Politecnico Di Milano Lecture
April 2021
Niall gave a lecture for the Politecnico di Milano as part of a series of online conferences in the context of the master’s degree in “Architectural Design and History” directed by Prof. Federico Bucci. His lecture reviewed the collection of halls that we submitted for the Venice Biennale in 2018. It described the installation and the idea it embodied of framed halls within bounded enclosures and looked at eight of the halls, which have all now been built.
Auckland Castle Competition Win
February 2014
Niall McLaughlin Architects and Purcell have won the competition to transform Auckland Castle in County Durham into a national museum of religion and religious art. The former historic home of the bishops of Durham, the castle is considered to be the third most historically significant ecclesiastical complex in Europe, after the Vatican and Avignon. Auckland Castle was bought by businessman and philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer who aims to turn it into a major visitor attraction and heritage site in the North East. The client hopes to receive funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund in support of the project and set up the Auckland Castle Trust to oversee the restoration and development of the castle and grounds. The central attraction will be the rare paintings by Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbarán, considered to be some of the most significant religious treasures in Europe and part of the castle’s history for more than 250 years.
Auckland Castle Website