Diller Scofidio + Renfro and O'Donnell + Tuomey unveil designs for V&A East project

Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey met while they were studying architecture at University College Dublin and have worked together in partnership as O’Donnell + Tuomey for more than 25 years. They have exhibited three times at the Venice Biennale. They received the RIAI Gold Medal for Ranelagh Multidenominational School in 2005 and have been seven times winners of the AAI Downes Medal for excellence in architectural design. They have been twice shortlisted for the RIBA Lubetkin Prize, four times for the Mies van der Rohe European Award, and five times for the RIBA Stirling Prize.

They both teach at University College Dublin and have lectured at schools of architecture in Europe, the UK, Japan and the USA, including Harvard, Princeton, Cambridge and the AA. They were elected honorary fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 2010. They are both members of Aosdána, the affiliation of Irish artists.

They are the 2015 recipients of the Royal Gold Medal, the world’s most prestigious award in architecture, awarded by the President of the RIBA.

Elizabeth Diller, (Poland,1954), is a partner of Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R). Alongside partner Ricardo Scofidio, Diller’s cross-genre work has been distinguished with TIME’s "100 Most Influential People" list and the first MacArthur Foundation fellowship awarded in the field of architecture.

Elizabeth Diller has also received the Wolf Prize in Architecture. Most recently, she led two cultural works significant to New York: The Shed and the expansion of MoMA. Diller also co-created, -directed and -produced The Mile-Long Opera, an immersive choral work staged on the High Line. Diller is a member of the UN Council on Urban Initiatives and a Professor of Architectural Design at Princeton University.

Charles Renfro, AIA (Baytown, Texas in 1964) joined Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) in 1997 and became a Partner in 2004. He led the design and construction of the studio’s first concert hall outside of the US - The Tianjin Juilliard School in China - as well as the studio's first public park outside of the US - Zaryadye Park in Moscow. Charles has also led the design of much of DS+R's academic portfolio, with projects completed at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Brown University, the University of Chicago, and the recently completed Columbia Business School.

Charles is also leading the design of two projects in his native Texas: the renovation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kalita Humphreys Theater in Dallas, and Sarofim Hall, a new home for Rice University’s Visual Arts department in Houston. Charles is the Co-President of BOFFO, a nonprofit organization that supports the work of queer LGBTQ+ BIPOC artists and designers. He has twice been recognized with the "Out100" list and has also been distinguished as a notable LGBTQ leader by Crain's New York Business. He is a faculty member of the School of Visual Arts.

Ricardo Scofidio, AIA (New York,1935), is a partner of Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R). Alongside partner Elizabeth Diller, Ric’s cross-genre work has been distinguished with TIME’s "100 Most Influential People" list and the first MacArthur Foundation fellowship awarded in the field of architecture. He led the design of the High Line – the adaptive reuse of an obsolete, industrial rail infrastructure into a 1.5 mile-long public park, Blur Building – a pavilion made of fog on Lake Neuchâtel for the 2002 Swiss Expo, and contributed to the redesign of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York, and The Broad in Los Angeles.

Ric spearheads many of the studio’s independent works, including Soft Sell, a video installation in an abandoned porn theatre in Times Square; Tourisms: suitCase Studies, an investigation of American tourist attractions at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; and Musings on a Glass Box for the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris. He is a Professor Emeritus at The Cooper Union School of Architecture.

Sheila O'Donnell (Dublin, Ireland, 1953), gets the B.Arch at University College Dublin in 1976, working for Spencer & Webster from 1978-1980, and Colquhoun and Miller between 1979 and 1980. In 1980, she obtained the Master of Arts from the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London, the same year she starts working for Stirling Wildford & Associates (London). O'Donnell has served as visiting professor at various universities like Princeton, Buffalo and Washington. He has been jury of awards such as the Royal Institute of British Architects (2005-2009), and member of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (Ireland) and the American Institute of Architects.

Sheila O'Donnell and John Tuomey established O'Donnell + Tuomey in 1988. The practice has developed an international reputation for cultural, social and educational buildings including the Irish Film Centre, Ranelagh School, Furniture College, Letterfrack, Glucksman Gallery, Cork, Timberyard Social Housing and the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. They are currently engaged in the design of university buildings, schools, housing and mixed use buildings in Ireland and the UK. They have been involved in urban design projects including the Temple Bar regeneration in Dublin and the Zuid Poort masterplan in Delft. Both lecture in University College Dublin and have taught at a number of schools of architecture in UK and USA including AA, Cambridge, Princeton, Harvard, Syracuse and Buffalo Universities. O'Donnell + Tuomey's work has been widely published and exhibited and has received many national and international awards.

John Tuomey (Tralee, Ireland, 1954), gets the B.Arch. at University College Dublin in 1976, working for Stirling Wilford & Associates (London) between 1976 and 1980 and the Office of Public Works in Dublin between 1981 and 1987. Tuomey has served as visiting professor at universities like Princeton's Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford. He was president of the Architectural Association of Ireland between 1992 and 1993, and member of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (1994). In 2004, he obtained the M.Arch from University College Dublin, becoming a professor of Architectural Design (Architectural Design) since 2008 in the same university. It has been Chair of RIBA Stirling Prize jury in 2009, and Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 2010.

Sheila O'Donnell and John Tuomey established O'Donnell + Tuomey in 1988. The practice has developed an international reputation for cultural, social and educational buildings including the Irish Film Centre, Ranelagh School, Furniture College, Letterfrack, Glucksman Gallery, Cork, Timberyard Social Housing and the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. They are currently engaged in the design of university buildings, schools, housing and mixed use buildings in Ireland and the UK. They have been involved in urban design projects including the Temple Bar regeneration in Dublin and the Zuid Poort masterplan in Delft. Both lecture in University College Dublin and have taught at a number of schools of architecture in UK and USA including AA, Cambridge, Princeton, Harvard, Syracuse and Buffalo Universities. O'Donnell + Tuomey's work has been widely published and exhibited and has received many national and international awards.