College Dublin through to our most recent designs, the work of ABK has been invested with a certain sensibility; an understanding of place; a continuity with history; an architecture rooted in a genuine humanism.
Each building proposal is a unique response that integrates the general and the particular into a coherent whole. Each design reflects the specific requirements of brief and the unique conditions of site. We are therefore constantly developing new methods and approaches in order to address changing conditions and client requirements.
We promote technical innovation through research in all our projects, making ABK Architects one of the leading exponents of environmental design. Our specialist knowledge is built upon accumulated techniques and technologies developed, tested and proven in numerous successful projects.
The making of beautiful, well-crafted buildings that respond to the uniqueness of place is at the heart of our endeavour. As a practice we are invested to the art of Architecture, as a team we are committed to providing the best service to our clients.
The practice offers skills in architecture and related fields including master-planning, urban design and planning, interior and furniture design and is one of the leading exponents of sustainability in the field of architecture.
Implicit in the work of ABK is a search for quality, which concerns the character and atmosphere of spaces.
From the office’s very first project, the Berkley Library in Trinity College Dublin through to our most recent designs, the work of ABK has been invested with a certain sensibility; an understanding of place; a continuity with history; an architecture rooted in a genuine humanism.
Each building proposal is a unique response that integrates the general and the particular into a coherent whole. Each design reflects the specific requirements of brief and the unique conditions of site. We are therefore constantly developing new methods and approaches in order to address changing conditions and client requirements.
We promote technical innovation through research in all our projects, making ABK Architects one of the leading exponents of environmental design. Our specialist knowledge is built upon accumulated techniques and technologies developed, tested and proven in numerous successful projects.
The making of beautiful, well-crafted buildings that respond to the uniqueness of place is at the heart of our endeavour. As a practice we are invested to the art of Architecture, as a team we are committed to providing the best service to our clients.
John Parker, Director
John Parker is a practicing architect with experience in the UK and Ireland. Having worked in a number of leading architectural practices, including Dixon and Jones and de Blacam and Meagher. John joined ABK in 1998 becoming a Director is 2001.John’s role includes overseeing project design throughout the practice from concept through to completion. He has experience in workplace and residential design as well as creative, collaborative working including the urban design and master-planning of the Dublin’s North Lotts, and the Irish Marine Energy Research Cluster (IMERC).
John was the design leader on a range of buildings recognised for the quality of their design and execution including Roscommon County Council Offices, Cork City Civic Offices, Offaly Civic Offices, Kilmallock Library and Courthouse. John was the design leader for Southill Older Person’s Accommodation which won the RIAI Silver Medal for Housing in 2019.
In addition, John is assistant Professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy (APEP) University College Dublin as well as a visiting critic to a number of architecture schools. He was external Examiner for Cork School of Architecture (CCAE) from 2018-2020. He is an external examiner for the RIAI Professional Practice Examinations and is a Director of Architects Registration Accreditation Examination Body in Ireland.
John attended NCAD before graduating from the School of Architecture UCD, and the University of North London.
Robert Davys, Director
Robert Davys is a practicing architect who having worked in the UK and Canada returned to Ireland in 2000. He started working with ABK in 1985 after graduation from University College Dublin.Robert has been involved in the largest and most technically challenging projects that the practice has completed including The British Embassy in Moscow, London Docklands Light Railway Stations, Civic Offices in Ireland, various Educational Projects and many Housing projects, including the 600 dwelling Shanganagh Castle Housing Estate for the Land Development Agency.
Robert has developed extensive knowledge in the design and delivery of sustainable building projects. He was responsible for the Ballymun Rediscovery Centre, The National Centre for the Circular Economy where a host of exemplary sustainable building methods were employed. ABK have developed a reputation for Sustainable Architecture that is reinforced through our winning the RIAI Most Sustainable Building Award on two separate occasions.
Alongside his design experience Robert is an Accredited Conservation Architect
He has acted as an external examiner for the RIAI Professional Practice Examinations n U.C.D.
Matthew McCrum, Associate
Matthew gained experience at a number of prominent design led practices in the UK and Ireland, including Maccreanor Lavington, Hall McKnight and de Blacam & Meagher, prior to joining ABK in 2018. He has worked in a broad range of sectors from Arts Centres to Public Square’s and has developed extensive experience in large scale mixed use residential projects. Since joining ABK, Matthew has contributed significantly to a number of projects in the practice including Shanganagh Castle Estate and St Laurence’s Residential Community & Library. He is a highly dedicated Architect and adept at working with and leading large scale complex multi-disciplinary teams.
Matthew studied in Queen’s University Belfast & University College Dublin, graduating in 2008.
Anne-Marie Cooke, Associate
Anne-Marie is a graduate of University College Dublin. She spent 7 years working in Australia where she worked with a number of award-winning practices on a range of projects from High End Residential to Public Architecture. She was Project Architect for the Frank Bartlett Library in Victoria which was won a number of national and regional awards. She has been with ABK for 4 years and is currently managing the construction of Lucan Swimming Pool, Enniskerry Road Residential Development and Phase 2 of Churchfield Housing. She has extensive experience in the design of a number of building types including residential, office buildings and sports buildings.
Anne-Marie has a particular interest in the technical detailing of a building and how things come together, working collaboratively with the various trades on site to deliver beautiful buildings.
Patrick White, Associate
Following graduation from the School of Architecture in UCD, Patrick worked abroad for a number of practices in Argentina and the UK where he was an associate in a major London office. He established significant expertise in the design of inner city regeneration and housing schemes of varying scales and complexities, before returning to Dublin to join ABK in 2017. Patrick has a keen design awareness and focus on delivery that has made him a key member of the practice. Patrick was the Project Architect for North Wall Quay, a 25,500 m2 CAT-A, LEED-Gold, NZEB, 7-9 storey office building in Dublin’s docklands (winner of the RIAI Best Workplace/Fit-Out award 2021). He successfully delivered this large scale complex project through careful attention to detail and management of all stakeholders.
Patrick has a broad range of experience in both private and social housing developments and has been involved in a 597 unit multi-block development in Shanganagh, Dublin and 76 unit development in St Laurence’s Park, Dublin.
Prior to studying architecture, Patrick received a BA in History and Economics and an MSc in Marketing, and worked for a number of years in Finance.
Services
Workspace
Healthcare
Education
Residential
Sustainability
Conservation
Workspace
Places of work constitute the vast bulk of our towns and cities, but despite its centrality to people’s lives and its ubiquity in the built fabric, the workplace has remained marginal to debate and innovation within architecture.
ABK Architects have been at the forefront of exploring ways in which the contemporary workplace might be reconsidered, examining afresh the constituent elements of the workplace, its spatial composition, its character, the patterns of activity it engenders, and the relationships it establishes with its wider context.
Just as buildings must respond to site and context, they must also provide an environment conducive to carrying out the day-to-day tasks of their occupants. Innovation in the creation and control of the work environment underpins all aspects of our design. From the use of renewable materials to maximising natural light, from tempering of the environment and use of natural ventilation, we use sustainable strategies which conserve resources, and reduce overall energy use.
Awards for recent office buildings include: North Dock: Winner of the RIAI Workspace and Fit-out Award 2021, Roscommon Civic Offices: RIAI Best Public Building Award, Best Sustainable Building Award, Cork Civic Offices: RIAI Best Public Building, RIBA European Award, RIAI best Sustainable Project, RIAI Best Accessible Project; Offaly Civic Offices: RIAI Best Public Building, RIAI Best Sustainable Project, An Taisce Best Designed Sustainable Building.
ABK Architects have been at the forefront of exploring ways in which the contemporary workplace might be reconsidered, examining afresh the constituent elements of the workplace, its spatial composition, its character, the patterns of activity it engenders, and the relationships it establishes with its wider context.
Just as buildings must respond to site and context, they must also provide an environment conducive to carrying out the day-to-day tasks of their occupants. Innovation in the creation and control of the work environment underpins all aspects of our design. From the use of renewable materials to maximising natural light, from tempering of the environment and use of natural ventilation, we use sustainable strategies which conserve resources, and reduce overall energy use.
Awards for recent office buildings include: North Dock: Winner of the RIAI Workspace and Fit-out Award 2021, Roscommon Civic Offices: RIAI Best Public Building Award, Best Sustainable Building Award, Cork Civic Offices: RIAI Best Public Building, RIBA European Award, RIAI best Sustainable Project, RIAI Best Accessible Project; Offaly Civic Offices: RIAI Best Public Building, RIAI Best Sustainable Project, An Taisce Best Designed Sustainable Building.
Healthcare
Architecture plays a significant role in the development of healthcare. It is now generally recognised that the built environment can be an active component in the therapeutic process where research has shown that the quality of environment plays an important part both in the recovery of patients from illness and the morale of staff.
An example of ABK Architects’ holistic approach to the making of healthcare space is the use of daylight in St Mary’s hospital, Isle of Wight, where generous rooflights fill rooms and corridors with natural light, giving patients views of the sky.
The same St Mary’s hospital was also the first low-energy hospital in the UK, reducing energy demand by 50% in this 200 bed facility.
At the Dublin Dental hospital we resolved clinical and educational roles, while refurbishing the existing historic building and constructing a new wing.
We continue in the provision of healthcare buildings with Primary Care Centres, doctor’s surgeries and specialist laboratory projects.
Awards for buildings include Dublin Dental Hospital: OPUS Building of the Year Award, RIBA Award, RIAI Regional Award.
An example of ABK Architects’ holistic approach to the making of healthcare space is the use of daylight in St Mary’s hospital, Isle of Wight, where generous rooflights fill rooms and corridors with natural light, giving patients views of the sky.
The same St Mary’s hospital was also the first low-energy hospital in the UK, reducing energy demand by 50% in this 200 bed facility.
At the Dublin Dental hospital we resolved clinical and educational roles, while refurbishing the existing historic building and constructing a new wing.
