Architects Stephanie Macdonald, Sheila O’Donnell and Emily Priest reflect on the role of drawing in their practices.

To compliment the AA exhibition, Peter Salter: Drawings (https://www.aaschool.ac.uk/public/exhibitions/peter-salter-drawings) a trio of architects join in conversation to reflect on the role of drawing in their personal and professional practices.

Beginning the discussion with a drawing which inspires them, architects Stephanie Macdonald, Sheila O’Donnell and Emily Priest will each present their creative process, revealing a way of thinking through drawing.

Biographies

Stephanie Macdonald founded 6a architects with Tom Emerson in 2001. The practice has gained an international reputation for its housing, cultural, educational and mixed-use projects. Working internationally in Australia, Europe, USA and the UK, the studio has won prestigious honours including over twenty RIBA Awards, nomination for the RIBA Stirling Prize, and the 2023 Tessenow Gold Medal. In 2020, Domus listed 6a among the 50 Best Architects in the World. Stephanie was a finalist for the International Women in Architecture Award and is a juror of the annual Soane Medal. In 2021 she was recognised with an OBE for Services to Architecture and Education, and Services to Architecture respectively. In 2023, Stephanie and Tom were elected to the Royal Academy of Arts.

Sheila O'Donnell established O’Donnell + Tuomey in 1988 with John Tuomey. Alongside practice, she has been a lecturer in Architectural design in UCD since 1981 and a Professor since 2016. Her watercolour drawings have been exhibited in the Royal Academy of Arts, London and the Royal Irish Academy and she is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. In 2015 she was joint recipient with John Tuomey of the RIBA Royal Gold Medal and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Brunner Prize, both awarded in recognition of a lifetimes work.

Emily Priest is an architect and writer. She is an Intermediate 2 Unit Tutor at the AA and a Design Tutor at the Bartlett School of Architecture. Emily previously worked in practice at 6a architects and OMMX. Her research focuses on motorway infrastructure, and her work on the M1 motorway was recently published by Scroope 34 (University of Cambridge, 2026). She has also written for Drawing Matter, the Architecture Foundation and Robida magazine.

Image: Taking Sections of the M1, Emily Priest

Accessibility

Ramp access to the AA Lecture Hall is available on request using the intercom at the entrance to 36 Bedford Square, and we have an accessible toilet on site. Please get in touch to let us know of any access requirements that you might have and how we can best accommodate these. If you are unable to attend physically but would like to participate in the event remotely please email publicprogramme@aaschool.ac.uk (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-lot-with-little-x-ad-hoc-baroque-tickets-903190285457?aff=oddtdtcreator).

Description supplied by the event organiser.