Material Matters with Grant Gibson

Building with memory with John Tuomey of O'Donnell + Tuomey

Delizia Media Season 17 Episode 4

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0:00 | 55:47

Can memory itself be a raw material for design? John Tuomey, co-founder of the award-winning practice O'Donnell + Tuomey joins Grant Gibson to discuss how his formative years in rural Ireland continue to shape his landmark architectural projects.

In this episode, we dive into the relationship between landscape, narrative, and building. We discuss:

  • First Quarter: The process of writing his lyrical memoir during lockdown.
  • The Architecture of 'Beyond': How a peripatetic childhood created his design preference for being contained, but with a view out.
  • Architecture as Narrative: Why every building is a form of storytelling
  • Reflections on Dublin’s Development: From the early optimism of a ‘European city’ to the limits of architectural influence today.

John also reflects on love-at-first-sight with his partner Sheila O'Donnell, and why his family thinks his next material should be a detective story.

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