Islander Architects are a design & research practice led by Laura Carroll & Ciarán Molumby, they are deeply inspired by the contexts and the people they design for. The name Islander evokes the spirit of this work, of being resourceful & responding to the uniqueness of each project.
As a practice they aim to be agents of change, they believe in the broader social impact architecture and the built environment can have on our communities & places.
Since their establishment in 2020, Islander Architects have been awarded: Creative Ireland’s Creative Climate Action Fund, The Reimagining Elderhood project for community-led housing, The Town Ecologies programme for village renewal and the Arts Council’s Agility Award. Their work has been exhibited at IMMA, the Project Arts Centre and Curved Street Gallery.
Laura & Ciarán currently teach at the School of Architecture, TU Dublin where they both studied, having previously taught at UCD and UL.
They regularly work with the Irish Architecture Foundation, participating in their New Now Next series, Open House Dublin, the Irish-Swedish creative exchange Trading Spaces, and with gapLab, their programme for cultural producers.
At a European level, Islander are the Irish national organising members for HouseEurope! a citizens initiative encouraging the reuse of our existing buildings over demolition.
About Us
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2025 - Shortlisted and Commended in the RIAI Awards in the research category
2024 - Appointed on gapLab for 2 years by the Irish Architectural Foundation
2024 - Appointed on the National Neighbourhood panel for Dublin City Council’s Culture Company
2024 - Awarded the N-TUTORR Partners in Innovation & Change Fellowship Fund for our TU Dublin Elective
2023 - Islander win the Balbriggan Town Award for Best Emerging Business
2023 - Islander awarded The Creative Climate Action Fund II for Demolition Take Down
2023 - Islander chosen for Trading Spaces: Resources & Dwelling by the IAF & Färgfabriken
2022 - Awarded the Creative Communities grant by Creative Ireland & Fingal Co. Council
2022 - Awarded the Reimagining Elderhood collaborative research project
2022 - Plyscape chosen for Cruinniú na nÓg by Fingal Arts Office & Creative Ireland
2022 - Awarded the Arts Council Agility Award for Architecture
2021 - Awarded Town Ecologies Rural Renewal Co-Design Programme
2020 - Awarded Our Balbriggan & Fingal County Council’s Placemaking grant
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2025 - Laura became an RIAI Architect Accredited in Conservation at Grade 3
2022 /Present - Ciarán is an assistant lecturer in Technical Design Studio at the School of Architecture, TU Dublin
2022 /Present - Laura is an assistant lecturer in Architectural Design Studio at the School of Architecture, TU Dublin
2023 - Ciarán was an assistant lecturer in Technical Graphics at the School of Transport & Civil Engineering, TU Dublin
2021 - Laura was a studio tutor at the School of Architecture, University of Limerick
2021 - Ciarán was a workshop coordinator for Architecture Connects, Art in Junior Cycle for the IAF
2019/ 2018 - Ciarán ran workshops for TY students for the Architect in Schools Initiative for the IAF
2017- Laura was a studio tutor at the School of Architecture, University College Dublin
2017- Laura was a workshop coordinator at The Centre for Talented Youth, DCU
2017 - Laura ran workshops for TY students for the Architect in Schools Initiative for the IAF
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2025 - Published on the international platform Adapt, Reuse
2024 - Presented at Constructive Interference at the RIAI Conference, RDS
2024 - What an art installation tells us about demolition waste RTE Brainstorm
2024 - Bungalow transformation featured in Image Interiors
2024 - Curve Appeal project published in The Irish Examiner’s feature for RIAI Simon Open door
2023 - Presented at New Now Next the IAF’s & ARUP’s Event Idir & Thither
2023 - Islander feature in the IAF’s Open House Dublin festival launch
2023 - Islander presented their work & featured on panels for Design Pop Cork
2023 - The Dublin Inquirer’s review of our Reimagining Elderhood exhibit & studio visit
2023 - Presented at the Making Neighbourhoods Seminar in The Project Arts Centre, Dublin
2023 - Published in this years RIAI House + Design magazine
2023 - Published in the new RIAI guide ‘Working With An Architect’
2023 - Curve Appeal project published in The Sunday Times feature ‘11 Questions to Ask Your Architect’
2023 - Presented at the New HABIT(at)S Conference in SETU Waterford
2023 - Islander presented The Cultural Condition at the ABC Culture Conference in Armagh
2023 - Curve Appeal house extension featured in Image Interiors
2022 - Curve Appeal house extension selected for Open House Dublin
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We currently have no vacancies, we will post positions here once they do come available.
Email your portfolio & CV to:
jobs@islanderarchitects.ie
Services
Islander Architects are a registered practice with the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) and are accredited in Conservation at Grade 3.
We have the knowledge & professional skills to deliver complete architectural packages for creative private & public projects.
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Design (Adaptive reuse, houses, extensions, commercial fit-outs etc.)
Pre-planning Applications
Planning Applications
Tender Production & Negotiations
Site Inspections & Contract Administration
We provide clever design solutions for existing buildings, infill sites, back-land developments & greenfield sites. We also advise on relevant permissions & statutory requirements for your project and guide you through the process from brief formation to completion of your project on site.
We offer two packages:
Design including the submission of a planning application
Full services from design to completion on site
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We take our responsibility as designers seriously, we understand the profound effects our built environment & context have on people. We are aware that as architects we work in a problematic sector for the environment so it is our duty to act responsibly to minimise our negative impact.
We get excited about the imaginative reuse of existing buildings by designing through circular economy principles & low-carbon approaches.
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As RIAI Architects Accredited in Conservation at Grade 3 we are qualified to work on protected structures, heritage buildings and in Architectural Conservation Areas.
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As design team lead, Islander offer full project management services. We are certified Project Supervisors for the Design Process (PSDP).
We advise on the appointment of consultants, such as surveyors & structural engineers. We have a network of talented contractors, consultants & craftspeople to call upon.
We coordinate the design team & act as the central point of communication with planners, contractors, suppliers & building control.
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As architects we have the skills to undertake Health Checks, SMART Action Plans and Community Development Plans for towns & villages. We analyse, question & research in order to produce visions and roadmaps that can enhance the public realm, local environments & local economies.
By listening directly to communities & through meaningful public engagement we design strategies for future improvements. We devise easy to follow action plans for the towns, villages & communities that we serve.
We have successfully completed projects across the Fingal region for communities, funded by Dublin Rural LEADER, we welcome enquiries from other counties across Ireland.
Islander Architects
Ciarán Molumby MRIAI
Laura Carroll MRIAI