Sad news today as influential Irish architect Niall McCullough has passed away in his native Dublin following a battle with cancer.

The Irish Times is reporting that McCullough, who held teaching positions at several universities throughout Ireland and Europe, passed away on Friday following a prolonged battle with the disease.

Dubbed “a champion of urbanism,” McCullough was considered a leading figure in contemporary Irish architecture, spearheading the design of several buildings at Trinity College Dublin and other major civic and cultural projects across the island like the Waterford City Library and Dublin’s Temple Bar arts center.

After completing his studies at University College Dublin, McCullough went on to found McCullough Mulvin Architects alongside his partner Valerie Mulvin in 1986. His seminal work, co-authored by Mulvin, titled A lost tradition: The nature of architecture in Ireland is, alongside, Dublin: an Urban History considered to be one of the classic texts on contemporary Irish architecture.

“By books and buildings he enabled a better understanding of our spatial selves, always tending to the culture of architecture in Ireland,” Emmet Scanlon told the IT.

McCullough leaves behind a legacy of brilliant writing and inspiring educational projects. “[He] has gifted Dublin fine buildings and helped us understand Dublin City and what it can be,” Dublin city architect Ali Grehan told the IT.  “He is a huge loss.”

McCullough was in his 60s when he passed away.