My favourite room: ‘I did an energy upgrade while retaining the original features’ — architect Robert Bourke

Robert Bourke is passionate about creativity, sustainability and interesting design, and in his terraced home on the northside of Dublin he has used all three to make a home he loves

Robert Bourke's Favourite Room

Mary O'Sullivan

Architect Dermot Bannon of Room to Improve gets a fair amount of flak but in fairness he has taken a lot of the mystique out of house design and at the same time he’s shown how important it is to get an architect involved in a building project; the good ones will get the most out of your space and will come up with clever design features.

The Simon Open Door campaign run by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland is another way of becoming conversant with housebuilding and renovations, and finding an architect to suit your project. Through this initiative, which takes place this year from April 8–15, homeowners who are thinking of doing some work, can, for a fee of €120, which goes to the Simon Community, meet with an architect to discuss ideas and get realistic advice about budgets, design ideas and the all important energy saving.