Beckham-style 'Bling' appears to be the new thing in design, after a bronze-clad extension to a Victorian house picked-up two special awards from the Architect Association of Ireland

The house on Palmerston Road, in Rathmines was designed by Boyd Cody Architects and has been described as "a bespoke Rolls Royce, that it is bordering on the bling" by Angela Rolfe, Assistant Principal Architect with the Office of Public Works.

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Ms Rolfe suggested the extension may get the celebrity stamp of approval: "You are straying into Victoria Beckham territory, as far as I'm concerned".

However, one of the Irish assessors, Martin Henchion said of this "trophy" project, "Even if it is Victoria Beckham, it's Victoria Beckham on a good day."

Francis Rambert, Director of the Institut Français d'Architecture, saw its sculptural façade as brilliant.

"Compared to the houses we have seen - very conservative, very déjà vu - I think it's much more creative, much more interesting," he said.

Artist and photographer John Gerrard regarded its "hyper-modernity" as a "breath of fresh air", something that "shimmered in from some futuristic place" to bedazzle the jury.

(PR)