Photo by Ste Murray
Thursday December 4th, 2025, 19:00
Robert Emmett Theatre, Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin,
The AAI is thrilled to welcome Cotter & Naessens to give a presentation titled Street: Room: Assembly, in which they will explore the reconstruction and repair of streets, the making of public rooms (where people may congregate) and “Assembly” as experienced in Ireland at Venice 2025.
Systems and Selves – Social Agency of Architecture
An exploration of the qualitative significance of design in the public domain within the contemporary built environment. This series will present a curated selection of Irish and international case studies, highlighting the cooperative, experimental, and socially enriching potential of design.
With thanks to Trinity College Dublin for their valued collaboration on this series.
Cotter & Naessens Architects are an architecture and design studio based in Cork City since 2001 and founded by Louise Cotter and David Naessens. Their work is focused on public projects and is informed by design research, through teaching and design competitions, notably dlrLexicon in Dun Laoghaire. Current and recently completed projects include the Student Centre University of Limerick and the redevelopment of the Dublin Fruit and Vegetable Market.
Cotter & Naessens were one of 16 practices invited to participate in Close Encounters, which was a commission for the Biennale Architettura 2018, Freespace, curated by Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara. Louise Cotter and David Naessens also participated in one of the first International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Aldo Rossi in 1985.
The work of the practice has been nominated three times for the EU Mies Award and in 2016 dlrLexicon received the RIBA Award for International Excellence, and the RIAI Awards for Best Public Building and Best Cultural Building in 2015.
Cotter & Naessens are the curators and designers of Assembly, Ireland’s representation at the 19th Architecture Exhibition, Biennale di Venezia 2025.
Assembly Venice
Photo by Ste Murray
DLR Lexicon
Photo by Dennis Gilbert
Dominick Street
Photo by Paul Tierney
Hanging Gardens
Photo by Paul Tierney
