John Monahan of NOJI wins two awards at the 14th annual IDI Design Awards 2012

Architect and Fumbally Exchange resident John Monahan of NOJI won two awards at the 14th annual IDI Design Awards November 2012. He was judged Overall Winner in the Interior Design-Exhibition category for his US exhibition at Dublin Contemporary 2011 and Highly Commended in the Universal Design category. His designs were in collaboration with Gordon Ryan (Design Consultant) and Jota Castro. (Artist and Curator)

This was part of the Dublin Contemporary Art Exhibition and the brief was to develop an area for hosting evening events and daytime social gathering. To present an architectural and sculptural work in response to a disused medical library.

Design objectives were to produce an object of scale, impressive enough to consume the voluminous setting and to divert the public eye upwards and away from the lower mezzanine levels. Allowing the passing light and chance silhouettes of grid timber glazing frames

This is John Monahan’s second year receiving an IDI award.

www.noji.ie

The Irish Times reported on (George Boyle) and the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awards 2012 - Oct 19th

Under the title “Exams, fear of failure 'paralyse' innovation.”

Among the SEIA winners announced at Smock Alley Theatre on 18th October was FEx founder George Boyle “of Fumbally Exchange, which provides creative workspaces to professionals” ( or is that workspaces to creative professionals), along with four other social entrepreneurs, received €35,000 each: Lucy Masterson of Hireland; Emma Murphy of the Turning Institute; Rachel Cassen and Claire Murphy of Leap and Trevor White of City of a Thousand Welcomes,

Seán Coughlan, chief executive of Social Entrepreneurs, said last night that living in a “state of flux was hard” but it offered opportunities for change and to “rethink the sort of country we want to live in”.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/1019/1224325456722.html

See also http://socialentrepreneurs.ie/winners/george-boyle/

And for what thejournal.ie said about it; http://www.thejournal.ie/social-entrepreneurs-ireland-winners-640827-Oct2012/

As a recipient of the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland award, George will now participate on the SEI’s Elevator Programme.

Fumbally Exchange’s Donnybrook Landscape wins an ALCI Award 2012

Our colleague Paddy Daly of Donnybrook Landscape co was understandably ‘thrilled and delighted at the recognition‘ at winning an Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland (ALCI) award for his work for the Health Services Staff Credit Union at High St, Christchurch, Dublin 8. The Awards were presented on Friday 12th October at the Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle Co Down. Awards were presented in 7 categories. Donnybrook Landscape was a winner in the Commercial Development category.

The overall winner was for a football pitch built in Ukraine for the Euro 2012 championships. The ALCI Landscape Awards were first introduced in 1983 and are held annually to celebrate the high standards of skills and professionalism of ALCI members across a range of landscape schemes.

See also dlco.ie

http://www.alci.ie/awards/awards-2012/commercial-development/

Fumbally Exchange is now firmly on Innovation Dublin ‘map’

The Fumbally Exchange is now firmly literally and metaphorically on the ’Innovation map’ pp.28-29, as it was featured again in the Irish Times Oct 15th, 2012 Innovation Dublin 2012 A special 56-page guide.

Our second annual Design Dialogue Event which took place on 17th- 19th and involved among others the University of Florida and the office of Innovation at the University of Ulster was also featured in its listings on p.31. See also www.facebook.com/events/531285576898207/

“Design Dialogue is a great example of this cross-border sharing of ideas. It's an opportunity for designers from North and South to hear about each other's experiences and successes, to gain inspiration and to collaborate together" John Tierney, Dublin City Manager p.6

"A motley crew of entrepreneurs and creative types" - 'Making Work Together'- Business Plus Magazine Sep.2012

In an article on entrepreneurs, featuring a wide ranging interview with FEx founder and social entrepreneur George Boyle in which she sets out the background and history to Fumbally Exchange, where "the philiosphy underpinning the Exchange is as important as the facilities".

She said..."its difficult in a creative profession to keep your confidence when you’re working from home, as you bounce ideas off other people"

The mix of creative professions involved among the 60 self-employed people involved in the original Fumbally Exchange in Dublin 8.

"I couldn’t just put architects together as we’d have eaten each other up" and her plans to help others to facilitate and realise similar success elsewhere.

"The success of the Fumbally Exchange prompted Boyle to expand the idea, with Fumbally Exchange Balbriggan opening last March...We’ve been careful with expansion and we took time with Balbriggan to get the formula right. That includes everything from finding an enlightened landlord, through to getting a suitable licence agreement. We’re talking with Nama to see if they have properties we could use but I’m content to let Fumbally imagine its way forward."

Download a pdf of full interview by Graeme McQueen and article titled ‘Making Work Together’ on Fumbally Exchange charmingly described as 'a motley crew of entrepreneurs and creative types'