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Níall McLaughlin, architect and recipient of the 2026 Royal Gold Medal, one of the highest individual architectural honours in the world, will deliver a keynote public lecture highlighting the value of architecture in Belfast on Friday 25 September 2026.
The Building Inspiration Lecture, organised by the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA) in partnership with Arup, will be delivered at the Lyric Theatre which itself is regarded as one of the finest examples of architecture in Ireland this century. The theatre, designed by O’Donnell and Tuomey, won the Royal Institute of Irish Architects (RIAI) Gold Medal in 2021 for its proven record of success over time.
Over the years the Building Inspiration Lecture has brought some of the most influential practices in world architecture to Belfast including Zaha Hadid Architects, Snøhetta and Daniel Libeskind Studio.
With over 30 years in practice, Níall McLaughlin has created a portfolio of outstanding projects, marked by their deliberate modesty, ranging from the RIBA Stirling Prize winning New Library in Cambridge’s Magdalene College; the cloud-like Bandstand in Bexhill On Sea; the calm pavilions of the Alzheimer’s Respite Centre in Dublin and the latticed timber oval of the Bishop Edward King Chapel in Oxford. Níall also designed the Architecture Exhibition in the Irish Pavilion for the 15th Venice Biennale, in collaboration with architect and academic Yeoryia Manolopoulou.
Speaking in advance of the event Ciarán Fox, Director of RSUA said, “It’s exciting to have one of the world’s best architects coming to engage with a Belfast audience and we couldn’t ask for a more fitting setting. Architecture is all around us and it impacts so profoundly on our lives. It’s so important that we constantly strive to raise the standards of what gets built in our own communities and that’s something that everyone can play a role in.
“I have no doubt that Níall’s work can inspire us all, from those who are just curious about architecture right through to clients, architects and the whole supply chain who have the responsibility of creating our built environment.”
Reuben Lucas, Associate Director at Arup commented, “Good design comes from bringing different perspectives together, and collaboration between architects, engineers and the wider project team is at the heart of what we do at Arup. We’re particularly pleased to support an event that opens up that conversation to a wider audience, and we look forward to what promises to be a really inspiring evening.”
Book one of the final few tickets remaining for the Building Inspiration Lecture 2026 here.
Photography by Nick Kane.
