Iceland Slow Sauna competition Honorable mention winners - Samuel Kearney Caplice and Patrick Doyle

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Honorable mention winners of our Iceland Slow Sauna competition – Samuel Kearney Caplice and Patrick Doyle from Ireland!

Samuel Kearney Caplice and Patrick Doyle

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

We are two Irish architectural designers who collaborate on speculative projects and competitions alongside our work in professional practice. Together, we completed our M.Arch through the joint programme at UCC and MTU, graduating with the highest overall mark and receiving the Academic Excellence Award. Our thesis project, Merciful Shadows, is featured on the EU Mies Award Young Talent platform. Our professional experience spans residential, commercial, civic and heritage architecture across Ireland, the UK and Australia, from early-stage design through planning and construction documentation.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been Involved?

Our work ranges from bespoke residential projects to commercial, civic and heritage architecture across Ireland and Australia. We have contributed to projects from early concept design through planning, technical documentation and construction, while continuing to explore speculative architecture through competitions and independent design research.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

Architecture is a way of giving form to human experience. Beyond solving practical needs, architecture shapes how we experience light, landscape, weather and one another. We believe the architect's role is to reveal the qualities already present within a place, creating spaces that support everyday life with clarity, restraint and care.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Competitions allow us to continue an ongoing design dialogue beyond the constraints of commercial practice. They provide a space to experiment, test ideas and develop our own architectural voice. While recognition is rewarding, the process of exploring a clear idea from brief to proposal is what we value most.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

 Don't wait until you feel experienced enough, find a competition that genuinely interests you and jump in. Approach competitions as opportunities to learn rather than simply to win. Focus on developing one clear idea, understand the brief and the site, and let the architecture grow from that. Every competition, whether recognised or not, becomes part of our development as designers.