Lorcan O’Herlihy, FAIA, founder and design principal of LOHA, seeks opportunities to engage with the ever-changing complexities of the urban landscape, while embracing architecture as a catalyst of change. Since founding his firm in 1994, his work has been guided by a conscious understanding that architecture operates within a layered context of political, developmental, environmental, and social structures. With offices in Los Angeles and Detroit, his firm has built over 100 projects across three continents. The diverse work ranges from art galleries, bus shelters, and large-scale neighborhood studies, to large mixed-use developments, affordable housing projects, and university residential complexes. Each project exhibits Lorcan’s belief that artistry and social connectivity are key to building vibrant spaces that elevate the human condition.

Lorcan’s professional practice has run in parallel to his academic pursuits, enriching and heightening both. He received a Master of Arts in History and Critical Thinking from the Architectural Association in London, writing a dissertation on social engagement and generative urban strategies. He has taught and lectured extensively over the last decade, including at the Architectural Association in London, Southern California Institute of Architecture [SCI-Arc], Cranbrook Academy of Art, Columbia University, and is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California.