O’Donnell + Tuomey was founded in Dublin in 1988 by Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey. The practice began with two public commissions arising from their cultural and social engagement: the Irish Film Institute and Ranelagh Multidenominational School. Both buildings have since been extended by us in a continuing relationship with the original clients.

We are a studio-based practice. We are committed to the craft and culture of architecture. We are focused on urban design, cultural, social and educational projects at home and abroad. We have completed schools and colleges, theatres and cinemas, community centres and social housing, art galleries and libraries in Ireland, the UK and on the European mainland. We have designed masterplans in cities, and university campuses. We do not specialise in any building type. Rather we are specialists in taking a brief, in understanding the nature of sites and the needs of users. We approach each project with a fresh and open mind. Our buildings do not look the same; each is a specific response to its brief and its physical and social context.