Review: O'Donnell + Tuomey: Selected Works

O'Donnell + Tuomey: Selected Works -- cover.

Architecture-Page rating

9/10

Reviewed by: Suprio Bhattacharjee

The Review

The Irish duo of O'Donnell + Tuomey (Sheila O'Donnell and John Tuomey) enjoyed a brief moment in the international spotlight in the early 1990's for their work in regenerating the Temple Bar District into a cultural hub for Dublin, Ireland's capital. After almost a decade of small and medium-scale projects that have received accolades within Britain and Ireland, the completion of the Lewis Glucksman Gallery at the University of Cork in 2004 heralded a rejuvenated worldwide interest in the portfolio of this poetic, if not prolific, architectural practice. For the international press it became a highly prized, if tiny, jewel. And not without reason.

O'Donnell + Tuomey: Selected Works -- spread.

The Glucksman Gallery was as radical as it was understated. Besides breaking new typological ground for the design of art galleries, it also became a rare example of a near-perfect synthesis of culture, landscape and architecture. The building was a finalist for the 2005 Stirling Prize, and a watershed for this small practice that believes in the creation of highly crafted buildings, rich in materials and rife in implicit references to the land and context while conveying a renewed sense of identity for contemporary architecture in Ireland. A selection of this growing body of work is brought together in this book, put together by the architects themselves with the same care and thoughtfulness that characterises their work.

O'Donnell + Tuomey: Selected Works -- spread.

Fittingly, New York based craft-practitioners Tod Williams and Billie Tsien write an evocative foreword to summarise the specific metaphysical and experiential qualities within the work of O'Donnell + Toumey, while critics Hugh Campbell and David Leatherbarrow provide further insights and interpretations. The book possesses remarkable production values, with a simple layout and clear representation.

The projects are arranged chronologically, with ample drawings, sketches and photographs to explain each. The accompanying text is precise, to say the least, and earnest. Rather than a pompous lecture, the book feels more like a conversation on a walk through the park. A sense of sheer humility is conveyed through the book, and an important lesson is learnt: that the resolution of a cultural and contextual complexity can indeed result in buildings with a simple (not to be misunderstood as reductive) formalisation that revels in the power of the detail.

The work takes centre stage here, bolstered by its rich and complex Irish setting. This is undoubtedly one of the best monographs in recent years. And for those looking out for an architecture that revels in poetry, meaning and restraint, you need not go any further.

This is the book you must have.

Book Details

Title

O'Donnell + Tuomey: Selected Works

Authors

Sheila O'Donnell (Author), John Tuomey (Author), Hugh Campbell (Author), David Leatherbarrow (Author), Tod Williams (Foreword), Billie Tsien (Foreword)

Publisher

Princeton Architectural Press

Year

2006

Format

Paperback

Dimensions

9.4 x 7.8 x 0.8 inches

Content pages

200+

Language

English

ISBN-10

1568986017

ISBN-13

978-1568986012