merrion street

Wednesday, 11th December 2013 – Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, has today launched the Government Policy on Architecture Annual Report for 2011-2012 to core stakeholders and key partners of the Government Policy on Architecture implementation programme. The Government Policy on Architecture 2009-2015: Towards a Sustainable Future: Delivering Quality within the Built Environment provides the appropriate framework for architectural policy up to 2015 and beyond and is co-ordinated centrally by Built Heritage and Architectural Policy, within the Department.

The policy is structured around 15 key statements and contains 45 actions to be implemented over the lifetime of the policy, primarily, by a range of Government Departments and state agencies. The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has primary responsibility for the implementation of a number of these actions as well as having responsibility for co-ordination of the implementation of the 45 actions contained in the policy. An initial scoping of the 45 actions in the policy by the Government Policy on Architecture Advisory Committee identified a number of key priority actions to be initiated and/or progressed over 2011-2012. Today’s launch marks the progress in implementing these actions as contained in the Annual Report.

Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht commented:

“The Government Policy on Architecture places an emphasis on sustainable development of the environment and urban design, incorporates architectural heritage in a holistic integrated manner, while encouraging and supporting high quality modern architecture. The policy complements and supports the Government’s wider economic strategy in areas such as research and the development of efficient and sustainable solutions for the built environment.”

“Delivering a sustainable architecture in our environment – with radically reduced resources - presents a significant challenge to this generation. Such a challenge requires us to interrogate the roles of architecture, conservation and urban design to be fit for purpose in an uncertain future when we will be obliged to make the best use of our existing built environment”.

A copy of the Annual Report is available to download from the main website of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht at www.ahg.gov.ie