Blog Post

Ask An Architect: ask Aisling Rusk, Studio idir

Any architect for £40? It sounds too good to be true, yet for the period of three weeks between September and October, top architects like Aisling Rusk of Studio idir in Belfast are making themselves available to the public for £40 for one hour’s consultation. This is less than half the price some charge in normal circumstances. But this is part of the Ask An Architect initiative which raises funds for cancer research through the Jill Todd Trust.

“Apart from wanting to raise money in honor of the late daughter of a dear colleague and brilliant architect, Barrie Todd, I have signed up for this since its inception eight years ago because I believe the impact of a person’s physical environment on how they behave and feel is massive,” says Aisling.

She should know. She completed her doctorate in the role of space in conflict. The principles of shaping and, by turns, being shaped by, space in areas such as the peace lines of Belfast and the border walls between Palestine and Israel may seem distant from the location of home appliances and the layout of rooms in your home. Yet there are lessons to learn.

“All lived space is contested,” she says. “Even in the home this conflict can arise, particularly when more of us than ever are now working from home at least some of the time. This puts additional demands on the space and sanctuary of the home.”

Calling in an architect isn’t limited to knocking down and building new walls and rooms in your home but can span from discussions about how better to use the space you have, to advising about gardens, workplaces, grand masterplans and beyond!  No project is too big or too small. A trained and experienced architect can bring a fresh pair of eyes and creative solutions to spatial challenges.

“And for £40 during Ask An Architect, the client is in a unique, no strings attached position to tap into that expertise,” says Aisling. “You will soon find out what’s possible, what is achievable, and how much better your own environment could be.”

www.studioidir.com