Jennifer Lynch joins the judging panel of the Building and Architect of the Year Awards 2027 as Design Director at Darmody Architecture, bringing more than two decades of experience across public and commercial projects in Ireland and the UK to one of Ireland’s leading architectural programmes. Her appointment adds depth in conservation, public realm and commercial design to the 2027 panel.

Lynch is an RIAI Architect Accredited in Conservation Grade 3 and leads the creative team at the award-winning practice. She works alongside multi-disciplinary design teams to deliver a wide-ranging portfolio in Ireland and the UK, from large commercial ventures and masterplans to the ergonomic detail of small-scale crafted structures and public realm. Throughout, her emphasis has remained on quality of design, innovation and social responsibility.

That breadth is reflected in her recent record. Lynch served as Design Director on multi-disciplinary design teams for the RIAI award-winning projects at Dublin Port Centre Precinct in 2018, Substation in 2024 and the Tolka Estuary Greenway in 2025. Together, those projects show a consistent ability to lead complex, multi-disciplinary teams towards recognised results.

Her conservation accreditation adds a further dimension to the judging process. In a sector where reuse, heritage and retrofit are increasingly central to how Ireland builds, experience grounded in conservation practice is a valuable asset. Combined with her work on commercial schemes, masterplans and public realm, it equips her to assess entries across scales, from the detail of a single structure to the ambition of a wider district.

For entrants, that perspective is a useful reference point. Entries that demonstrate design quality, innovation and social responsibility, the principles that have defined Lynch’s own practice, are well placed as the 2027 cycle unfolds. With entries open until 22nd December 2026, finalists announced on 4th February 2027 and the gala on 8th April 2027, practices have time to present their strongest work with that standard in mind.

Enter the Building and Architect of the Year Awards 2027 before entries close, and visit the official awards website to find out more and subscribe to the newsletter for programme updates.