We continue in the provision of healthcare buildings with Primary Care Centres, doctor’s surgeries and specialist laboratory projects.
Awards for buildings include Dublin Dental Hospital: OPUS Building of the Year Award, RIBA Award, RIAI Regional Award.
Education
Buildings contribute to the process of education, underpinning and facilitating the ambitions and aspirations of the institutions to which they give substance. Their design, organisation and planning serve to facilitate social and learning experience, encouraging communication while helping to establish a sense of identity.
How one addresses the diverse demands of students and staff – the need for individual study and contemplation space as well as the contrasting need for collective space for group activities and social interaction – has been studied by ABK. We have implemented these ideas at all levels of education from Schools and Colleges through to Universities and Institutes of Technology.
We have a long history of designing buildings for alll levels of education, from Keble and Templeton College in Oxford to Trinity College in Dublin.
Recent clients include Institute of Technology Tralee, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Institute of Art Design and Technology Dun Laoghaire, John Wheatley College Glasgow.
How one addresses the diverse demands of students and staff – the need for individual study and contemplation space as well as the contrasting need for collective space for group activities and social interaction – has been studied by ABK. We have implemented these ideas at all levels of education from Schools and Colleges through to Universities and Institutes of Technology.
We have a long history of designing buildings for alll levels of education, from Keble and Templeton College in Oxford to Trinity College in Dublin.
Recent clients include Institute of Technology Tralee, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Institute of Art Design and Technology Dun Laoghaire, John Wheatley College Glasgow.
Residential
The individual house is the most fundamental and at the same time the most complex of all building types. It combines the archetypal role of shelter with the varied needs that go into making a ‘home.’ A dwelling must cater for the requirements of the individual, while in larger groupings it must contribute towards the forming of coherent communities.
In all cases, the private and public domain are critical, as well as the threshold, the place where they meet.
We work at all the scales from the individual house to groups of units to large scale housing schemes and mixed-use schemes, which incorporate other functions at the scale of the city.
ABK were awarded the prestigeous 2019 RIAI Silver Medal for Housing (2013-2014)
In all cases, the private and public domain are critical, as well as the threshold, the place where they meet.
We work at all the scales from the individual house to groups of units to large scale housing schemes and mixed-use schemes, which incorporate other functions at the scale of the city.
ABK were awarded the prestigeous 2019 RIAI Silver Medal for Housing (2013-2014)
Sustainability
At a time when Global environmental concerns challenge the way in which we live and work, we place social, environmental and technical concerns, and the conviction that the quality of our surroundings cannot be dissociated from the quality of life, at the heart of our design philosophy.
ABK Architects have been at the forefront of energy conscious design for over twenty five years. We promote technical innovation through research in all our projects, making ABK Architects one of the leading exponents of environmental and sustainable design.
Our specialist knowledge in this field is built upon accumulated techniques and technologies developed, tested and proven in numerous successful projects.
Awards for recent buildings include Roscommon Civic Offices: RIAI Best Sustainable Building Award; CMG Sustainable Building of the Year Award , Cork Civic Offices: RIAI Best Sustainable Project, LAMA Best EcoFriendly Building; John Wheatley College: BREEAM Excellent, GIA Design Award for Sustainability; Offaly County Council Civic Offices: RIAI Best Sustainable Project, An Taisce Best Designed Sustainable Building, Department of Environment Best Sustainable Building.
ABK Architects have been at the forefront of energy conscious design for over twenty five years. We promote technical innovation through research in all our projects, making ABK Architects one of the leading exponents of environmental and sustainable design.
Our specialist knowledge in this field is built upon accumulated techniques and technologies developed, tested and proven in numerous successful projects.
Awards for recent buildings include Roscommon Civic Offices: RIAI Best Sustainable Building Award; CMG Sustainable Building of the Year Award , Cork Civic Offices: RIAI Best Sustainable Project, LAMA Best EcoFriendly Building; John Wheatley College: BREEAM Excellent, GIA Design Award for Sustainability; Offaly County Council Civic Offices: RIAI Best Sustainable Project, An Taisce Best Designed Sustainable Building, Department of Environment Best Sustainable Building.
Conservation
We are skilled in the care, repair and reuse of historic buildings and protected structures. We are often involved in the incorporation of these buildings into new works of architecture.
It is often through the sensitive conservation and remodelling that new life can be given to previously redundant structures. At the National Museum of Ireland at Kildare Street, Dublin, we are involved in the development control plan for the whole building as well as incorporation of universal access and fire strategies.
Other projects include Kilmallock Workhouse, Dublin Dental Hospital, Waterford Granary and Visitor Centre.
It is often through the sensitive conservation and remodelling that new life can be given to previously redundant structures. At the National Museum of Ireland at Kildare Street, Dublin, we are involved in the development control plan for the whole building as well as incorporation of universal access and fire strategies.
Other projects include Kilmallock Workhouse, Dublin Dental Hospital, Waterford Granary and Visitor Centre.