Seán Antóin Ó Muirí is an Irish architect and Principal Architect at fuinneamh workshop, an architecture and design studio based in Cork, Ireland. Since 2009, he has led fuinneamh workshop in work that ranges from domestic houses to public buildings and art installations, with a consistent focus on carefully scaled, materially precise and site-responsive architecture. Ó Muirí studied at the Dublin School of Architecture at TU Dublin and at École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Montpellier, and previously worked with O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects and Cino Zucchi Architetti. Key projects include the Cork studio BurnY-BurnY, the house Teach Cnoic Uí Gogáin, ‘den talamh’ a rammed-earth EcoLab in Tramore Valley Park, Cork, as well as the design for the Moore Street Historic Area Masterplan in Dublin. The work of fuinneamh workshop architects has received recognition such as an Architectural Association of Ireland Award in 2025 and a nomination for the EUmies Award in 2026, and has been published internationally in Architecture Lab, Casabella, the Architects’ Journal and on ArchDaily.
What inspires you?
Clarity of thought. A refined idea. A project or building that functions well and doesn’t seek attention. The enthusiasm and creativity of others.
What inspired you to become an architect?
As a young child, I explored the ruins of James Fort in Kinsale, Cork with a friend. We were at the Dock Beach in Cork and decided to leave the beach and our parents. Everything was overgrown, it was dangerous. It was magical. I didn’t know it was “architecture” at the time but it was inspiring to explore and imagine what this historic structure once was. I also used to love making “houses” out of small square bales as a kid in the barley fields next to my parents’ house. It was wonderful working with a module and just building – designing through empirical means. In my teenage years, I thought that architecture was about construction, so I believed that this would be a good thing to study at university. After six weeks of studying architecture, I figured out that it wasn’t the course I thought it was as a teenager and wanted to quit. But somehow, I decided to stick at it, and slowly I became more aware of what architecture was. Over time, those childhood references—the imagination for the fort and the designs with straw bales—became relevant again.
How would you describe your design philosophy?
For us at fuinneamh workshop architects, architecture that is comfortable to the user, appropriate in scale and proportion, utilises materials carefully and has a quality of light, is the ultimate architecture. Whether the project brief is for a single-room extension or a housing scheme, these principles still apply. We have no defined design style but only one that is respectful to the client, the brief and the site.
What is your favourite project?
If I’m honest, I don’t have a favourite project. However, I do get a lot from my own studio: BurnY-BurnY. It is the studio where our office, fuinneamh workshop archtiects, is based in Cork. Given that it is my place of work, it has given me so much. It was built in 2011 with my uncle Tony and my father Peter. In 2015, a reflection pool was added with my friend Jerry. We also completed the original design by building a series of water stumps and bespoke metal gutters, which I am very proud of. The gutters were inspired by the work of Sigurd Lewerentz and Glenn Murcutt. As a first-year student, I was extremely fortunate to participate in a workshop under Glenn Murcutt when he visited the Dublin School of Architecture, TU Dublin. Meeting someone so energetic and inspiring at such a young age definitely made an impression. He had just won the Pritzker Prize, so there was a huge buzz around the school at the time.
What is your favourite detail?
Possibly, a collaboration with the Danish artist Helle Helsner for the front door handle for one of my first houses: Teach Cnoic Uí Gogáin. Murlán Cnoic Uí Gogáin is a door handle that explores ideas about haptics and experience. I had never worked with bronze before. I wasn’t even sure what material the handle was going to be. Helle convinced me it had to be bronze. Mock-ups were made with wax that responded to my early sketches for the handle. These were then refined before Helle cast the handle in bronze using traditional casting techniques which employed horse manure and clay to make the mould for the molten material. None of this would have been possible without the belief of the client; I’m grateful for his belief in me. Without it, it would have been a generic handle.
Do you have a favourite material?
I don’t have a favourite material, but I do love exploring materials and their associated properties. Where possible, I prefer to use vernacular materials, especially those that can be sourced locally to the site. For all our projects at fuinneamh workshop architects, we will consider the provenance and availability of materials, where possible. As an architect I believe it is an ethical responsibility. I am currently building my own house: Suaimneas. It is a project that is primarily utilising straw bale, lime, earth, stone and wood – and hopefully a little bit of bronze!
What is your process for starting a new project?
We will analyse the brief thoroughly, primarily to understand the client’s needs. This involves visiting the client or user group and spending time with them to gain a clear understanding of their requirements. We then document and record the site in detail. After this, I spend considerable time reflecting on the project and the brief. I typically imagine the spaces, the structure, and the materials in my mind before we test the project concept in the studio through a series of sketches and draft models. We then re-engage with the client or user group before returning to refine or rethink the design.
How do you fuel your creativity?
Primarily from reading, traveling, and experiencing things. I’m in regular contact with other architects in Ireland and abroad. We discuss ideas and projects. It is beautiful, and I find this very enriching. I have also been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach in other schools of architecture. In recent years, I have worked at TU Delft, FAUP Porto, and IUAV Venice, and next semester I will travel to KADK in Copenhagen. Seeing how architecture is taught in other schools, and the exchange of ideas with other architects teaching in these institutions, fuels my own teaching at the school of architecture in Cork: Cork Centre for Architectural Education, UCC–MTU. I’m in a very fortuitous position to be able to travel and teach. I don’t take it for granted.
What inspired ‘den talamh’?
The clients, KinShip, were looking for a place in Tramore Valley Park in Cork city where they could host talks on the environment and on the biodiversity of the park. I visited the ruins of Greek agoras as a student. Something about their democratic structure stuck with me. I thought about the idea of making an open structure that gave shelter for people to gather. There is a beautiful bog, (marsh land) adjoining the site. Conceptually, the building seeks to frame a view to Carroll’s Bog and draw the park visitor closer to observe and contemplate the beauty of this unique landscape within Cork city.
How did the materiality shape ‘den talamh’?
The park was born out of its transition from the former municipal dump. The mound to the east of ‘den talamh’ is a manmade compacted landscape. We thought about utilising rammed earth as a nod to the recent history of compaction on the site. An open timber-framed roof reveals a traditional Irish hipped roof structure, while a reed-thatched roof finish offers shelter. The 45-degree pitch of the roof and hipped ends are designed based on the principle that reed thatch works best at this pitch.
What advice would you give to young architects?
The advice that my former tutor, Dermot Boyd of the Dublin School of Architecture, TU Dublin, gave us as students was to ‘Keep searching and investigating all your life’. I think there is a lot to be said for this. To remain curious is something special, if one can. In addition, the former City Architect in Cork, Neil Hegarty, once said, ‘Do good work’. He is right; I think if you can produce good work, everything else will follow. That might simply be producing a good site plan or a site section. Good work sets a standard. It is still something I strive to produce myself—however, it is not easy.
