Sheila O'Donnell facts for kids

Sheila O'Donnell is a famous Irish architect. She was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1953. In 1988, she started her own architecture company, O'Donnell + Tuomey, with her husband, John Tuomey. People say her designs are "thoughtful and inspiring."

Early Life and Education

Sheila was born in Dublin, Ireland. She studied architecture at University College Dublin and finished her degree in 1976. Later, in 1980, she earned a master's degree from the Royal College of Art in London. She was even the best student in her class!

Sheila's Career as an Architect

After college, Sheila worked with a famous architect named James Stirling for about a year and a half. She helped design the Clore Gallery at the Tate Britain museum in London. In 1981, she returned to Dublin.

Starting O'Donnell + Tuomey

In 1988, Sheila and her husband, John Tuomey, opened their own architecture firm called O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects in Dublin. Their company has won many national awards. They have won the Downes Medal from the Architectural Association of Ireland seven times since 1988. They also won the RIAI Gold Medal in 2000.

Sheila and John have shown their work at the Venice Biennale of Architecture twice. This is a very important international event for architects. They have also been nominated for several European awards.

Working on Dublin's Temple Bar

In the early 1980s, Sheila was part of a small group of architects. They were interested in improving the center of Dublin. She helped create the Blue Studio Architecture Gallery, which made plans and books about architecture.

In 1991, Sheila became a director of this group, which was called Group 91 Architects. This group won a big competition to redesign Dublin's Temple Bar area. The project was finished in 1998 and has been featured in many publications.

Notable Projects and Designs

Sheila O'Donnell often uses watercolor paintings in her design process. These paintings have been shown in art galleries like the Royal Academy in London and the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin.

She helped design a student center for the London School of Economics. She also worked on a building for The Photographers' Gallery in London. Many of her projects focus on homes, schools, and cultural buildings in Dublin. These include the Irish Film Institute (1992) and an addition to Ranelagh School (1998).

More recently, Sheila worked with the Irish Department of Education. She designed Cherry Orchard School, a primary school for communities that need extra support. This school has won many awards. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) even featured it as an excellent example of an educational building.

Teaching and Fellowships

Sheila O'Donnell is a full-time professor at University College, Dublin. She has also been a visiting teacher and critic at architecture schools around the world. These include universities in Japan, Venezuela, and the United States. Some of these are Princeton, Michigan, Buffalo, Yale, Columbia, Syracuse, and Cooper Union.

In 2010, she was made an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. This is a special honor given to architects who have made a big impact. She also helps examine students at the Department of Architecture at Cambridge University and the Architectural Association in London.

Key Architectural Projects

Sheila O'Donnell and her firm have worked on many exciting projects.

Completed Buildings

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

Architectural Competitions

O'Donnell + Tuomey have also participated in many design competitions:

• Temple Bar regeneration plan, Dublin, Ireland, 1989.
• London School of Economics Student Centre, London, UK, 2009.
• Frankfurt Museum of World Cultures, Frankfurt, Germany, 2010.
• Shanghai Opera House, Shanghai, China, 2016.
• UCD Future Campus, Dublin, Ireland, 2018.
• Liverpool School of Architecture, Liverpool, UK, 2019.
• Johns Hopkins Center, Baltimore, USA, 2020.
• University of York Student Centre, York, UK, 2022.

Awards and Recognition

In 2010, Sheila O'Donnell was honored as an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects. In 2013, she was a finalist for the Architects Journals Woman Architect of the Year award.

In 2015, O'Donnell + Tuomey won the RIBA Royal Gold Medal. This is one of the most important architecture awards in the world. The British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, approves this award. It is given to architects who have made a huge impact on architecture.

See also

In Spanish: Sheila O'Donnell para niños