RIAI Remembers Hugh Wallace FRIAI (1956-2025)
The RIAI is deeply saddened by the death of architect and TV presenter Hugh Wallace FRIAI. We are sending our sincere condolences to his husband Martin Corbett, family, friends and colleagues.
Hugh has made an important and enduring contribution to Irish architecture both as an architect and as a broadcaster. Hugh Wallace co-founded Douglas Wallace Architects and developed the practice over 40 years into one of the most successful in Ireland, with a particular expertise in hotels, hospitality, retail, bespoke homes and interior design.
As a broadcaster he connected public audiences with the value that architecture brings to all our lives – from a well-designed room to a large historic or contemporary building. Hugh Wallace made architecture accessible and emphasised that good design is available to everyone. A well-designed home does not have to be expensive but with architectural involvement can result in better space, materials and light. His credits as a broadcaster include Home of the Year, Great House Revival and My Bungalow Bliss – all for RTÉ.
Dr Carole Pollard FRIAI, Past President of the RIAI, who worked with Hugh Wallace said:
Hugh was a brilliant communicator, and he gave his full attention to everyone, no matter if they were a client, colleague or a building contractor – he believed that everyone was a valuable contributor to a project. He was generous with advice and believed in giving everyone responsibility for their projects. He was self-deprecating and a great mentor to many young architects as well as interior designers.
Hugh believed that design was everything and he was instrumental, for example, in the re-design of Brown Thomas when it swapped locations with Switzers on Grafton Street. He was arguably the first architect to take full ownership of retail design, teaching colleagues for example how to place products in a shop. Early projects included many of the retail units in the Square in Tallaght, one of Ireland’s first new shopping centres, followed by Eyre Square in Galway and Dundrum Shopping Centre, as well as salons for Peter Marks and offices for An Post.
Later on, Hugh found his calling working in TV as a natural presenter and empathetic interviewer. He enthused audiences with his knowledge about historic buildings and how to bring them back to life. He was an advocate for re-using and adapting older buildings in our cities, towns and villages – including initiatives for living above the shop. This passion had its origins in the practice’s work in Temple Bar in the 1980s and 1990s, where clients included retailers and publicans, but also the Temple Bar Information Office. Long before it became common practice, Hugh believed in the importance of older buildings as part of the city fabric.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam