The Importance of Affordable Social Housing with Top Architect, James Mary O’Connor. Pete Talks to Steve About the Global Movement to the Countryside

October 12, 2021 00:57:54
The Importance of Affordable Social Housing with Top Architect, James Mary O’Connor. Pete Talks to Steve About the Global Movement to the Countryside
Constructive Voices
The Importance of Affordable Social Housing with Top Architect, James Mary O’Connor. Pete Talks to Steve About the Global Movement to the Countryside

Oct 12 2021 | 00:57:54

/

Hosted By

Steve Randall Jackie De Burca

Show Notes

Henry Interviews Top Architect James Mary O’Connor.

Following one of our most important episodes to date, James Mary O’Connor, Principal-in-Charge at Moore Ruble Yudell, talks to Henry McDonald about the importance of affordable social housing and sustainability.

"We cannot be deciding whether I’m going to do the latest benchmark building here sustainably. I think it has to be the norm. Ithas to be the norm that we build sustainability."

About James Mary O’Connor

Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, James Mary O’Connor came to Charles Moore’s Master Studios at UCLA in 1982 as a Fulbright Scholar. James received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Trinity College in Dublin, his Diploma in Architecture from the Dublin Institute of Technology, and his Master of Architecture from UCLA.

As Principal-in-Charge of Moore Ruble Yudell, James has provided spirited design and project management for residential, academic and mixed-use urban projects, including Kobe Nishiokamoto Housing in Japan, the Horace Mann Elementary School and Fairmont Towers Hotel Addition, both in San Jose, California. 

International work has become a focus, with large-scale housing and planning projects such as the Potatisåkern and Tango projects in Malmö, Sweden, the mixed-use development Project Yoda in Manila, and Tianjin-Xinhe New Town in Tianjin, People’s Republic of China.

His interest in uncommon building types is reflected in the Sunlaw Power Plant Prototype in Los Angeles, and the Santa Monica Civic Center Parking Structure.

With irrepressible energy, James has also led Moore Ruble Yudell teams in national and international design competitions, such as the Beijing Wanhao Century Center, and the winning design for the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, Maryland. Over the past 15 years, James has taught design studio, lectured, and has been invited as a guest critic at UCLA, USC, SCI-Arc, University of Calgary, Alberta, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Tianjin University School of Architecture, China, and Tongji University School of Architecture, Shanghai, China.

Pete Ireland’s Favourite TV Builder Talks About the Global Movement To The Countryside and Sustainability.

We’re all looking at climate change, we’re all looking at the need for sustainability. So if you can do that, by moving into a new home that’s more sustainable, it’s more economical to run. You do feel as though you’re also making good input into the whole sustainability as well.




Constructive Voices: Inspiring change within the construction industry and related sectors

Follow Constructive Voices on:

LinkedIn

Twitter

Facebook

Request a media pack: [email protected]

Other Episodes

Episode

July 19, 2021 00:34:51
Episode Cover

Understand Mixed Reality and its Commercial Uses Easily with Architect, James Lee Burgess. Pete The Builder Discusses the Huge Challenge of the Rising Costs of Materials

Architect, James Lee Burgess, explains what is Mixed Reality in an accessible way. If you are hoping to understand MR this is an easy...

Listen

Episode 27

November 18, 2025 00:18:49
Episode Cover

Building Climate-Ready Streets, Homes & Transit with Feljin Jose

Public transport advocate and Dublin City Councillor Feljin Jose joins interviewer Ciara to unpack how streets, housing and rail policy shape daily life—and climate...

Listen

Episode 1

April 09, 2024 00:13:20
Episode Cover

Building Conversations E1: René Morkos of Alice Technologies

In the first of a new series of short but insightful conversations with construction industry thought leaders, Steve Randall is joined by René Morkos...

Listen