Sheila O’Donnell

Sheila O'Donnell is an award-winning architect. She is the co-founder of the architectural company O'Donnell + Tuomey.

In 1976, O'Donnell graduated from University College Dublin with a degree in architecture. She received her master's degree in environmental design from the Royal College of Art in 1980, where she won the prize for best graduating student

She and her husband, John Tuomey, established O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects in Dublin in 1988. 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. They have represented Ireland twice at the Venice Biennale of Architecture (2004 and 2008) and have been nominated for several European awards. O'Donnell + Tuomey have been recognized in newspapers, magazines, articles and books in both Europe and the United States.

Most of Sheila's work has been centered on housing, schools, and cultural institutions in Dublin. Her work includes the Irish Film Institute (1992) and an extension to Ranelagh School (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 as an exemplary educational building.

In 2010, she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. In 2015, O'Donnell + Tuomey won the 2015 RIBA Royal Gold Medal, the world's most prestigious architecture award. This esteemed award is approved by Her Majesty The Queen, to architects who have made a big impact on architecture.

In 2019, she was chosen for the Architect's Journal and The Architectural Review's 'Woman Architect of the Year' award.