Niall Patrick Walsh is a contributing writer for Archinect, covering news and feature pieces. Aside from writing, Niall is also an independent architect, having formerly worked for BDP, one of the largest design + engineering firms in Europe.
His interests encompass:
Niall lives and works in Belfast, Ireland, but engages with architects and designers across the world. He’s even been on a podcast or two.
Between January 2017 and April 2020, he wrote and edited over 1000 articles for ArchDaily, where he served as a Senior Editor. He has also written for both the print and digital editions of Architecture Ireland (RIAI Journal), Ireland’s premier architecture magazine.
He has represented ArchDaily at events across Ireland, Italy, France, and China, and has interviewed leading architecture and design figures such as Carlo Ratti (Director, MIT Senseable City Lab), Winy Maas (Co-Founder, MVRDV), and the TED founder Richard Saul Wurman.
Niall holds a Masters in Architecture (Distinction) from Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and is a registered architect in Ireland and the United Kingdom. He is a former architect at BDP (Building Design Partnership), one of the largest architecture firms in Europe, and previously worked as an architectural designer at the award-winning Architecture Initiative in London.
His design work has also been recognized internationally, including being awarded first place in the International Tube8x8x300 Contest in China in 2020.
In September 2021, he made the AJ100 New Talent List, recognizing up-and-coming architectural talent in the United Kingdom
‘Every Piece of Architecture is First a Work of Fiction’; A Conversation with Ole Scheeren, Fri, Jan 20 '23
For the past 30 years, Ole Scheeren has built a career defined by an internationalist outlook. The German architect has lived in 10 countries, and worked in 25, always guided by a philosophy that recognizes "the power of bringing people, cultures, and practices closer together." Nowhere is ...
Architecture’s 'State of the Union': Reflections on the 2022 World Architecture Festival, Thu, Jan 5 '23
From November 30th through December 2nd, 2022, the World Architecture Festival (WAF) held its first physical event in three years. The annual festival, adapting to an online format during the COVID-19 pandemic, is regarded as one of the most critical events in the global architectural ...
‘Clearly, The World Cup Format is Not Sustainable’; A Conversation with WilkinsonEyre Sports Director, Sam Wright , Tue, Dec 20 '22
The 2022 FIFA World Cup was mired in controversy. Human rights groups saw Qatar’s hosting of the event as an affront to the LGBTQ+ community, free speech, and ethical labor practices. Ethics and standards groups investigated whether Qatar had ‘bought’ the event following rumours of bribery ...
When Buildings Attack: A Six-part Series of Unfortunate Architectural Events, Mon, Oct 31 '22
In the horror and thriller worlds, buildings sometimes seem to take on a life of their own. From The Shining’s Overlook Hotel to The Watcher’s 657 Boulevard, architecture and space become more than a backdrop or a vehicle but instead become main characters in their own right; sometimes to the ...
‘I Seek To Create an Escape From Everyday Life’; A Conversation With Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, Sat, Oct 15 '22
Much has changed for Ma Yansong since Archinect last spoke to him in 2014. From their roots in Beijing, China, Yansong’s firm MAD Architects has expanded to offices in Los Angeles and Rome, employing over 160 people on major architectural commissions. In 2022 alone, our editorial has offered ...
The Pandemic Exposed Deep Flaws in the Architecture Profession — But Also Inspired Remedies, Thu, Aug 25 '22
Two and a half years after the initial outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. architectural profession has emerged from the global pandemic in a stronger condition than many could have expected during the depths of 2020. However, many questions remain unanswered on how the pandemic impacted the ...
Unionization in Architecture: Reviving a Dormant Movement to Fix a Broken Industry, Fri, May 27 '22
After decades of inactivity, 2022 saw the resurgence of the union movement in architecture with an effort by workers at New York-based SHoP to collectively organize. Where does this effort, which was ultimately withdrawn, sit within the broader discourse of architectural labor conditions? How ...
Cooperatives: The Real Employee-Owned Firms?, Fri, May 6 '22
In a follow-up to our January 2022 feature on employee-owned architecture firms, we question if the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) models which represent the majority of employee-owned architecture firms adequately fulfill a growing worker-led clamor for reform within the profession. For ...
