Andy Devane and the Architecture of the Modern Irish Office Block, 1963-1979. The Demanding Art of Orderly Development

In 2017, a small cohort of the architectural profession quietly marked the centenary of Andrew (Andy) Devane’s birth, an event that was eclipsed by the news that permission had been granted to demolish his seminal building, AIB Bankcentre in Ballsbridge. The coincidence of the two events polarized the realisation that his work was not duly recognised and that his legacy was under threat. This project began as a shared initiative between Robinson Keefe & Devane (RKD) and the author. It has been funded by the Irish Research Council Enterprise Partnership Scheme with close collaboration between the author in the role of academic researcher, RKD as the enterprise partner and the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy (APEP) at University College Dublin as the academic partner. The raw and vast RKD archive is the foundation for the research undertaken. Other strands of investigation include the Devane family archive, oral history, extensive analysis of secondary sources and visits to Devane’s buildings. The thesis focuses on Devane’s three Dublin office buildings which were designed and built within the years 1963-1979. It closely examines the conditions for architectural practice in the period and presents a thorough architectural biography of an Irish twentieth century architect. This thesis enriches our understanding of Devane and his work, Dublin and its twentieth-century development, and the architectural culture of the time.