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Konishi Gaffney – Bridging the Old and New: The Transformation Journey of an Edinburgh Church
November 17, 2023 @ 16:00 - 17:00 CET
Kieran Gaffney will speak on behalf of Konishi Gaffney on their refurbishment, improvement, and extension of a former church in Edinburgh.
Competition winning in 2017 and opened in 2022, the design reconfigured the main entrance with the insertion of a timber ‘link’ building between the church and the neighbouring office block to provide flexible workspace, a community hub and events spaces. A new triple-height, top lit atrium opens the building up visually and gives lift access to all levels. The new building was clad externally in terrazzo panels with a sculptural relief pattern developed in collaboration with an artist (Chalk Plaster).
Along with the extensive use of timber in the project, significant environmental improvements were made to the existing church building including high levels of insulation, new glazing and a 24kW solar array on the building’s large south facing roof, hidden from the street.
About Kieran Gaffney
Kieran trained at Strathclyde University and University College London graduating in 1992 and 1998 respectively before qualifying as an ARB / RIBA / RIAS accredited architect in 2003. He spent the first 4 years of his life Zambia, where his parents were teaching, and then grew up in Scotland; his international outlook continued with many years working overseas; in the USA, Zimbabwe, London, Berlin and Tokyo along with a period studying in Florence.
Moving back to the UK in 2007 Kieran self-built his own family house in Portobello before setting up Konishi Gaffney Architects in 2009. Having worked on a variety of creative and artist-led projects including six years in London working with Thomas Heatherwick on public art commissions he continues to collaborate with artists and makers on projects around the fields of art, landscape & architecture.
Kieran is a Fellow of the RSA and has sat as trustee on the boards of the RIAS, the EAA (twice) and Art in Healthcare. He has been invited critic at Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Aberdeen Universities and has lectured in Brighton, London, Stuttgart and at all of the Scottish Universities.