The Irish Times

An American architect who believes that building design should be rooted in a sense of place came to Mayo for inspiration. Travis Price includes Croagh Patrick - along with Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia and Machu Picchu in Peru - as one of the sacred places that has the kind of spiritual presence he wants to inject into his buildings. In Mayo, he and his architecture students from the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, created structures on the Mayo Sculpture Trail in Belmullet, Annagh Head, Doonamore, French Port and Carroteigue. The projects were facilitated by Peter Hynes, an architect in Mayo council, who also brought DIT students on board. The projects were part of Price's mission to build "Spirit of Place" structures in remote spots worldwide. Price, a Washington DC-based architect, came to Dublin last week to launch his new book about architecture and the spirit of place with a talk at the RIAI (Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland) in Merrion Square. And he has what might be seen as a warning for a rapidly developing Ireland.