The Aosdána member and architect was awarded the Prize, which celebrates outstanding, international contributions to design, at the Royal Academy (RA).
Alongside the prize announcement, the RA said: “The jury was impressed by his commitment to creating communal spaces. They also highlighted his remarkable craftsmanship and the pleasure he takes in joinery and detail.”
De Blacam recently delivered a lecture at the Royal Academy on 31st October at which ‘Four Books’ of the work of de Blacam & Meagher were launched.
De Blacam formed the architectural practice ‘de Blacam and Meagher’ with John Meagher in 1976. De Blacam’s buildings are characterised by their simplicity and their celebration of local materials. Throughout his career, he has been concerned with creating spaces for people to come together, including the sensitively restored Abbeyleix Library in Laois and the elegant Samuel Beckett Theatre at Trinity College, Dublin.
Before forming his practice with Meagher, de Blacam worked in London with the architects of the Barbican Centre, Chamberlain, Powell and Bon. He then travelled to America where he worked with Louis I. Khan for two years on the Mellon Centre for British Art and British Studies, Yale University, New Haven Connecticut.