Dublin Castle Census Exhibition

We were appointed to deliver the full fabrication, production and installation of the National Archives’ landmark 1926 Census Exhibition at Dublin Castle. The exhibition marked the centenary release of the first Census of the Irish Free State.

The project required the delivery of a museum‑grade exhibition environment under an extremely compressed programme, within a live, listed heritage building, and to a standard that allowed immediate opening with no snagging period.

The project presented several significant challenges, including the strict constraints of working within the listed historic fabric of , where no fixings were permitted to walls, floors or ceilings, requiring all exhibition elements to be fully self-supporting.

Works were undertaken within a live public environment, demanding rigorous health and safety controls, careful logistics planning and close coordination with site management to minimise disruption.

The programme was particularly demanding, with a fixed exhibition opening date aligned to the official release of the 1926 Census records, leaving no float and requiring concurrent off-site fabrication, just-in-time deliveries and precise trade coordination.

In addition, the project involved the seamless integration of multiple stakeholder packages, including client-appointed contractors and conservation specialists, while achieving a museum-grade finish with no snagging period, ensuring the exhibition opened on time, fully complete and to the standard expected for a State-level public launch.