The massive slump in the construction industry has had a knock-on effect for many other sectors, but none more so than architecture. Marie Madden talks to Hugo Lamont of the European Architectural Student Assembly about the current situation for the country's architects and the difficulties in finding a balance between innovation and tradition in Galway's landscape.

This week, over 400 students from all over the world travelled to Ireland to attend the 28th annual European Architecture Students Assembly in Dublin and Letterfrack. Over a two-week period, the changing face of Irish architecture is to be discussed, from how the Celtic Tiger boom influenced building trends to the emergence of commuter culture.

However when organising the event, co-ordinator Hugo Lamont envisaged the students visiting a very different environment. When making a bid for the Assembly back in 2001, Ireland's construction industry was thriving, with exciting new developments happening all the time. It was an oasis for architects, with designers from all over the world flocking to the country. Unfortunately, the collapse of the construction industry has put paid to the blossoming architectural development in the country, leaving an altogether different view for the visiting students.

Building in Ireland has largely been based upon commuter culture

"Our bid was based around the construction industry at the time. It had such prominence and there was a staggering amount of European architects in the country at the time. Every office has one or two. Then there was this ferocious slump, and at these times they say the first people to go are the restaurateurs and the second are the architects so it wasn't good news for us! We went from a period where nobody could get a job, to a point where everyone who finished college walked into a job and now it is going back again. Hopefully not to the same extent, but things are getting much harder and there have been lay-offs, especially in Dublin. There is an element of panic as well; people are overextended and worrying about liquidity etc. It is a tough situation and it is difficult to see when it is going to slow down. "

Reflecting on the changing face of architecture in the country, Hugo says that building in Ireland has largely been based upon commuter culture, with dense population building and estates becoming the status quo. However, he says that this model is not sustainable due to environmental risks and the rise in oil prices, and will have to change in the future.

"The huge surge in commuter towns has made a big impact on architecture in the country and this is something that needs to be addressed. It is hard to work backwards as these areas have now been established but it is just not a sustainable model. There is a huge reliance on cars and this needs to be changed and an emphasis put on public transport. People say that nothing was achieved during the boom but that is not true. We have a much improved road network that is phenomenal, but obviously a choice was made to go with that rather than investing in public transport. We need to come back down to earth a little and realise that public transport is going to be a lot more relevant going forward. One positive thing to come out of this recession is that it is giving us time to re-evaluate and reassess our priorities, maybe it was the serious short sharp shock that we needed. We were getting extremely happy with ourselves and our opulent lifestyles and it was just too much. Sustainable technology is the prevailing trend at the moment, with insulation being hugely important. There are also new types of products including cement that take less of a toll on the environment coming on the market, which is also very positive."

On a recent visit to Galway, Hollywood star Gabriel Byrne slammed the rise in modern buildings in the city, saying that developments were popping up around the city without any sympathy for the surrounding environment. His comments were significant of the concerns of many Galwegians, who have opposed many recent developments on the grounds that the city is 'losing its soul" as a result of modern innovation.