The architect behind Cayman's designs - Donal McGrath

Donal has lived in the Cayman Islands for more than 30 years, prior to that having studied and worked in Dublin and London. In 2004 he founded BDCL Architects and he has been incredibly busy since that date, designing a wide range of properties across the Islands. He is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. His favourite pastime is listening to music and playing either an electric guitar or one of his saxophones.

“Since arriving in Cayman I have been influenced by the climate and Caribbean vernacular architecture and have incorporated many traditional architectural features into my designs. Many of the historic Caribbean buildings are perfect examples of sustainable design and we can learn a lot from them in terms of energy conservation. I do not impose a particular architectural style on any of the buildings I design. I let the style emerge from a consideration of the functional and spatial requirements of the building program in the context of the scale, massing and proportion of the three-dimensional form of the building. I also take into consideration ‘natural’ design elements such as shade, breeze, views and landscaping which usually influence the exterior appearance of the building. In a nutshell, my architectural style is tropical modernism in a historical context with an emphasis on sustainable design."