With its first gameplay reveal during this year's Day of the Devs, indie developer Something We Made finally showed off the sequel to their inaugural title TOEM: A Photo Adventure from 2021. This charming photography adventure brought an easygoing monochrome adventure to hundreds of fans and left us wanting more. TOEM 2 opens with the same plucky character from the first title dropped into the world with little more than ambition and a trusty camera. While the first game focused on ascending the TOEM mountain, I didn't catch nary a whiff of the actual motivations and reasoning for the journey this time around. Instead, I was given free reign to meander around the idyllic village and solve a variety of problems for the townsfolk, from trying to retrieve a potion of liquid courage for a scaredy-cat knight to taking photos of three goats in order to permit a bridge troll to let me pass. In my twenty or so minutes of play, I was able to help solve the small-scale problems of four individuals and be rewarded with a stamp for my collection each time. The camera remains the player's best tool in the world of TOEM 2 with players not only able to use their photography skills to solve the plights of the ordinary person, but also a variety of attachments to use as tools in your adventure. The very first unlockable upgrade I earned for my camera was a hammer upgrade that let me smash through select stone blocks that hindered my progression. Using the hammer is just like the other attachments from the first TOEM: simply point and shoot (or in this case, tap on the rocks). It took a moment to realize that there's a small minigame to using the hammer with players having to tap out morse code with short and long taps in order to break those rocks. 2 of 9 One puzzle I encountered was take a 3x3 cube of blocks and chisel away to make a matching sculpture to the quest giver. Rather than trying to memorize the layout or run back and forth between the source sculpture and what I was crafting, I stopped to take photos of each side of the cube and use those to remember the requested shape. The developers from Something We Made seemed surprised that this was a valid solution to their puzzle and it was nice to see the camera being used as a note taking device as well as the tool you'll use to take pictures of every animal around the landscape. New to TOEM 2 is also the addition of jumping, and in true platformer style, I had to test it out by jumping around on top of any short wall I could find and try to scale up the world. I couldn't find any unintended out-of-bounds areas, but I was at least able to find some climbable areas that would lead to new hats for the playable character. With jumping now on the menu, I wouldn't be surprised if the Honk attachment gets phased out for TOEM 2. Sadly, there's still a fair bit of time before TOEM 2 is ready to be in players' hands. Developer Something We Made and publisher popagenda have penciled in this quaint photographical adventure for 2026 across a slew of unannounced consoles as well as PC. Deal of the Day

Wholesome Direct 2025 - everything announced at this year's cosy indie showcase Big hops! Discount shops! Spooky pups! More! Image credit: Eurogamer Feature by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on June 7, 2025 If you're the sort who just can't seem to resist the soothing rhythms of turnip planting and interior design, you've come to the right place. This year's Wholesome Direct - which marks the fifth anniversary of the showcase - has now aired, unleashing a fresh wave of cosy games to stick on your wishlists. We've got vending machine management, adorable puppies on spooking adventures, cheese-based puzzling, geckos, goats, seasonal cemetery exploration, and a whole lot more. So if that sounds like it might help sate your idyllic yearning, read on for all the big announcements from Wholesome Direct 2025. And for more indies, you can check out our round-up of this year's Day of the Devs showcase elsewhere. Leaf Blower Co. Leaf Blower Co. trailer.Watch on YouTube Ever wished your PowerWash Simulator had a little less splosh and a little more whoosh? That seems to be the starting point for developer Lift Games' Leaf Blower Co., a game about making the untidy tidy come rain, snow, or shine, one mechanised gust at a time. It's got a story mode plus a variety to locations waiting to be blown debris-free, and if that appeals, a demo's available now on Steam ahead of its release later this year. Instants Instants trailer.Watch on YouTube Instants is a creativity themed puzzler about the intoxicating pleasures of obsessive scrapbooking. It sees players attempting to sort images into chronological order and then assembling them into a scrapbook to reveal a "heartwarming" story inspired by the way family history can be passed down using pictures. It's developed by Endflame and launches today on PC (via Steam and Epic), and Switch. Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar trailer.Watch on YouTube Stardew Valley might be the face of farming sims these days, but the grandaddy of the genre - Story of Season (formerly Harvest Moon) - never went away, and another entry in the venerable series is looming. Grand Bazaar is actually a remake of 2011 DS game Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar, and it's got pretty much everything you'd expect from these kind of things - including turnips to fondle, animals to rear, and locals to dazzle with your impressive root vegetable collection. The main twist is you'll be selling all this yourself by setting up shop in the titular bazar. And if that sounds like something you'd enjoy, it launches for Switch, Switch 2, and Steam on 27th August. Gourdlets Together Gourdlets Together trailer.Watch on YouTube Perhaps you're already a fan of last year's Gourdlets or perhaps you're completely new to its vegetable-themed low-stakes thrills. Either way, there'll soon be a new way to play, thanks to developer AuntyGames' Gourdlets Together. Essentially, it takes the laid-back village-building vibes of the original, slings in a bit of a fishing focus - where earnings can be spent on upgrades or accessories to decorate your island home - then lets you do it while hanging out with friends online. Gourdlets Together launches on PC later this year. Luma Island Luma Island trailer.Watch on YouTube Don't think we're done with the farming sims yet - not by a long shot! Luma Island launched last year, offering an attractive mix of crop whispering, profession-specific activities, creature collecting, exploration, and puzzle-y dungeoneering. And come 20th June, it'll be getting just a little be more swashbuckling, thanks to its free Pirates update, introducing a new profession, new Lumas, new outfits, and a pirate cove filled with mini-games, temples, traps, and treasures. It'll also bring a range of different difficulty modes to suit players of all tastes. Is This Seat Taken? Is This Seat Taken? trailer.Watch on YouTube Think you're a dab hand at the old 'awkward family gathering' seating plan challenge? Well then, this might just be the game for you. In Poti Poti Studio's "cosy, silly, and relatable" logic puzzler Is This Seat Taken?, the goal is to satisfy the demands of a particularly fussy group of chair occupiers to find the perfect spot that'll keep everyone happy - be they on the bus, at the park, or in the office. It's coming to Steam, Switch, iOS, and Android this August, and a Steam demo's out now. MakeRoom MakeRoom trailer.Watch on YouTube Here's one for the aesthetic tinkerers and furnishing fetishists out there. MakeRoom, from developer Kenney, sees players decorating a series of miniature dioramas - from cosy indoor retreats to camper vans and even forests - to fulfil the requests of adorable NPCs. You might, for instance, be tasked with creating the perfect room for cats, or a suitably moody hideout for a vampire. Then it's simply a matter of hanging drapes, plopping down plants, and even crafting furniture to bring these spaces to life and satisfy your clients' whims. It all sounds very much like Animal Crossing's weirdly compelling Happy Home Paradise expansion, so if it's more of that sort of thing you want, MakeRoom comes to Steam on 7th August. Ambroise Niflette & the Gleaned Bell Ambroise Niflette & the Gleaned Bell trailer.Watch on YouTube The apple bell - whatever an apple bell is - has been stolen, but luckily for apple bell lovers everywhere, renowned detective Ambroise Niflette is on the case. Over the course of Topotes Studio's investigatory adventure, Ambroise - and players - will roam the village of Touvoir, interrogating its inhabitants and searching for secrets, all while using a notebook of steadily amassing leads to reveal contradictions and unmask the culprit. It all sounds perfectly lovely, but the real draw is the delightful art style, which is heavily inspired by miniatures and stop motion. Ambroise Niflette & the Gleaned Bell is eventually set to launch on Steam, but first there's a Kickstarter, which is underway now. Let's Build a Dungeon Let's Build a Dungeon trailer.Watch on YouTube First there was Let's Build a Zoo, and now comes Let's Build a Dungeon. But while developer Springloaded kept its focus pretty tight for its debut release, Let's Build a Dungeon goes broad; not only is it a playable RPG creator where you can rustle up your own worlds and quests, it's also claiming to be an entire games industry sim too, where you'll need to manage all the malarky around releasing your game - from attracting funding right through to making a profit at the other end of the process. But if all that sounds too stressful, Springloaded has confirmed - as part of its latest showing - there'll be a cosy sandbox Build Mode too. There's still no release date for Let's Build a Dungeon yet, but it's heading to Steam (there's a demo here), Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Squeakross: Home Squeak Home Squeakross: Home Squeak Home trailer.Watch on YouTube What do you get if you cross adorable mice with classic grid-filling puzzler Picross? Well, this thing, obviously. Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is the work of developer Alblune, and it adds its own twist to the familiar logic-testing formula by introducing a home decorating element. The idea is each puzzle corresponds to an unlockable bit of decor - including furniture, accessories, and stickers - so you'll slowly amass new furnishings and trimmings as you give your brain a work out. Is there an in-game lore reason why puzzles equals furniture? Who knows! We'll soon find out, though, given Squeakross launches for Switch and PC (via Steam and itch.io) today. Monument Valley 3 Monument Valley 3 trailer.Watch on YouTube Ustwo Games' perspective shifting puzzle series Monument Valley has been a big old hit, amassing tens of millions of downloads since its iOS debut back in 2014 - so it wasn't a huge surprise when a third entry showed up on mobile last year. Initially, however, it was locked behind a Netflix subscription, but Monument Valley 3 - which we quite liked despite it offering little meaningful evolution for the series - is finally spreading its wings later this year. As announced during today's Wholesome Direct, it's coming to Steam, Switch, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on 22nd July. Big Hops Big Hops trailer.Watch on YouTube If you immediately thought bunnies, you're wrong. Big Hops is, in fact, a frog-themed action platformer, in which players attempt to help the titular Hop find his way home. Each world he visits on his adventure promises its own self-contained story - involving everything from mountain cultists to desert ne'erdowells - all interspersed with plenty of agile platform action. You can grapple across gaps, hoist levers, rotate wheels, even pick locks - all using your tongue - and it's accompanied by some veggie-based gameplay that lets players introduce the likes of climbable vines and mushroom-based bounce pads into levels. Big Hops is currently raising funds via Kickstarter and a Steam demo's out now. Little Kitty, Big City Little Kitty, Big City trailer.Watch on YouTube Here's quicky for you. Little Kitty, Big City - the feline-focused open-world adventure from Double Dagger Studio - is getting a little bigger. That's thanks to a free content update coming to all platforms this "summer", promising new story content, a new neighbourhood to explore, and new oddball characters to befriend. That's alongside a new cat customisation feature for you creative sorts out there. Vending Dokan!: Kozy Kiosk Vending Dokan!: Kozy Kiosk trailer.Watch on YouTube What's in a name? Well, pretty much everything in this case. Aftabi Games' Vending Dokan!: Kozy Kiosk is, just as it sounds, a cosy, laidback game about managing your own vending machine empire. You'll choose where your machines go and what they sell, and hire staff to ensure they stay stocked, clean, and in working order. There's a heavy customisation element too, as you're free to decorate the areas surrounding your vending machines in order to attract new customers. Kozy Kiosk is officially referred to as an "idle simulation", and can be played both actively and passively. And if that appeals, it launches for Steam today. Winter Burrow Winter Burrow trailer.Watch on YouTube Developer Pine Creek Games' "woodland survival game" Winter Burrow was unveiled during December's Wholesome Direct, but it's back to announce it's now coming to Switch. If you missed its original reveal, Winter Burrow casts you as a mouse who's attempting to fix up their burrow and turn it into a toasty retreat from the cold. That requires exploring the snow-covered world outside, gathering resources, crafting tools, building things, making friends, baking pies, and more. Winter Burrow launches next year and will be available for Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch. Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game Tales of the Shire trailer.Watch on YouTube After multiple delays, cosy hobbit life sim Tales of the Shire is almost upon us, and developer Wētā Workshop is readying for its arrival with a brand-new trailer. It's been described as a game about "finding joy in the small moments", and features all the usual life sim activities - fishing, cooking, gathering, decorating, merrymaking - with a bit of a Lord of the Rings twist. So yes, you CAN decorate your hobbit's hole. Tales of the Shire launches for Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on 29th July. Haunted Paws Haunted Paws trailer.Watch on YouTube If your interests lie at the intersection of spooky mansions and adorable pups, prepare to have your day made. In developer LazyFlock's supernatural adventure Haunted Paws, players - either solo or with a friend - control two brave (and customisable!) puppies as they explore a creepy old house in search of their human, who's been kidnapped by sinister forces. It promises puzzles, lighthearted spookiness, and even a few emotional bits. There's no release date for Haunted Paws yet, but it's coming to Steam. The Guardian of Nature The Guardian of Nature trailer.Watch on YouTube This wholesome, hand-drawn puzzle adventure from Inlusio Interactive is all about the interconnectedness of nature, and sees players embarking on a botanical journey as the lovably be-hatted Henry. Not only does Henry know his stuff about the natural world, he's also able to change his size, meaning players can explore both above and below ground as they solve puzzles to assist nature. The Guardian of Nature launches into Steam early access today, and it's coming to Switch, Xbox, iOS, and Android too. Everdeep Aurora Everdeep Aurora trailer.Watch on YouTube If you've