Dublin-based architect Shane de Blacam has been awarded the 2023 Royal Academy Architecture Prize. Inaugurated in 2018, the award aims to garner a wider appreciation and understanding of architecture’s relationship to culture and society.
Shane de Blacam worked at a variety of architectural practices – including Chamberlain, Powell and Bon in London, and Louis I. Kahn in Philadelphia and Connecticut – before forming de Blacam and Meagher with John Meagher (1947-2021) in 1976. The practice won the Gold Medal and five Silver Medals for architecture and conservation, including the Gandon Medal of the Royal institute of the Architects of Ireland. de Blacam is also a member of AOSDANA, a Government of Ireland institution that honours achievement in art.
The international jury recognised de Blacam for his buildings which ‘demonstrate a pleasure in simple local materials, combining loadbearing masonry and joinery. In both new buildings and sensitive historic restorations, de Blacam’s practice reminds us of the power of craftsmanship to create spaces where we can come together for stillness and reflection. His work has been a powerful influence on contemporary Irish architecture, and he is an inspirational figure for those he has taught and worked with.’
