ODonnell + Tuomey

The Irish firm established by Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey received the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), an award that is presented yearly, since 1848, in recognition of the career of professionals who have had a meaningful influence in the promotion of architecture. They are the third couple to pick up this prestigious award, which also distinguished Charles and Ray Eames (1979) and Michael and Patricia Hopkins (1994). They set up their studio in Dublin in 1988, and since then they have built noteworthy pieces of contemporary architecture, in Ireland and abroad, such as the Irish Film Institute in Dublin, the Lewis Glucksman Gallery in Cork, and the LSE Student Centre in London. Furthermore, their texts and their academic activity have turned them into representatives of the new Irish architecture. Their buildings are characterized by the exactitude of their conceptual and programatic approach, producing an integral and timeless body of work that has gained much international recognition over the studio’s 25 years of activity.