A conversation with Architects Roisin Heneghan and Katarzyna Turza Rachwal, and Librarian Helen Shenton.
Trinity College has embarked upon an exciting project – the transformation of the visitor experience to the Old Library (1712-33). Designed by architect Thomas Burke, the Old Library encloses arguably Ireland’s grandest interior space – the Long Room. It also houses one of Ireland’s most visited historic objects – the Book of Kells. Our special webinar will give attendees a special preview on the transformation project by Heneghan Peng Architects who also led the redevelopment of the National Gallery. Architect Roisin Heneghen will be joined by Librarian Helen Shenton. Moderated by Dr Sandra O’Connell, TWG President.
Meet our speakers
Roisin Heneghan is an architect and co-founder of heneghan peng architects (hparc), a practice working with landscape, urban planning and architecture with offices in Dublin and Berlin. Her practice's work includes The Giant’ Causeway Visitors’ Centre in Northern Ireland, the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit, the National Gallery of Ireland's Historic Wings Refurbishment and the Grand Egyptian Museum which is due to open next year on the centenary of the rediscovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. heneghen peng have won significant international competitions including the world’s largest realised architectural competition – the Grand Egyptian Museum. The practice has been exhibited and published widely, including at the Venice Biennale, and been awarded the Aga Khan Award in Architecture as well as nominated and shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, Mies van der Rohe Award, and twice nominated for the RIBA Stirling Prize.
Katarzyna Turza Rachwal is an Architect and Associate Director with heneghan peng architects. She graduated from Poznan Technical University in 1999, worked in Poland upon graduation and moved to Ireland in 2002. Since joining heneghan peng architects in 2004, Katarzyna has become an important member of the hparc team and is currently one of two Associate Directors. Her skill, knowledge and commitment were an essential element in the success of the National Gallery of Ireland Historic Wings refurbishment, a project that was awarded the RIAI Public Building award for 2017. Katarzyna is currently leading the project for the Old Library redevelopment at Trinity College Dublin, aligning its myriad strands into an overall that will form the basis for the next chapter of the Old Library.
Helen Shenton took up the position of Librarian and College Archivist at Trinity College Dublin in June 2014, becoming the first woman to do so since the University was founded in 1592. Prior to Trinity, Helen was Executive Director of Harvard Library in Cambridge Massachusetts, where she brought together 73 individual libraries in areas such as digitisation, accessibility, preservation, collection and content development, and records management. Before moving to America, Helen worked at the British Library where she led the care of the UK’s national documentary heritage and national printed archive. She was involved with world heritage projects such as the virtual re-unification of the earliest New Testament, Codex Sinaiticus and an international peer review of the Lindisfarne Gospels. That followed positions in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where she was deeply involved with the conservation, care and display of the world-renowned decorative arts collections.
At Trinity, Helen has led a new far-reaching Strategy for the Library, including a year-long public debate around ‘The Library of the Future; the Future of the Library’. Currently, Helen is Programme Sponsor of the ambitious Old Library Redevelopment Project and the Virtual Trinity Library programme. Helen has published and presented widely in international forums and mediums, including TEDxDublin. She represents Trinity on a number of national and international forums and is a Board member of the National Museum of Ireland. Helen is a Fellow of the International Institute of Conservation and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
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