Brian O’Connell

BArch  BL  MUBC  FRIAI  RIBA  ARB 
Director

Brian O’Connell, Director and founder of the practice has been specialising in the area of healthcare and medical planning for almost 50 years and is an expert in the wider area of strategic planning of hospitals. In 1968 he joined TP Kennedy and Partners, became a partner in 1974, and continued in the subsequent practices of TP Kennedy Brady Stanley O’Connell and Brady Stanley O’Connell. In 1997 he formed Brian O’Connell Associates Architects the precursor to O’Connell Mahon Architects.

Brian graduated from the School of Architecture UCD in 1968 with first class honours; was President of the AAI in 1972; became a member of the RIAI in 1975 and a fellow of the RIAI in 1987; studied law at UCD and Kings Inns and was called to the Bar with first class honours in 1979. As President of the RIAI, 1990-1991, Brian represented Ireland as a founder member of the Architects Council of Europe (ACE), the representative body of the profession in the EU, and was assigned by the ACE to assist in bringing Western European practices to the USSR and Eastern Europe, for which he was made the 39th and last Honorary Member of the Union of Architects of the USSR. Brian is also Arbitrator-Conciliator (RIAI); Mediator (MFI) and Adjudicator (C.I Arb.)

Brian was chairman of the European Commission GAIPEC International Sub-Committee on Liability in the European Construction Industry from 1992 to 1995. As Architect, Master of Building and Urban Conservation (NUI) and Barrister at Law (King’s Inns), Brian is also an Arbitrator and Conciliator in construction and associated matters.

His experience in preparing development plans and strategic studies includes over 30 hospitals throughout the country; Wexford General Hospital; St Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny, MWRH Limerick, MWRH Ennis, NWRH Ennis, University Hospital Galway, the Bon Secours Hospital Group, MRH Tullamore, and many others.

Brian completed his Masters in Building and Urban Conservation in UCD in 2012. He has advised on conservation on a significant number of hospital campuses across the country many of which have protected structures. Conservation projects include works to Ivory’s Blue Coat School, Gandon’s Registry of Deeds, Cassel’s Rotunda Hospital, Johnson’s house and offices 64 Eccles Street, Dublin Central, Oatlands House, Castleknock St. Loman’s Hospital Mullingar and Nenagh Hospital Tipperary.

Brian has lectured to NUI in Contract Management and to the University of Ulster as lecturer on the Law of Disability in Ireland, with particular emphasis on the approach to the implementation of Universal Access standards in buildings.