Irish architects O’Donnell + Tuomey have been selected to design and build the new home for The Photographers’ Gallery just off Oxford Street, in the heart of London’s Soho district. The new site will allow for the development of a world-class centre for photography.

Working from an established 35-year history (1971-2006) and a reputation that ranks it amongst the top international photographic institutions, The Photographers’ Gallery has played a significant role in establishing photography as a serious art form both in the UK and abroad. It aims to build on this rich history by continuing to innovate, challenge, examine, debate, exhibit and sell photography to a wider and ever more sophisticated audience within a new, purpose built home at 16 – 18 Ramillies Street. The appointment of O’Donnell + Tuomey marks the beginning of a three-year timeline for completion. This appointment is the second phase in the development plans for the Gallery who secured this central London site in February 2005. This vision has the full support of Arts Council England who awarded The Photographers’ Gallery £3.5m towards its achievement.

According to Sarah Weir of the Arts Council in London, the "Arts Council of England is extremely pleased to be supporting The Photographers' Gallery in the development of their exciting new venue. O'Donnell + Tuomey has an excellent track record of designing world-class cultural institutions and we are certain that the resulting building will be a distinctive addition to London's artistic landscape."

A spokesperson for The Photographers’ Gallery said to the media that they "...were impressed by the high calibre of submissions which we received for this commission from both well-established and emerging architectural practices. We are delighted that the Dublin-based practice O’Donnell + Tuomey has been selected to create our new purpose-built gallery, within the heart of London’s Soho district; a space that truly reflects the Gallery’s aspiration to become the ‘eyes, ears and voice for photography’ within the UK. O’Donnell + Tuomey has the capacity to deliver a building of exceptional quality and character that will contribute a new cultural focus to this thriving part of Soho and ensure London finally gets the dedicated international centre for photography it so richly deserves."

O’Donnell + Tuomey said of the appointment that they "are delighted to have been appointed to this exciting project, which brings us back to London where we started out on our architectural career 30 years ago. The project combines our interests in the visual art of photography and the urban architecture of London."

The work of O’Donnell + Tuomey has been widely published and exhibited, and has received many national and international awards. They have been shortlisted twice for the Stirling Prize (1999 and 2005), one of which was for the Lewis Glucksman Gallery at University College Cork in 2005, for which they received the UK Civic Trust 2005 European Capital of Culture Award and the RAIA Award for the Best Public Building of the Year (2005).

Admired for their sensitive handling of materials and intelligent response to place O’Donnell + Tuomey, established in 1988, represent a partnership between Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey. The practice has an international reputation for cultural and educational projects and produces spectacular buildings that enhance visitors’ experiences while expanding the language of modernism. Their reputation for intellectual rigour and practical excellence culminated in their being nominated to represent Ireland at the 2004 Venice Biennale of Architecture. O’Donnell + Tuomey have been involved in urban design projects such as the Zuid Poort masterplan in Delft and The Temple Bar regeneration in Dublin, which included the 1996 Gallery of Photography and National Photographic Archive. The Ramillies Street project will be their first major commission in England.