John Tuomey Lecture, Belfast: Review by Neil Mathews

Lecture sketch of O'Donnell & Tuomey Architect's LSE proposal, Neil Mathews

John Tuomey delivered a great lecture in Belfast. He'd taken time from out from the nearing completion Lyric Theatre project to talk in the grand surroundings of Belfast City Hall. Michael Heggarty of PLACE, Northern Ireland's Architecture Centre introduced the speaker.

John gathered a selection of schemes from the recently completed Timber yard in the Liberties to the ‘about to begin on site’ London School of Economics Student’s Centre. Other projects discussed were the An Gaelaras Irish Language Centre in Derry/Londonderry and the newly won competition for the library in Coleraine.

The talk described their journey of appreciation of form in building. Where one could look further away for international pieces to enjoy, John and Shelia also took comprehensive note of a distilled series of details and materials in Ireland. He talked about recording a farm or a shed, a wall of stone or a roof of slate or tin. Applied to the urban fabric of the liberties, the Timber yard’s response to family or individual, formal to informal both have a say in this carefully prepared ‘way of seeing’.

Derry is a project of inflected concrete intrigue and an invitation to explore: a theatre of sociable moments in light and sound. A consistent theme of the talk was of the essential trust and respect between the disciplines of architect and builder. John spoke fondly of the enthusiasm of craft in the Derry project and also of the arrival of their white carved model in Venice.

On the Lyric John spoke of ‘loosening up the fixed parts of the building’. The three parts or volumes of bar, studio and theatre all find an appropriate expression of scale relative to the city and the river. John spoke of the dramatic chimney topography of Stranmillis, the ‘no-nonsense’ harsh brick, and the lazy meander of the Lagan.

The Coleraine Market yard and library promises more movement, framed and free. The anticipated arrival of the LSE Student’s Centre will give a new expression of city habitation, a careful composition of light and space in brick and glass.