The Irish Times

It's a complete eyesore, complained one man to the planning authorities when he saw his neighbour's contemporary extension being added to a Georgian house, and many would agree with him. Indeed, there are plenty of conservatory companies providing off-the-peg Victorian and Edwardian-style additions to the rear of houses who are doing very well with them. So why is it that you will never find an extension by any of the most talented architects in Ireland that look like the period building it's attached to? There are a few reasons and one of them is fundamental to an architect's design integrity. "We don't do pastiche because we don't enjoy it and we have no faith or belief in it," says Liam Tuite, partner in Kavanagh Tuite Architects. Yet this is not just about the principles of individual architects, there is a whole debate about the treatment of valuable old buildings. It's not just modern architects who think along these lines; most conservationists will also insist on a clear distinction between what is old and what is new. The main aim being to preserve as much of the old, without compromising it.