Middle Quarter
Published on 30. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-84351-997-3 (ISBN)
Description
In Middle Quarter, architect John Tuomey continues the story of his life in architecture. The narrative moves from intimate laments on the loss of aging parents and artist friends to reflections on the poetical and practical aspects of an architect's role in contemporary society.
The focus shifts back and forth between personal episodes and recollected events, from the struggles of starting out in partnership with Sheila O'Donnell to their successes and failures in the international arena of architectural design.
Written in clear and compact prose, including conceptual sketches and selected photographs, the book discloses sources of inspiration and ideas behind O'Donnell + Tuomey's distinctive and dramatic designs, including the Glucksman Gallery Cork, the Lyric Theatre Belfast and public buildings in London and Budapest.
Middle Quarter, a mid-career memoir, is a companion volume to First Quarter, the place-based trajectory of Tuomey's first twenty-five years, published by Lilliput Press in 2023.
The focus shifts back and forth between personal episodes and recollected events, from the struggles of starting out in partnership with Sheila O'Donnell to their successes and failures in the international arena of architectural design.
Written in clear and compact prose, including conceptual sketches and selected photographs, the book discloses sources of inspiration and ideas behind O'Donnell + Tuomey's distinctive and dramatic designs, including the Glucksman Gallery Cork, the Lyric Theatre Belfast and public buildings in London and Budapest.
Middle Quarter, a mid-career memoir, is a companion volume to First Quarter, the place-based trajectory of Tuomey's first twenty-five years, published by Lilliput Press in 2023.
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Person
John Tuomey and Sheila O'Donnell established O'Donnell+Tuomey in 1988. Tuomey was managing director of Group 91 Architects who designed the regeneration of Temple Bar as Dublin's cultural quarter, completed in 1996. He was the inaugural Professor of Architectural Design at UCD from 2008 - 2019 and has taught and lectured widely in European schools of architecture and at North American universities including Harvard and Princeton. He was exhibited six times at the Venice Biennale. He is an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and in 2010 he was elected a member of Aosdana, the affiliation of creative artists in Ireland. In 2015 he was joint recipient with Sheila O'Donnell of the RIBA Royal Gold Medal and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Brunner Prize, both in recognition of a lifetime's work.