Islander Architects are a registered practice with the Royal Institute of Architects Ireland. We are a design and research studio who cover a wide range of typologies, from one-off houses to community-led public spaces. We welcome commissions of all kinds.
We have the knowledge & professional skills to deliver complete architectural packages for creative private & public projects. Some of the services we offer include:
What We Do
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We have the knowledge & professional skills to deliver complete architectural packages for creative private & public projects. Some of the services we offer:
Design & Feasibility (Houses, extensions, commercial fit-outs etc.)
Create design briefs for private clients & community groups
Planning & Pre-planning Applications
Retention & Change of Use Applications
Tender Production & Negotiations
Site Inspections & Contract Administration
Disability Access Audit & Design
Fire Safety Audit & Design
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.
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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.
We have a keen interest in researching & specifying sustainable & locally sourced materials.
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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 registered Architects we can provide:
Certificates of Practical Completion
Architect’s Opinion on Compliance with Building Regulations
Architect's Opinion on Compliance with Planning Permission and/or Exemption from Planning Control
Payment Certificates
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As architects we have the skills to undertake Health Checks on towns & villages. We analyse, question & research in order to produce concept visions 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.
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We are a collaborative practice, we work directly with the public to tease out design solutions for communities. We strive to be agents of change. We encourage a bottom-up approach by listening to our communities & enabling people to have a say in the architecture of their neighbourhoods.
We actively pursue opportunities to be involved in Co-Design projects for community-led housing & public spaces.
We have previously been awarded Workhouse Union’s Town Ecologies project for rural renewal in Kilkenny & Self Organised Architecture’s national research & co-housing project Reimagine Elderhood.
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We have previously devised & delivered a variety of urban, suburban & rural public engagement workshops.
The culture of play is an innovative engagement method to provoke interesting conversations within community groups. We like to emphasise a creative approach to bring people, their stories & ideas together to make meaningful community projects.
We have previously worked with Fingal Arts Office, Dublin Heritage Office, Cruinniú na nÓg, Armagh Banbridge & Craigavon Council, Architecture at the Edge & The Irish Architecture Foundation.
Meet The Islanders
Islander Architects is led by two registered members of The Royal Institute of Architects Ireland - Laura Carroll & Ciarán Molumby.
Islander Architects are based in the coastal town of Balbriggan, County Dublin. We have consciously located our practice in a town in order to be at the heart of exploring the relationship the suburbs, small towns and villages have with the architecture that makes them. We draw experience from varied design backgrounds, we have worked with private clients, developers, educational institutions, community organisations and councils.
Since our establishment in 2020, Islander Architects have been awarded numerous awards & accolades including: Creative Ireland’s Creative Climate Action Fund, The Reimagining Elderhood project for community-led housing, The Town Ecologies programme for village renewal along with the Arts Council’s Agility Award for Architecture.
Ciarán Molumby
MRIAI B.Arch P.Dip Arch Practice
Ciarán is a registered architect with a background in construction management, so his approach to architecture is atypical. He aims to be an agent of change, he believes in the broader social impact architecture can have on a community & place. He is interested in new methods of practice & in sustainable & locally sourced materials.
Ciarán brings his varied knowledge in commercial fit-outs, healthcare projects and housing to Islander. He has previously worked as project architect with award winning practices; Gottstein Architects, DUA & Moloney O’Beirne Architects.
Ciarán is an assistant lecturer at TU Dublin at the School of Architecture, Building & Environment & has coordinated workshops for the Irish Architecture Foundation.
MRIAI B.Arch BSc. Arch Tech
P.Dip Arch Practice
Laura Carroll
Laura is a registered architect who began her career studying Architectural Technology. Her dual qualifications are at the heart of how she designs, with an unwavering interest in how things are made. She is deeply passionate about encouraging & enabling people to have a say in the architecture of their towns & villages.
Laura brings her extensive experience in bespoke domestic projects, large scale housing developments & installation work to Islander. She has previously worked as project architect in award winning practices; Ryan W. Kennihan Architects, AOF Architects & ODAA.
Laura is an assistant lecturer at TU Dublin at the School of Architecture, Building and Environment & has also taught in the Schools of Architecture in UL & UCD.
Laura has been a member of the RIAI since 2017 & is a certified PSDP.
Recognition & Awards
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 - Laura was awarded the Arts Council Agility Award for Architecture
2021 - Awarded Town Ecologies Rural Renewal Co-Design Programme
2021 - Laura was awarded Fingal Artist Bursary for Between Two Castles
2020 - Awarded Our Balbriggan & Fingal County Council’s Placemaking grant
Press & Presentations
2024 - Curve Appeal project published in The Irish Examiner’s feature for RIAI Simon Open door
2023 - Islander present 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 - Laura presented at the Making Neighbourhoods Seminar in The Project Arts Centre, Dublin
2023 - Drawings & photographs published in this years RIAI House + Design magazine
2023 - Drawings & photographs 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 - Ciarán 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
Academia & Teaching
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
Islander Architects
Ciarán Molumby MRIAI
Laura Carroll MRIAI