ever thought Dig Dug would be improved if its protagonist was a cat, Everdeep Aurora might be the game for you. It follows the apocalyptic adventures of a kitten named Shell as she explores subterranean depths in search of her mother. You'll obliterate blocks, do some platforming, play mini-games, and converse with peculiar characters as you investigate the dark secrets buried below, all without a hint of combat. Its limited-colour pixel art looks wonderful, and it's coming to Steam and Switch on 10th July. Seasonala Cemetery Seasonala Cemetery trailer.Watch on YouTube From the creators of A Mortician's Tale, the "meditative" Seasonala Cemetery is a "peaceful but poignant reflection on life and death". It's set in an expansive, living cemetery that changes dynamically based on your system's time and date. The summer, for instance, might see the world bustling with vibrant life, while the winter brings quiet and snow. You can interact with NPCs and animals, rummage through nature, learn the history of the nearby city through its gravestones, or simply relax to its ambient sounds. Seasonala Cemetery is out today on Steam and itch.io, and is completely free. Camper Van: Make it Home Camper Van: Make it Home trailer.Watch on YouTube One of (bizarrely) several camper-van-themed games currently in the works, developer Malpata Studio's Make it Home is a pretty self-explanatory thing. You've got a camper van to make your own as it journey across beautiful, idyllic landscapes. Part of your goal is to solve organisational puzzles, but there's laidback interior design too. Camper Van: Make it Home is available today, alongside a demo, on Steam. Lynked: Banner of the Spark Lynked: Banner of the Spark trailer.Watch on YouTube FuzzyBot's Lynked: Banner of the Spark is a cheerily colourful action-RPG, that's part sci-fi roguelike, part relaxed life sim. At its most peaceful, you'll farm, fish, gather materials, and build your base with help from your robot pals, but that's all in service of its more frenetic hack-and-slash action. When you're ready for some proper adventure, you can brave the wilds, battle evil robot forces with a large arsenal of weapons, and search for helpful bots to bring back home. Lynked is already available on Steam, but it's coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S too. Omelet You Cook Omelet You Cook trailer.Watch on YouTube In this chaotic cooking roguelike from SchuBox Games, you're tasked with creating the perfect omelettes to satisfy your customers' increasingly peculiar demands. That involves combining ingredients as they fly by on a conveyor belt, from the relatively mundane to the rather more dubious, in the hope of earning enough money to increase your provisions, add useful relics to your pantry, and, hopefully, please the fearsome Principal Clucker. It all looks wonderfully ridiculous, and it launches on Steam today. Milano's Odd Job Collection Milano's Odd Job Collection trailer.Watch on YouTube Milano's Odd Job Collection (known as Milano no Arubaito Collection in Japan) is coming to the west for the very first time. It follows the adventures of 11-year-old Milano as she's left to her own devices over the summer. Free to do as she pleases, she embarks on a range of odd job - from pizza delivery to milking flying cows - in order to make money and have fun. Milano's Odd Job Collection, from developer Westone, is coming to Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC later this year. Fireseide Feelings Fireseide Feelings trailer.Watch on YouTube If you've got something to get off your chest, what better place to do it than by a roaring fire in a cosy forest glade? Fireside Feelings is described as a "mental wellness experience" promoting empathy, connection, and positivity between players. Situated cosily in your customisable camp, you're able to answer questions on a range of topics, taking part in conversations between people "separated in space and time". Conversations aren't live, and there's no direct interaction with others, but the goal, according to developer Team Empreintes, is to "share experiences, express your emotions, and be a part of a caring community". It launches today on Steam. All Will Rise All Will Rise trailer.Watch on YouTube Well here's something you don't see every day. All Will Rise is a "narrative courtroom deck-builder", in which you and your team take a corrupt billionaire to court, accusing them of a river's murder. That involves accumulating cards and using them to engage in conversation battles, attempting to charm, intimidate and manipulate those you meet around the vibrant city of Muziris. "Obey a dead river god's summons - or defy them," developer Speculative Agency explains. "Pass information to violent ecoterrorists - or maintain your pacifist ideals. Convince a corporate stooge to testify for you - or blackmail him with sensitive information. Your choices will determine the [city's] fate." All Will Rise is currently crowdfunding, but it's aiming to launch on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam. Gecko Gods Gecko Gods trailer.Watch on YouTube It's hard to go wrong with a gecko, which immediately gives developer Inresin's Gecko Gods a bit of an advantage. What we've got here is a "serene lizard-sized puzzle-platformer" set on a beautiful archipelago, in which its tiny protagonist clambers across forgotten ruins, solving puzzles as they go. There are secrets of a lost civilisation to uncover, hidden paths, and more, all of which you'll be able to explore for yourself when Gecko Gods launches for Switch, PS5, and Steam later this year. But if you're an impatient sort, a Steam demo is available now. One Move Away One Move Away trailer.Watch on YouTube If you quite fancied the idea of Unpacking, but thought it had far too much 'taking stuff out of things' for its own good, you might enjoy Ramage Games' One Move Away, which is basically the inverse experience. Here, you play as three different characters, starting with a young girl in the 1980s, gradually learning more about them as you pack their belongings away ready for another chapter in their intertwining lives. All this plays out in first-person across 20 levels, and if that takes your fancy, a Steam demo's out now ahead of a full launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Heidi's Legacy: Mountains Calling Heidi's Legacy trailer.Watch on YouTube As you've probably already guessed, Heidi's Legacy: Mountains Calling takes inspiration from the classic children's stories. Which is why it's something of a surprise to learn its protagonist is called Adèle. Regardless, this is a game of grumpy old men, goat management, and alpine wandering, where you'll explore the beautiful countryside with your bleating pals, foraging for herbs, mushrooms, and more in a bid to help the nearby village. You can unlock abilities that open up more of the world, and chat to the locals in branching conversations'll that impact their lives. And as for those goats, they can provide milk, cheese, and wool. "Will you embrace slow living," asks developer Humble Reeds, "or push for bolder change?". Heidi's Legacy is coming to PC "soon". Hotel Galatic Hotel Galatic trailer.Watch on YouTube In Hotel Galactic, you're responsible for the running of a modular hotel on a strange cosmic island, which you'll customise and optimise in order to provide guests with the perfect stay. There are resources to manage, a workforce to build, and more, as you cater to the demands of your ever-growing colony, all with assistance from your ghostly Grandpa Gustav. There's a bit more to it than that, though, and the whole thing's framed by a tale of love and vengeance that's conveyed through some lovely anime-inspired art and animation. Hotel Galactic launches into Steam early access on 24th July, with consoles to follow, and a demo's available now. Out and About Out and About trailer.Watch on YouTube If it's serene forest meandering you're after, then look no further than Yaldi Games' Out and About. It's a "cosy foraging adventure" focused on exploring nature and identifying real-life plants and fungi. You'll cook recipes, make herbal remedies, and help rebuild your community after a devastating storm, all while hopefully learning a bit of botanical knowledge you can take out into the real-world. Out and About looks to be aiming for a 2025 release on PC, with a console launch to follow. And if it's piqued your curiosity, you can test out a Steam demo now. Discounty Discounty trailer.Watch on YouTube Forget the farm life; how about managing your own discount supermarket in a small harbour town? That's the premise of Discounty from Crinkle Cut Games, which sees you designing and organising your shop, managing stock levels, working the checkout, and striking trade deals. You'll make friends, navigate local drama, and expand your empire, but that doesn't mean you have to play nice. After all, can you really become filthy rich without making a few lifelong enemies along the way? Discounty launches for Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on 21st August and, yup, a demo's available now on Steam. Islanders: New Shores Islanders: New Shores trailer.Watch on YouTube We're big fans of developer GrizzlyGames' minimalist city builder Islanders around these parts, so news publisher Coatsink was developing a sequel earlier this year came as a pleasant surprise. It is, if you're unfamiliar, a game about attempting to squeeze as much onto a procedurally generated island as possible, maximising building synergies and minimising penalties to get the highest score. New Shores sounds like a gentle finessing of the formula, rather than a radical reinvention - it's got a sandbox mode as well as a high score mode now, alongside new power-ups called "boons" - but that's okay. The big news is it now has a release date and is coming to Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam on 10th July. Collector's Cove Collector's Cove trailer.Watch on YouTube VoodooDuck's Collector's Cove might be yet another farming game, but it does at least have a unique twist. For starters, your farm is on a boat endlessly sailing the oceans AND it's powered by an adorable sea monster who you'll need to forge a bond with. As you set out on a tranquil adventure across the water, you'll farm, fish, craft, and personalise your surroundings, sometimes stopping off at passing islands to catalogue their unique flora. Collector's Cove doesn't have a release date yet, but it's