Have you often wondered about consulting an architect but were afraid to ask? Here is your chance to speak to a designer, without any commitment, about building a new home or improving your existing one. For the third year running, architects across Ireland are donating their time to raise money for the Simon Community homeless charity. You pay €60 for an hour's consultation with an architect on Simon Open Door day which, this year, is taking place on Saturday April 28th. "The money goes directly into our support services," says Patrick Burke of the Simon Community, "including emergency accommodation, detox programmes, long-term support and independent living accommodation. "It's the perfect match because architects are concerned with designing good quality housing and sustainable communities and people often become homeless because some communities are not sustainable and don't have a proper infrastructure and sense of community; with play spaces for children, community facilities, churches, schools and hospitals."
