AAI Systems & Selves Lecture: Carmody Groarke

Systems and Selves - Social Agency of Architecture

An exploration of the qualitative significance of design in the public domain within the contemporary built environment. This series will present a curated selection of Irish and international case studies, highlighting the cooperative, experimental, and socially enriching potential of design.

With thanks to Trinity College Dublin for their valued collaboration on this series.

The AAI is thrilled to welcome Carmody Groarke to give a presentation about the studio's ongoing work with cultural institutions across Europe.

Reflecting on the theme of Value, the lecture will focus on recent cultural projects balancing endurance and innovation in the care of cultural heritage, including the British Library Boston Spa and the Design Museum Gent. Drawing on Carmody Groarke’s wider work with museums and institutions—such as the recently completed ArtPlay Pavilion at Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Hill House Box for the National Trust of Scotland—Neil will reflect on the evolution of the studio’s cultural projects, and how these have been shaped by societal, cultural, and architectural values.

British Library, Boston Spa

ArtPlay Pavilion at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Design Museum Gent

Carmody Groarke is an London-based architecture studio of over 40 people. Our design approach is led by research and innovative thinking to deliver transformative projects in cultural, historic and urban settings. Founded in 2006 by Kevin Carmody and Andy Groarke, the practice has developed a reputation for its international work on a wide range of commercial, arts, cultural, heritage, and residential projects.

Current projects include a significant refurbishment and extension to the Design Museum in Ghent, Belgium; a new archive building for the national collection of the British Library in Yorkshire; the Bibliothèque Nationale de France Conservation Centre in Amiens, France; the London School of Economics (LSE) Bankside House; and the heritage restoration and significant extension of the London Wall Buildings in the City of London.

Completed work include the critically acclaimed Windermere Jetty Museum in the Lake District and a temporary home for Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Hill House. The practice recently completed the transformation of a former 1970s textile workshop on Bethnal Green Road into a contemporary, low-carbon workspace—a compelling model for adaptive commercial reuse.

Carmody Groarke’s work has been recognised through several prestigious architectural awards, most recently the Architects’ Journal Design of the Year in 2025. Previous projects have been shortlisted for the EU Mies van der Rohe Award, the 2021 RIBA Building of the Year Stirling Prize, and the Civic Trust National Panel Special Award 2020. Four monographs of the practice’s work have been published by El Croquis, 2G, AMAG, and A+U.

Neil Michels, Associate Director, Carmody Groarke  

Neil joined the studio in 2011, becoming Associate Director in 2025. He has led a number of cultural projects in collaboration with leading institutions in the UK and Europe, developing particular expertise in sustainable forms of architecture. 

Through active collaboration with creative and technical disciplines, he has developed innovative and technically challenging design solutions for cultural buildings, including a brick made from recycled city waste at the Design Museum Gent, and a fully passive archive building at the British Library’s Boston Spa campus. 

Neil regularly represents Carmody Groarke at universities and conferences. He has lectured at Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Harvard University, and University  College London, among others.

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