Murray Ó Laoire Architects, now styled as MÓLA, is Ireland's largest architectural practice, with offices in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Moscow, Bratislava (Slovakia) and Aachen (Germany).
Founded by Hugh Murray and Seán Ó Laoire in Limerick nearly 30 years ago, it has been responsible for a huge volume of major public and private projects including, most recently, the new Cork School of Music and Athlone Town Centre.
MÓLA won the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) gold medal in 1995 for the tourist information office and public park at Arthur's Quay, Limerick, and went on to win numerous other awards for its buildings and urban design schemes.
Major projects include the new terminal building at Cork Airport, the Trinity Hall student housing in Dartry, Dublin, Thomond Village student housing in the University of Limerick, the Bon Secours private hospital in Galway and then renovation of Cork Opera House.
The practice won an RIAI regional award for the new terminal at Shannon airport in 2002 and an Irish Planning Institute award for its Carlow town master plan in the same year. It was also responsible for the Irish Pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany.
MÓLA broke new ground in terms of environmental sustainability in 1994 with the Green Building in Temple Bar, designed in collaboration with Tim Cooper's Conservation Engineering. It was equipped with solar panels, wind turbines and a geo-thermal heat pump. One of its most controversial earlier schemes was the boldly contemporary visitor centre at King John's Castle in Limerick, which was completed in 1991. It won three awards.
MÓLA's largest overseas project at present is the Eurovea complex being built on the banks of the Danube in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, for Ballymore Properties. It includes an international conference centre, shopping, offices and apartments.
