Briefing

5 minutes with … John McElgunn at RSHP

2025-03-27T05:00:00

John McElgunn RSHP

The firm’s senior partner on growing up in Ireland, the barriers to becoming an architect, his love of travel and the best food to accompany a pint of Guinness

Why did you choose construction as a career?

I wasn’t very good at school, I struggled with concentration and was an undiagnosed dyslexic. However, I could draw and did well at woodwork and metalwork. I was a natural at technical drawing and my teacher, Gerry Trehy, encouraged me to study architectural technology. I really had no idea what “architecture” was all about.

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