Sheila O'Donnell (born 1953) is an Irish architect who co-founded the O'Donnell & Tuomey partnership in 1988. Her work has been cited as "thoughtful and inspired, rigorous and whimsical" by her Honorary Fellowship sponsor.

Early life and education

Born in Dublin, O'Donnell graduated from

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

with a degree in architecture in 1976. In 1980, she received her master's degree in environmental design from the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

, winning the prize for best-graduating student."Sheila O'Donnell"
''Aosdana''. Retrieved 8 March 2012."Ms Sheila O'Donnell B Arch, MA"
''UCD School of Architecture''. Retrieved 7 March 2012.

Career

On graduating in Dublin, O'Donnell first worked for 18 months with James Stirling and worked on the detailed design of the Tate's Clore Gallery on

Millbank Millbank is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. Millbank is located by the River Thames, east of Pimlico and south of Westminster. Millbank is known as the location of major government offices, Burberry headquarters, the Mill ...

before returning to Dublin in 1981. In 1988, she and her husband, John Tuomey, established O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects in Dubli

The firm has won many national awards, including the Downes Medal from the Architectural Association of Ireland on seven occasions since 1988, and the RIAI Gold Medal in 2000. The couple have represented Ireland twice at the

Venice Biennale of Architecture The Venice Biennale of Architecture ( Italian: ''Mostra di Architettura di Venezia'') is an international exhibition showcasing architectural works from around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. Originally held in even-numbered ...

(2004 and 2008) and have been nominated for several European awards. O'Donnell was involved with a small group of architects interested in the development of the centre of Dublin in the early 1980s. She helped set up the Blue Studio Architecture Gallery, which produced proposals and books. As a result, in 1991, she became a director of this group of architects, named Group 91 Architect

The group won the architectural framework competition for the development of Dublin's Temple Bar, Dublin, Temple Bar. The work was completed in 1998 and has been widely published. Some of O'Donnell's work has been characterised by the use of watercolour studies, which have been exhibited at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in London and at the

Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the Royal Irish Academy, the academy retained the word "Royal" after mo ...

in Dublin. She was involved in the design of a students' centre for the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

and a building for the

Photographers' Gallery The Photographers' Gallery was founded in London by Sue Davies opening on 14 January 1971, as the first public gallery in the United Kingdom devoted solely to photography. It is also home to the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, established ...

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

. More of her work has been centred on housing, schools, and cultural institutions in Dublin, including the

Irish Film Institute The Irish Film Institute (IFI; ), formerly the Irish Film Centre, is both an arthouse cinema and a national body that supports Irish film heritage. The IFI presents film festivals, retrospectives and curated seasons, along with independent, I ...

(1992) and an extension to

Ranelagh School Ranelagh School is a Church of England day school in Berkshire close to the centre of Bracknell. The school was founded by Lord Ranelagh in 1709. Admissions Attendance is limited to Church of England children whose parents attend church at lea ...

(1998). More recently, in collaboration with the Irish Department of Education, O'Donnell has worked on the design of Cherry Orchard School, a primary school pilot project for disadvantaged communities. It has received many awards and was published by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developmen

as an exemplary educational building. Sheila O'Donnell is a full-time professor at

University College, Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

and has been a visiting teacher and critic at schools of architecture in Japan, Venezuela, and the United States, including

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Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, Buffalo,

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

, Columbia,

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, and

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

. In 2010, she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. She is also an external examiner for the Department of Architecture at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and for the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest private school of architecture in the UK. The AA hosts exhibitions, lectures, symposia and publications. History The Architectura ...

, London.

Projects

Built Work

* Temple Bar regeneration, 1989-2011. * TCD Irish Art Research Centre, Dublin, Ireland, 2007. * Sean O'Casey Community Center, Dublin, Ireland, 2008. * Gray House, Dublin, Ireland, 2008. * Lives of Spaces, Biennale 2012, Venice, Italy. * Timberyard Housing, Dublin, Ireland, 2009. * Irish Language Cultural Center, Derry, Northern Ireland, 2009. * Sandford Park School, Dublin, Ireland, 2016–2019. * Sunday's Well Houses, Cork, Ireland, 2013–2018. * Folding Landscape / East and West, Biennale 2018, Venice, Italy. * Central European University, Phase 01, Budapest, Hungary, 2011–2016. * LSE Saw Swee Hock Student Centre, London, UK, 2009–2015. * St. Angela's College, Cork, Ireland, 1999–2015. * The Lyric Theatre, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2003–2011. * Photographers' Gallery London, London, UK, 2007–2012. * Stratford Waterfront Masterplan, London, UK, 2015–2017. * Olympicopolis Masterplan, London, UK, 2017. * Cavanagh Bridge UCC, Cork, Ireland, 2006–2018. * UCC Student Hub, Cork, Ireland, 2015-2019. * V&A East Museum, London, UK, 2015–2024. * Sadler's Wells Dance Theatre, London, UK, 2015–2025. * Liverpool University School of Architecture, Liverpool, UK, 2019- * The Prow, Stratford Housing, London, UK, 2017- * Swords Cultural Quarter, Swords, Ireland, 2021-

Competitions

* Pillar Monument, Dublin, Ireland, 1988 * Temple Bar regeneration plan, Dublin, Ireland, 1989. * University College Cork Good Shepherd Convent, Cork, Ireland, 1995. * Trinity College Dublin Pearse Street Masterplan, Dublin, Ireland, 2002. * London School of Economics Student Centre, London, UK, 2009. * Frankfurt Museum of World Cultures, Frankfurt, Germany, 2010. * Worcester College Lecture Theatre and Kitchens, Oxford, UK, 2011. * Olympicopolis Masterplan, London, UK, 2015. * Shanghai Opera House, Shanghai, China, 2016. * UCD Future Campus, Dublin, Ireland, 2018. * Gruner + Jahr Headquarter, Hamburg, Germany, 2018. * Willy Brandt Strasse, Hamburg, Germany, 2019. * Liverpool School of Architecture, Liverpool, UK, 2019. * Avenue Denfert, Paris, France, 2019. * Johns Hopkins Center, Baltimore, USA, 2020. * University of York Student Centre, York, UK, 2022.

Recognition

In 2010, O'Donnell was elected an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects. In 2013 she was shortlisted for the '' Architects Journal''s Woman Architect of the Year award. In 2015, O'Donnell + Tuomey won the 2015

RIBA ''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130

Royal Gold Medal The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is gi ...

, the world's most prestigious architecture award. The award is approved by the British sovereign (

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

), to architects who have made a large impact on architecture.

Bibliography

* ''O'Donnell + Tuomey'' (Co-authored by John Tuomey),

Princeton Architectural Press Princeton Architectural Press (now PA Press) is a division of Chronicle Books. Founded by Kevin Lippert in 1981 in Princeton, NJ, PA Press has been a leading publisher of books on architecture, design, and visual culture for over forty years, ...

, 2006,