Conor Sreenan, State Architect and Principal Architect at the Office of Public Works in Ireland talks to AT about the opportunities and challenges of leading public architecture in a time of national transformation.

How much influence does the Office of Public Works have?
In my new role as State Architect and Principal Architect of Architectural Services within the Office of Public Works, there’s a huge degree of responsibility around influencing what gets built. That’s both in terms of what we ourselves deliver, but also what others might do given similar constraints.

This is a new role for you – what are your biggest challenges?
I’m new to the Office of Public Works, so there’s certainly a job of work for me to do to build trust within the organisation, and then obviously to do that beyond the organisation. Maybe that reflects both hats that I wear — the State Architect hat and the Principal Architect of Architectural Services within the Office of Public Works. That will take time. But to answer your question, I think success will emerge from a sufficiently open culture. That’s my intention: to lead and to build on the incredible, proud and professional basis on which the Office of Public Works has always operated.

Does Ireland have the depth of architectural talent required to meet its ambitions?
We’re incredibly fortunate in Ireland. There’s an exceptional pool of talented architects, and I think that’s not unrelated to some of your earlier questions. Part of the issue is finding ways for that talent pool to support the National Development Plan and programme for government commitments. I’m certainly convinced there’s huge capacity there that could help advance all of those fronts.

Are you confident you can achieve the Office of Public Works’ goals?
With respect to the challenges ahead, I’m an unapologetic optimist — and I’ll give you the simple reason why. Optimists give themselves the greatest range of potential solutions.