Global architecture firm Corgan opens doors for European expansion with new Dublin office
Having already conquered the US with showstopping architecture and design, Corgan’s new Dublin base has its sights set on European and international portfolio expansion
With a panoramic view of Dublin from his 11th floor office in the Docklands EXO Building, Maurice O’Neill, Corgan Dublin’s Principal, has high hopes for the global giant’s presence both at home and across Europe. Inspired by Corgan’s 86-year history, along with his own team’s dynamic design dreams for their clientele, O’Neill is excited not just for a mixed range of projects across residential, commercial, and industrial, but building on the Corgan name outside of the US.
Company Details
Corgan Dublin
Staff: 42 (with recruitment ongoing)
Company Turnover: Gross 2023: $426,888,916.15
Why it’s in the news: Corgan Dublin celebrated its first year of business in Ireland last month.
“Last month, we marked one year of Corgan in Ireland, and it has been an incredible 12 months, from designing our new office space, expanding our team of architects, to welcoming new clients in Ireland and the EU,” he said. “We are building on Corgan’s depth of expertise, with Dublin acting as a conduit between the US and mainland Europe. It’s a very exciting time for all of us here. Corgan which has nearly 1,000 team members across the firm, and an award-winning reputation in delivering consistent design excellence whether that is for one of the world’s busiest airports, or an iconic cultural landmark.”
Corgan has an impressive legacy for O’Neill to build upon. Established in 1938 by Jack Corgan, the firm established its first office in Dallas, Texas. By the 1950s, Corgan established itself as the go-to airport architect designing Dallas Love Field, where the firm employed innovative thinking in their design with the world’s first moving walkway in an airport. The firm is also attributed with the first use of a monorail at an airport. Over the decades, accolades have rolled in for Corgan’s other aviation ventures, including the new Terminal 6 at John F. Kennedy airport in New York, O’Hare airport in Chicago, LAX in Los Angeles and PVG in Shanghai. Corgan is known beyond aviation. It is the world’s biggest architect of data centres. Corgan is ranked by Building Design + Construction in the US as the overall #4 architecture firm, and works with clients in a variety of sectors including aviation and mobility, education, health, mixed-use, residential, office, and workplace.
“We’re taking those years of expertise and bringing an international feel to the Dublin market and further afield,” said O’Neill. “We’re lucky we can draw on those decades of innovation and design, and resources to work on our own projects. Corgan is a global giant in architecture and to bring it to Dublin and serve as a scalable anchor for a growing international presence is a very exciting prospect.”
Indeed, Corgan is already making its mark here, winning the Retail Design category at last year’s IDI (Institute of Designers in Ireland) Awards, for its work with Paul Sheeran Jewellers.
O’Neill’s own background serves well for his role as Principal of Corgan Dublin having worked for over two decades in architectural design. His fascination with architecture stems from his older brother who is an architect. While he pored over his books as a college student in the family home in Lucan, Co Dublin, a younger O’Neill watched on in fascination at graphs and technical drawings, and later developed a passion for interiors and architecture.
“When my brother was studying in college we shared a room, and I would watch him work on his portfolio from my bunk bed and ask questions about the work,” he said. “His coursework at the time was residential design to commercial, so I got a glimpse of different sectors. The early exposure resonated, I knew this was what I wanted to get into and so pursued art, woodwork, and construction studies in secondary school. Architectural technology really fascinated me because it’s more around how buildings go together and the coordination of different disciplines whether structural, mechanical, or civil. And you take all those elements together along with a good understanding of building regulations and statutory approvals, to make sure a building works not just aesthetically, but from a regulatory perspective.”
O’Neill credits his success and that of his team to both their passion and client relationships.
“We love what we do and we bring our clients on a journey as we partner with them in navigating the complexities of a project,” he said. “Our process is deeply collaborative and rooted in a strong sense of community guided by an appreciation for the power of architecture and design. It lies in the power to shape the future of client’s industries, our neighbourhoods and cities, and the possibilities of a more human experience. Dublin is a fast-paced city that’s growing quickly. With a thriving economy and a lengthy list of companies establishing roots in Dublin, it is an ideal location to expand upon Corgan’s exceptional design reputation across a variety of sectors, and strong resourcing ability.”
