Four Courts

Four Courts / Rotunda / Dublin 2017
Client: Office of Public Works
Role: Exhibition Designer

Winner - Exhibition Design of the Year
Institute of Designers of Ireland Awards 2017

Overview

The brief allowed three weeks for the design, build and install of a secure storage space/exhibition within the historic rotunda of the Four Courts, Dublin.

The exterior of the structure presented the history of the Four Courts, and informed the public about restoration work being undertaken. The interior protected carved stone capitals prior to them being hoisted up through a hole in the dome located over the centre of the rotunda.

While the timeline enforced its own limitations, the real challenge was designing a bespoke structure from off-the-shelf materials that felt appropriate within the scale and grandeur of the rotunda.

It needed to be a structure that was sensitive to the room’s historical significance, as well as function as a graphic panel display system while not impeding the activities of a busy courthouse.

Exhibition Design

The design respected the existing patterns and colours of the rotunda.

As the structure could not be fastened to the floor, referencing the circular floor pattern presented an opportunity to take advantage of the structural stability of a circular design.

The result was a modular system that manipulated standard off-the-shelf components to create sixteen identical panels. When the orientation of the panels was alternated they combined to form a customisable folding screen.

From the exterior, the panels were constructed to allow the public a view into the space without compromising on security. The modular structure simultaneously created a framework within which to apply graphic panels.

While not part of the brief, the client could easily repurpose the structure since the modular panels and connecting system let it adapt to various shapes and sizes.

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