Níall McLaughlin
Architects

STORIES OF EARTH: ECHOES IN ARCHITECTURE

AUGUST 2024

On the 14th September Níall will be speaking at Stories of Earth: Echoes in Architecture at the University of Technology in Sydney. Níall's talk is titled About Time.

'A place is somewhere we return to. This is what sets it apart from the continuous flow of topography. Our connection to a place is renewed with each visit. Therefore, it has a special connection with time. We might say that the concept of place has as much to do with time as with area. Archaeologists researching the earliest permanent houses look for a telltale sign: one hearth built above another as an act of conscious representation. It tells us that some little band, family, or community saw their bonds lasting over a longer duration. This was something that could be given material presence. The first houses gave us a history. They encouraged us to believe that we could jointly invest in more ambitious activities whose returns were not immediately available. This expanded horizon transformed human culture. It also gave us our present conception of architecture, which is, above all, a representation of temporal depth. Níall will speak about architecture as a material embodiment of time.'

Níall will be joined by Rick Joy, Marina Tabassum Marusa Zorec and Peter Stuchbury.

The event page can be accessed here.

ST. CROSS COLLEGE COMPETITION WIN

NOVEMBER 2012

Niall McLaughlin Architects will continue their work for Oxford University, having been announced as the winners of the competition to complete the West Quadrangle of St. Cross College.

The brief asked for a scheme that would provide ‘In whole and in detail…continuing satisfaction and unexpected moments of delight.’ Sir Mark Jones, master of St. Cross College stated, ‘It was felt that Niall McLaughlin was the designer who would best meet the needs of the College.’

In an interview for Building Design, Niall McLaughlin commented, ‘St Cross is an Oxford college with a special atmosphere based on a community that is very democratic and informal. It enjoys a lovely situation, tucked behind a busy thoroughfare on a site of significance for the history of the city. The competition process was collaborative and inclusive so we already share a good mutual understanding with the client. We are delighted to have won, particularly given the strength of the shortlisted practices.’