Basic Biographical Details

Name: Daniel Dermot Quinn
Designation:  
Born:  
Died:  
Bio Notes: Daniel Dermot Quinn was born in ****. He studied architecture at Sheffield. He graduated in 1960 and took a post with Robert Matthew Johnson-Marshall & Partners and worked on the David Hume Tower project under John Richards. At the same time he embarked on the new Civic Design course at the University of Edinburgh. He had won a scholarship from Sheffield to study architecture in Finland and opted to spend the final months on his course from April to October 1963 in Finland, using the information he collected to write his thesis for the course. He had neeb elected ARIBA in 1962.

In about 1963 RMJM was at a cross-roads. There were discussions within the practice as to whether it should become an atelier style office under Kenneth Graham or John Richards or conform to a more conventional hierarchical structure. In the end the latter option was chosen. Quinn was disillusioned. Wedgwood had lectured to him during the Civic Design course and Quinn had been impressed by him. Since Richard Martin, one of Wedgewood’s assistants, had returned to University to complete his course, Quinn was given a job and for the first year he stayed in Roland’s flat in Oxford Terrace which was both home and office at that time. Wedgwood had no experience of Scottish techniques of construction and he had to rely on another friend and employee Ross Porter who was studying at York University and on Quinn for the design details.

About the time Quinn was employed by Wedgwood, the latter had been granted permission to build a house for himself in the lower walled garden at Ravelston. The building company Boland had acquired the walled garden on the Ravelston Estate. The initial scheme was by Ross Porter with some input from Wedgwood. However this was rejected by Boland. The scheme was resurrected a year later when Quinn redesigned it in a simplified form as the earlier scheme had been ruled out because of costs. In due course a series of houses were constructed on the side of the road in from the west entrance.

He was the project architect for the Barnton housing. This represented a fusion of Wedgewood’s and Quinn’s ideas.

Quinn remained with Wedgwood from October 1963 to April 1969. By 1969 the practice had run out of work and Wedgwood could no longer afford to keep Quinn. Michael Laird expressed interest in employing Quinn in his office for the specific purpose of designing the houses in India Place, Stockbridge, but his partners opposed this. Quinn was then invited to join the Scottish Office Architects’ Department and almost immediately was placed in the section dealing with hospitals. He remained in the Scottish Office for the rest of his career, working on hospitals and housing. The Chief Architect’s division subsequently became the Building Division. He worked alongside Margaret Blanco White and James Robin. The main function of the office was to design prototypes and set building standards. Blanco White was responsible for the design of a health centre at Sighthill and prototype inpatient wards and outpatient wards. It was the Thatcher era and it was Government policy to promote PFIs for hospitals. Various large hospital projects were in hand at this time: the Southern General Hospital and the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Quinn retired in 1994. He had undertaken small jobs independently during his time in the Scottish Office and after retirement he worked more seriously as an independent architect.

Private and Business Addresses

The following private or business addresses are associated with this :
 AddressTypeDate fromDate toNotes
Item 1 of 3Kildare, Dunkeld Road, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, ScotlandPrivatec. 1960After 1965 
Item 2 of 35, Nelson Street, Edinburgh, ScotlandPrivate1970 *  
Item 3 of 31, Upper Dean Terrace, Edinburgh, ScotlandPrivate1979 *After 1994 

* earliest date known from documented sources.

Employment and Training

Employers

The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details):
 NameDate fromDate toPositionNotes
Item 1 of 2Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners (RMJM)1960s Assistant 
Item 2 of 2Roland Wedgwood AssociatesMid 1960s1975Architect 

Buildings and Designs

This was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):
 Date startedBuilding nameTown, district or villageIslandCity or countyCountryNotes
Item 1 of 41963Link housing, SouthfieldBarnton EdinburghScotland 
Item 2 of 41965110 houses and flats at SouthfieldBarnton EdinburghScotlandProject architect
Item 3 of 41966Housing, Ravelston House Road  EdinburghScotlandJob architect
Item 4 of 4196769-85 Ravelston Dykes Road  EdinburghScotlandAs assistant to Roland Wedgwood

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this :
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 6RIBA1961Kalendar 1960-61   
Item 2 of 6RIBA1965The RIBA Kalendar   
Item 3 of 6RIBA1970RIBA Directory 1970   
Item 4 of 6RIBA1979Directory of members   
Item 5 of 6RIBA1984RIBA Directory of members   
Item 6 of 6RIBA1994A Directory of RIBA Members   

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this :
 SourceArchive NameSource Catalogue No.Notes
Item 1 of 1Courtesy of Dermot QuinnInterview with Yvonne Hillyard June 2011