The Impact of Ireland's Architects, from the Pritzker Prize to the White House, Thu, Mar 17 '22
Historically, Ireland's architects have punched above their weight on the world stage. Be it the White House in Washington D.C., innovative World Expo pavilions in New York, or Stirling Prize-winning buildings in the United Kingdom by Dublin-based Pritzker laureates, we explore how the ...
America’s Public Housing is Burning, Fueled by Cold Indifference, Wed, Mar 9 '22
In early 2022, building fires at publicly-funded properties in the Bronx and Philadelphia claimed 29 lives. The facts and conditions surrounding the fires expose an ongoing failure by officials to provide and maintain a safe standard of housing for some of America's most vulnerable. However, the ...
Finding Value in Waste: Japan’s Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center is a Temple to Material Reuse, Thu, Feb 3 '22
Today, building materials account for half of all solid waste generated worldwide every year. In response to mounting concerns over the impact of construction on the built environment, a growing number of architects and material scientists are investigating the potential for recycled materials to ...
A Guide to Employee-Owned Architecture Firms, by Those Who Have Made the Change, Mon, Jan 10 '22
Throughout 2020 and 2021, the world of work has been subject to a relentless evaluation, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Conversations around remote working, asynchronous office hours, and workers’ wages have gained added agency, as almost all economic sectors seek to balance health and ...
Does 3D Printed Architecture Have Real Potential? We Talk With an Architect About His Experience Designing and Building a 3D Printed House, Wed, Dec 15 '21
3D printing is older than you may think. The term was first coined in a 1984 patent, while the idea of generating 3D objects from 2D drawings dates back to sci-fi visions as early as 1945. Fast forward to today, and 3D printing has become a viable method of producing everything from medical stents ...
Dystopia in the Desert: Expo 2020 Dubai Embodies Our Unsustainable Attitude Towards Urbanism, Fri, Nov 12 '21
In a confluence of events, the autumn of 2021 saw the opening of both the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow and Expo 2020 in Dubai. While COP26 is billed as "the last chance saloon" to save the planet, Expo 2020 Dubai is described by its organizers as "the most sustainable expo in the history ...
The Architect's Power in Tomorrow's Energy Infrastructure, Mon, Oct 4 '21
The architecture of energy systems is undergoing a renaissance. As our ability to generate, consume, and store energy in a clean, sustainable way continues to accelerate, spurred by a heightened awareness of climate change, architects are steadily sculpting a new architecture to celebrate ...
Can a Building Dream, Learn, and Hallucinate? A Conversation with Refik Anadol, Fri, Sep 24 '21
Refik Anadol has carved an eclectic career, rich with confluences. His work blurs the boundaries between art and science, the visible and invisible, the operational and emotional, the fleeting and permanent. The composition of this studio further demonstrates this confluence; housing artists ...
Shenzhen: A City at a Crossroads in its Past and Future, Fri, Sep 10 '21
The past, present, and future narrative of Shenzhen offers rich ground for architectural thought. The megacity, which emerged from the remote Chinese countryside over 40 years, has captured the imagination of urbanists seeking to understand its rise, architects seeking to contribute to its lively ...
The Collapse of the WTC Twin Towers Heralded a Wave of Reforms To Building Codes, Wed, Sep 8 '21
It is now almost 20 years since the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York were destroyed during a terrorist attack, killing 2,606 people within the two buildings. As is often the case following both natural and human-made disasters, the collapse of the Twin Towers prompted sweeping ...
A House of Cards: The Miami Condo Collapse Exposes a Dehumanized Mindset in the Built Environment, Tue, Aug 17 '21
On June 24th, 2021, the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Miami collapsed, killing 98 people. While the causes of the collapse are still under investigation, the building's history of structural deficiencies is likely to have played a part. The Champlain Towers collapse is only ...
For Host Cities, the Olympics Are No Game, Tue, Aug 3 '21
With the 2020 Olympics underway in Tokyo, we reflect on the urban and environmental impacts of the Olympic Games on its host cities. Whether Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024, or Los Angeles 2028, the Olympics suffer from a legacy of fragmenting existing urban environments, accelerating ...
For Affordable Housing, The Revolution Will Be Modularized, Wed, Jul 28 '21
Across the globe, the design and construction of affordable housing is failing to meet demand, leaving both low and middle income dwellers with little choice but to accept high costs, substandard conditions, or a move away from urban centers. This reality not only presents dangerous environmental ...
The Venice Biennale Pressed Pause, While Everyone Else Changed the Game, Tue, Jun 29 '21
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the way we live, work, and interact has transformed. The architecture world has been forced to adapt in tandem, with our means of design, communication, and education all undergoing rapid changes. Though set against a tragic backdrop, this forced ...
Meet the Architects Designing Software to Fight Climate Change, Mon, Jun 14 '21
The 21st century has seen rapid advances in technology, allowing an ever-increasing portion of the architectural and urban planning process to move into digital space. At the same time, our understanding of the climate crisis and momentum to address it have also gathered pace. Responding to both ...
The Butterfly Effect: Retrofitting Low-Income Housing, Thu, May 27 '21
America's low-income housing stock is aging. The human health, social, economic, and environmental consequences of substandard housing is felt not just by their inhabitants, but by the general public. However, a growing number of architects, researchers, and policymakers are identifying a ...
Smog City: The Fight Against Urban Air Pollution, Thu, May 13 '21
Around the world, cities and citizens continue to suffer from the effects of air pollution. While the COVID-19 pandemic ironically led to a temporary improvement in urban air quality, the status quo for the air we breathe in cities is bleak. In this article, we examine the prevalence, causes, and ...
For What It’s Worth: Unpaid Overtime Among Future Architects, Wed, Apr 28 '21
Over recent months, a conversation about unpaid overtime has risen to the top of the United Kingdom’s architectural discourse, spurred by lobbying from the Future Architects Front. We took a closer look at how the latest debate began, what it uncovered about the prevalence of unpaid overtime in ...
Archinect, Contributing Writer
Contributing writer, covering news and features. Topics of interest include:
-Innovation in technology, construction, and materials.
-Sustainability and circularity in design and construction.
-The future of living including policies, methods, and visions for the future of housing.
-The future of the profession including the impact of artificial intelligence, new software, the and changing role of the architect.
BDP.(Bulding Design and Partership Ltd), Dublin, IE, Architectural Designer
Part of a design team delivering some of the largest most consequential works of architecture across Ireland and the UK. Specialist interest in public, commercial, and education projects.
Responsibilities: Concept development, design development, production of design information, 3D modelling, client management and presentations, preparing documents for planning submission, coordinating with contractors and subconsultants.
ArchDaily, Santiago, CL, Senior Editor
Senior Editor, who delivered over 1000 articles on the past, present, and future of architecture.
Interviewed leading architectural figures, including Carlo Ratti (MIT), Winy Maas (MVRDV), Liam Young (Unknown Fields), and Richard Saul Wurman (Founder of TED).
Represented ArchDaily at events across Venice, Shenzhen, Nantes, Dublin.
Specialist interest in the connection between architecture and global flows of food, energy, water, and waste, as well as technology and innovations shaping the future of the built environment.
Architecture Initiative, London, GB, Architectural Designer
Part of a design team delivering high-quality education, mixed-use, and residential projects across London and the UK.
Responsibilities: Concept development, design development, production of design information, 3D modelling, client management and presentations, preparing documents for planning submission, coordinating with contractors and subconsultants.
Clague Architects LLP, Canterbury, GB, Architectural Designer
Part of a design team delivering high-quality education, mixed-use, residential, and masterplan projects across the UK.
Responsibilities: Concept development, design development, production of design information, 3D modelling, client management and presentations, preparing documents for planning submission, coordinating with contractors and subconsultants.
Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, GB, MArch, Architecture
Graduated with MArch (Distinction) from Queen's University Belfast, frequently ranked one of the top 5 architecture schools in the UK.
Design projects explored architecture's connection with data, technology, decentralised systems, and food production.
Humanities thesis focused on architecture's connection with activism, protest, and social change in the context of the European refugee crisis
Final year thesis focused on the potential for urban farming systems to transform the built, natural, social, and economic landscape of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, GB, Bachelors, Architecture
Graduated 2:1 in the BSc (Architecture) at Queen's University Belfast
Tube8x8x300 International Design Competition, 1st Place
‘Food for Thought’ puts forward the vision of urban farming as a tool for architectural, social, and economic transformation. The evacuation tunnel, once ignored by the city, is activated by a landscape which produces, celebrates, and showcases the connection between us and what we eat.
The scheme’s design centers on a hexagonal module, replicating to form an arched “tunnel within a tunnel”. Constructed either by hand or machine, the 3D-printed hexagonal modules become the skeleton structure for a radical, forward-looking urban farming initiative.
