Gaia
Ecotecture - About Us
Gaia
Ecotecture was established in 1979.
The experience
of realising sustainable buildings and being involved in policy debate and evolution of thinking over that
period has been a huge learning curve.
The work has
ranged from residential through crèche, school, industrial, elderly
day-care, courts
service, micro-hydro, credit unions, national ecology centre master plan. You can see more about our projects here.
The perennial issues of quality cost and time preoccupy us on
behalf of our clients to ensure a balanced outcome.
| Paul Leech |
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I have decades' worth of experience as an ecotect (being qualified in both
architecture and engineering, having double graduated from UCD in years 1975 and 1971
respectively).
I've designed hundreds of projects ranging from a crèche to a micro hydropower plant to
supermarket, office buildings to dwellings and apartments, for all sorts of people and budgets from
the least possible cost to luxury level.
I love to specialise in healthy , light airy buildings which really serve the users' needs and in
which people feel comfortable and want to spend time.
Sustainable building really is the way of the future - it's not optional any more, and I'm very
happy to have been one of the pioneers of that and now a day-to-day practitioner, with the benefit
of that experience.
For decades people looked at me strangely as I suggested geothermal, wind, hydro, healthy
materials, low embodied energy, low water use etc etc; now it’s all proliferating and that’s great
for both our environment and the economy!
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Sally Starbuck and Paul Leech
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I am a ‘doing’ person and actively get things
done, creatively combining practicality with elegance. I am interested in the
visual domain; drawing, painting, photographing nature and architecture, in which I
am fully qualified and experienced (see CV).
I like solving the, often conflicting, demands of
a design problem in surprising ways that enhance the surroundings and avoid
unnecessary damage of the natural environment.
I am an architect and a co-director of Paul Leech:
GAIA ecotecture with whom I have been involved in several substantial realised,
ecological building projects in the Ireland & the UK: This has provided me
perspective regarding environmentally-conscious design: The issues are complex. I
am a member of The Village project, building a sustainable community, the
Ecovillage in Cloughjordan Tipperary where the buildings are now under
construction, the infrastructure being complete.
I appreciate the diversity of people collaborating
in teamwork. I am currently a member of the RIAI Sustainability Taskforce and have
served as a board member of the Architecture Association of Ireland (AAI) and as
trustee of the Association of Environment Conscious Builders (AECB).
I have been a qualified architect since 1988. My
thesis project (turkish baths and urban regeneration) was inspired by a
dissertation study of urban waterfront renewal under the scrutiny of Dr. Brenda
Vale at Nottingham University School of Architecture. Since qualifying, I have
gained wide experience as project architect for ecological buildings, with many of
‘green’ techniques including a five storey massive-timber office building and works
to facilitate access for people with disabilities to an historic public
building.
My hobbies include sea-kayaking, sailing, cycling,
walking, reading and discussing literature. I relish the daily challenge of
vegetarian cooking (each meal unique).
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