Exhibition: Níall McLaughlin
Apr
25
to Jun 7
Fringe Event, Exhibition

Exhibition: Níall McLaughlin

© Image: Pete Carr Photo

RIBA: Royal Gold Medal exhibition: Níall McLaughlin

Now open at RIBA North, this free exhibition celebrates the 2026 Royal Gold Medallist, Níall McLaughlin - Architect, Educator and Writer.

This specially commissioned installation, Immersion, celebrates Níall McLaughlin, recipient of the 2026 Royal Gold Medal for Architecture.

At it's centre is a highly crafted model of The Museum of Jesus’ Baptism, a major recent international commission. Due for completion in 2030, the museum will create a new gateway for visitors and pilgrims at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the historic site traditionally recognised as the place of Christ’s baptism.

Created especially for this exhibition, the large-scale model was designed and built by Níall McLaughlin Architects during an intensive month-long process in their London studio. Developed through a process of close collaboration, testing, and refinement, it reflects the same care and rigour in the practice’s buildings. Materials were trialled and carefully adjusted to capture the museum’s rich earthen palette, while construction techniques were tested to achieve precision, texture, and atmosphere.

Now reconstructed for the exhibition, the model is more than a representation of the building. It is a design object in its own right; a tool for exploring ideas, and a way of revealing how the museum will emerge from the landscape to welcome visitors through its sequence of spaces, shaped by shadow, light, and movement as they descend through the landscape. 

The model is accompanied by a film revealing the inspiration and principles behind the building’s remarkable design. 

Immersion invites visitors to explore how architecture can respond to landscape, history, and faith, with imagination and care.

About Níall McLaughlin

With more than 30 years in practice, McLaughlin is an architect, educator, and writer, recognised as a pivotal figure in contemporary architecture. His work is defined by a deep sensitivity to place, material, craft, light, and form.

Find out more about Níall McLaughlin Architects.

Opening Times and Location

25 April to 7 June 2026   

RIBA North and Tate Liverpool, Gallery 2

Monday to Sunday including bank holidays: 10am to 5.50pm

Free

Check before you visit: RIBA North and visitor information at Tate Liverpool

Festival Partners

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Talk: Níall McLaughlin
May
21
6:30 PM18:30
Fringe Event, Talk

Talk: Níall McLaughlin

© Image: RIBA

RIBA X University of Liverpool: Materials, Meaning, and the Sacred - Níall McLaughlin in Conversation

Join RIBA for a keynote lecture with award-winning architect Níall McLaughlin, as they share the ideas, commitment to care, and the sense of wonder that drives their approach to architecture.

🔗 Tickets

Please purchase tickets via the ticket button above.

About the Event

This year, Níall has been awarded the prestigious Royal Gold Medal in recognition of their lifetime contribution to architecture. As part of the celebrations, we are presenting a new exhibition, Immersion, at RIBA North. The exhibition features a specially commissioned installation responding to the practice’s recently awarded project: the Museum of Jesus’ Baptism in Jordan. Next to a UNESCO‑designated site, the design draws on Jordan’s local building traditions and materials including rammed earth and stone. The crafted model at RIBA North captures the museum project’s architectural vision, its sacred narratives, and rich landscape. It is accompanied by a new film exploring how Níall’s practice challenges conventional notions of architecture.

In this lecture, Níall will share insights from the exhibition alongside related projects from across his career. They will reflect on their path into working with heritage and sacred sites, and on how contemporary architecture can hold and carry histories, meaning, and memory forward in remarkable ways.



Who is this event for?

This event for anyone interested in architecture, memory, cultural projects, and heritage sites. It forms part of our public programmes, bringing conversations about architecture and the built environment to all.

This event is delivered in partnership with the Centre for Architecture and Visual Arts, University of Liverpool



Event Format

The event will be opened by Dr Marco Iuliano, Research Director, Centre for Architecture and Visual Art. Dr Iuliano will introduce the lecture and RIBA's ongoing partnership with the Centre for Architecture and Visual Arts, including our longstanding collaboration for the Colin Rowe Lecture series.

Níall will then deliver the keynote lecture, before being joined in conversation by Professor Soumyen Bandyopadhyay, Sir James Stirling Chair in Architecture at the Liverpool School of Architecture.

You’ll then have a chance to ask your questions during an audience question and answer session. After this, stay for a drink and further conversation downstairs in the Waterhouse Cafe, Victoria Gallery and Museum.



Event Details

Doors open at 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start

  • a bar will be available after the talk, offering alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink options. Please note, Victoria Gallery and Museum operates a Challenge 25 policy

  • we offer concession tickets for students, those on lower incomes, those with disabilities, and those over 65. Please choose the 'Concession' ticket at the checkout

  • we aim to make our events open and accessible to all. If cost is a barrier, we offer an additional discounted option via a discount code. Please contact talks@riba.org in confidence for the code

  • by accepting an invitation or purchasing a ticket you have consented to being photographed, filmed or recorded as a visitor attending the event for all general purposes in relation to the event including without limitation, publicity and promotional purposes. You consent to us using your voice, name and/or likeness, without compensation, for exploitation in promotional and publicity materials, online, books, newspapers, newsletters, magazine articles and social marketing whenever we choose to do so, in perpetuity



Venue Accessibility and Travel Information

  • there is step-free access to the building. Inside, you can access the Leggate theatre via lift or stairs

  • you can find more information about the Victoria Gallery and Museum on the AccessAble guide

  • the Victoria Gallery and Museum is at the top of Brownlow Hill, a 15 minute walk from Lime Street and Liverpool Central rail stations

  • you can also reach Victoria Gallery and Museum by bus. From the city centre, buses 14 and 79 go up Brownlow Hill around every 5 minutes. The buses leave from the side of the Adelphi Hotel at the bottom of Brownlow Hill and stop outside the Victoria Gallery and Museum at the top of Brownlow Hill

  • there is no on-site parking. Nearby Pay and Display car parks include the University of Liverpool Visitor car park on Mount Pleasant, 200m away from the Museum

  • British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation can be provided throughout the event. For BSL priority seating, please select the 'BSL Seating' add-on at the checkout. Please note this ticketing will close three weeks in advance due to Interpreter availability

  • if you would like to discuss your attendance and inclusion and/or access needs to attend the event comfortably, please contact talks@riba.org



Festival Partners

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