27: ireland ODOS architects

project 27 team in dublin, ireland all images courtesy LAN architecture image © LAN architecture, umberto napolitano, nicola aguzzi

after a short hiatus, the team behind the 27 project is back with a new segment of their european tour. a collaboration between paris-based LAN architecture (benoit jallon, umberto napolitano), FATCAT films, and french graphic designers undo-redo, the group stopped by dublin to chat with ODOS architects (darrell o’donoghue, david o’shea) on the current climate and future projections of contemporary architecture in ireland.

’27: a journey through contemporary architecture in europe’ is an ambitious new project that will attempt to provide a collective snapshot of the EU’s role and ideas of contemporary architecture, with intimate conversations from those who are shaping the built environment of tomorrow. to find out more on the project, click here for our previous coverage.

27 IRLAND DARREL & DAVID from FatCat Films on Vimeo.

established in 2002, ODOS architects has already established itself as a nationally and internationally recognized practice, receiving a number of awards including the AR international emerging architecture awards (2009), an RIAI irish architecture award (2009), and a shortlist for the young architect of the year award (2009). the main objective of the firm seeks to challenge our preconceived notions of architecture, creating a broad range of designs that stimulate a response from the users. social and cultural influences remain at the center of their work process and often explore the fundamental ways in which people operate and play within a spatial construct. ‘we aspire to honesty and transparency in the use, arrangement and detailing of materials,’ says the architects. ‘we hope to instill a sense of curiosity and excitement, stimulating a response, confronting and challenging traditional conceptions of architecture.

‘timberyard social housing’ by o’donnell and tuomey architects, 2009image © LAN architecture, umberto napolitano, nicola aguzzi

exterior viewimage © LAN architecture, umberto napolitano, nicola aguzzi

marked and shaped by an economic boom in the early 2000s and a major need to accommodate an heightened immigration towards the cities, ireland has had to readdress the role of density and the idea of a ‘house’ in recent years. contemporary architecture that is specific to the country is a relatively new notion, surfacing only 15 years ago to differentiate itself from the traditional forms of the region. ‘we try to introduce the historical context and marry it with contemporary architecture,’ says ODOS architects. ‘we are driven by it; we constantly try to do it.’

‘department of finance’ by grafton architects, 2008image © LAN architecture, umberto napolitano, nicola aguzzi

at the 2006 venice biennale, the irish architects challenged the country’s current development plans by creating a comic book-style story of what ireland would be like if there was no longer a possibility for horizontal development. traditionally, the mentality is to live in a free-standing house with a front yard and a back yard – a movement that is skeptical of high density. the recent high number of immigrants has induced the state to quickly develop empty plots in dublin with limited long term visions: ‘they are just reactions to a situation and this is not only in the design but also in how they are built.’

since then, the country is now reacting to the recession with a sudden halt to development – the supplies have surmounted the demands. contemporary architecture in ireland will have to focus on the different issues that are arising within this context while preserving a distinct and relevant identity of its own.

interior view of ‘berkeley library’ by ahrends burton koralek architects, 1967image © LAN architecture, umberto napolitano, nicola aguzzi