We recently caught up (virtually) with Dec O’Donnell of ODKM Architects to gain an insight into what inspires his work, what’s trending in the world of Architecture and how he has been adjusting to working from home. This is a super interesting read and we hope you enjoy it!

Q: Tell us a little bit about your business and the services you offer?

Dec: We setup in the height of the recession over 10 years ago, with a mantra that architecture is for everyone. Challenging times to start a company, but we setup in a shop window in Terenure and offered something a little different. We had an open studio facing the street that people could peer into, so we engaged with the local community on a wide variety of projects, starting small in order to build a reputation and a body of work. This took time, but the practice has grown steadily since then and we have become well known and highly regarded in both Ireland and abroad. Our practice is still grounded in residential work (one-off houses, extensions etc as this is what we have become known for), but we have a variety of work on the books. We recently completed a very cool office fit-out project which will hopefully make a few waves in the industry, and we have a number of social housing projects at different stages, as well as some small scale developments and public building work such as the Wexford Arts Centre which is very exciting so plenty to keep us busy!

Q: How are you and your team adjusting to working from home?

Dec: An architect’s role is very varied, so I think different days present different challenges depending on what you are dealing with. As a business owner, we have the wellbeing of our staff and their workloads to manage, as well as strategising for the short, mid and long term of how to navigate the company for the coming months, so it has forced us to sharpen our focus. We don’t have meetings for meeting sake. We action what needs to happen and we get on with it. I think our work ethic is one of our real strengths – probably forged from the time we setup the practice as it was such a challenging time, especially in the construction sector, so we have a level of experience and resilience in getting through difficult times. Working from home (generally) affords less interruptions, so in theory we are going a little deeper into our thought and work practice than what normally can happen in a busy office, so that is a silver lining. Of course, not interacting with the team face to face is tough as this is a crucial part of the design process, as well as the fact we like everyone we work with. Technology is helping us through this, and no doubt when we come out the other end of this, the landscape of what the office is will be different, and hopefully for the better.

Q: Can you share any tips and tricks on how you have organised your own working from home environment?

Dec: We just finished our own house build as well as having a new baby last year so moving into the house was utterly frantic. Myself and my wife have very busy jobs, so I pre-empted working from home at times may happen, so included a small home office into the open plan area. This quickly became a baby changing station when we moved in, so being forced to work from home meant I had to reclaim this space for myself !! (the changing station is literally around the corner now). It’s a dedicated space for work, room enough for laptops and lots of sketch paper. We brought the large screens from the office home so it’s a good tip for those working on laptops, especially in the design game that plugging this into a nice large monitor will give you dual screen working platform that is needed for CAD etc and your eyes will thank you for it in the long run.

Q: What’s your favourite part of your job and the design process?

Dec: I think the initial design stage is where the greatest opportunities lie, as everything thereafter becomes making it manifest, which is an entirely different thing. The initial design is where we as architects can (hopefully) create something more than the sum of its parts; spaces, or moments that can genuinely lift your spirits. There are endless possibilities at the start, so that always brings new energy and life to each project and its addictive because it’s exciting. This is what excites me most about the job, and to be able to bring this to a client and bring it to life is a genuine thrill.

Q: Have you got a favourite project that you have worked on so far?

Dec: I think this is a bit of a double-edged sword – but it probably has to be my own home. We bought a site late 2018 and embarked on a largely self-build project over 12 months. I’m still unsure if this is a dream or a nightmare for an architect, but at least I lived to tell the tale! They say time heals all wounds, so maybe you should ask me this question in another 6 months. It was a unique experience, I learned a lot about myself, I learned that having a baby half way through the process was borderline crazy but somehow we came out the other end, and I am starting to love it now and feel very blessed. I had to learn what I liked as an architect having designed countless homes over the years, and we generally never use the word ‘like’ so this was an eye opener!

Q: Do you get involved in all aspects of the design process down to the furniture and interior design decisions?

Dec: Yes, we offer this as part of a full architectural and interior service to our clients. Designing homes often means we need to select furniture and even art that will match the feeling of the house, so it is important that these 2 strands of architecture and interior run concurrently and symbiotically. This of course can be interesting, as you are designing someone’s home which is highly personal, yet you need to get involved in every small detail in order to bring it all together so it usually results in some high energy conversations, which is all part of the fun and why we love this kind of work.

Q: What/Who inspires your work?

Dec: Inspiration comes from everywhere, and people lean on different things. I think most architects (deep down) aspire for real meaning in their work. It is not enough to produce a nice building, or a nice house, it needs to mean something in order to evoke a feeling to lift the senses. I am a musician, and I have always associated this same feeling with that of a piece of music that affects you on a deep personal level – so I listen to a lot of music, across all genres. I also think nature can have this same ethereal effect on the human spirit, and it’s that same feeling that makes great architecture stand out. Walk through the Guggenheim in NYC and you get a feeling that is more than just that of a very cool building; something else happens, it stirs your soul, and I think every architect tries to bottle that feeling in their work (at least at the start!)

Q: Do you have a favourite building/what’s the most interesting building you have visited and why?

Dec: I have loads. I was in Istanbul last year and saw the Hagia Sophia which is an extraordinary piece of Byzantine architecture. It wears its scars front and centre, in that you can trace the turbulent history of the city through this building, its decoration, through different religions. It’s a living memory, and is a good reminder that architecture is more than the sum of it’s parts, it’s more than a building.

Q: Is there an Architectural trend that you think should be left behind and why?

Dec: We don’t really see trends in architecture. It’s not like design or fashion, which can be quick or even seasonal. Architecture takes time, so trend is a word we try to avoid. It’s one of the reasons as a practice we don’t have a particular style, as each project offers a unique response to the scenarios presented. I will say that the trend of house building in this country needs a monumental shift, it’s archaic. Our housing issues won’t be solved by another batch of 3-bed semi detached houses 20 miles from Dublin. This is lazy and ill informed and I think we are slowly starting to realise the problems go deep and are varied, requiring intelligent critical design thinking synonymous with other dense urban global cities – only when we get to that realisation do I think the pendulum will start to shift back to the centre.

Q: Similarly, is there a trend you think is here to stay?

Dec: I’ll contradict myself now (!) I am on record as saying the recession in Ireland cultivated a swarm of highly creative architects, some forced into a new working practice due to the decimation of the profession during this time, but whose output over the last 10 years has been nothing short of world class. In that time, I have noticed a common language which is continuing. Simple materials, a hark for the traditional, the familiarity of timber and the exposing of details and structure are all features to be seen in the work over the past decade. There is a simplicity and honesty in this that, for me, is a direct counterpoint of the excesses that went in the years beforehand through the tiger years. Only time will tell if this was a trend, or a new-style reflective of the time.

ODKM Architects are an Award Winning firm based in Dublin, with accolades and publications both in Ireland and abroad, they are passionate about how design makes people feel and how important this is in creating new spaces, identities and places that exceed their clients expectations. Ultimately they believe that buildings are about people, and that quality driven design creates environments with a sense of place.

The practice was formed in 2009 by Declan O’Donnell, Ciaran McCoy and Barry Kane, and has since become established as one of Ireland’s premier young creative design practices for the residential and commercial sectors. Get in touch with Dec and his talented team to discuss any project big or small: HERE

You can also follow Dec on instagram to learn more about his self-build journey - @decodonnell

10 Questions with top Irish Architect Dec O'Donnell