coming to PC and a Steam demo's available now. Town to City Town to City trailer.Watch on YouTube Fans of minimalist railway game Station to Station might want to pay attention here. Town to City is developer Galaxy Grove's follow-up to that earlier puzzler, sporting a similar voxel art aesthetic and vibe. This time around, you're charged with building quaint picturesque towns by placing shops, houses, amenities, decorations, and more - all in a bid to please your residents and encourage more to move in. Eventually, you'll have multiple towns under your care, helping the whole region grow and thrive. Town to City doesn't have a release date yet, but you can play a demo on Steam. Fishbowl Fishbowl trailer.Watch on YouTube And finally for the big, non-montage reveals, it's Fishbowl, a coming-of-age tale told over the course of a month. Developer imissmyfriends.studio describes it as a "warm and cozy story about living in isolation, nurturing friendships and understanding grief", and it's all focused on 21-year-old video editor Alo as she works from home while mourning her grandmother. As the days tick by, you'll video call loved ones, work to assemble videos, do care tasks, and solve puzzles to unpack your grandmother's belongings - recovering childhood memories as you do. There's no release date for Fishbowl yet, but it's coming to PS5 and Steam.

These annual rankings were last updated on May 30, 2025. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking. Ireland’s architecture is a rich tapestry of vernacular craft, foreign architecture, and, most importantly, good ol’ grit. Like any nation, Ireland’s complex history is easily contextualized through its urban makeup. Dublin and Cork, for example contain a wealth of Georgian and Victorian structures that directly speak to the republic’s past ties to Britain through churches, libraries and courthouses. In the 20th century, Irish designers turned to modernism and other international trends, this time on their own terms. Art Deco, Brutalism and sleek Modern structures began to appear around the country, generating an architectural expression to mirror the republic’s newfound independence. Ireland’s traditional architecture — specifically the thatched cottage — was again made popular by tourists seeking a quintessential ‘Irish experience.’ Today’s designers continuously engage with discourse surrounding nationalism. What is the quintessential ‘Irish experience’, and how does it inform today’s architecture? With a built environment rooted in pluralism, Irish architects have an incredible opportunity to recreate and rectify an architectural language that best represents today’s Irish folk. With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Ireland based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge. How are these architecture firms ranked? The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority: The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2025) The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2025) The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2025) The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2025) The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2025) Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Ireland architecture firms throughout the year. Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Ireland: 30. Hussey Architects © Hussey Architects Hussey Architects was established in 2009 in Dublin. The practice has grown from working on small domestic projects then to large healthcare, housing and hospitality projects now. We are a small practice with experience completing large projects. Over the past decade we have completed seven Primary Care Centres, two hotels, a nursing home, ten masterplans and over one hundred houses. Our focus is on designing simple economical buildings that respect their context. Our style has evolved from our more angular early buildings and projects to a more classical simple architectural language in traditional materials. Some of Hussey Architects’ most prominent projects include: National Leprechaun Museum Cafe The Hendrick, Dublin, Ireland Navan Road Primary Care Centre, Dublin, Ireland Celbridge Primary Care Centre, Celbridge, Ireland Balbriggan Primary Care Centre, Balbriggan, Ireland The following statistics helped Hussey Architects achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Total Projects 14 29. Donaghy & Dimond Architects © Donaghy & Dimond Architects Based in Dublin, Donaghy + Dimond Architects was established in 2001 by Marcus Donaghy and Will Dimond, two architects with extensive experience of working on urban and rural design projects in Ireland and abroad. The practice has developed a reputation for high-quality, innovative and sustainable design, and has been selected for numerous national and international awards for completed projects. Their work has been published and exhibited in Ireland, Europe and the USA. Some of Donaghy & Dimond Architects’ most prominent projects include: Laneway Wall Garden House, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Donaghy & Dimond Architects achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 28. ABK Architects © ABK Architects Established in 1961, ABK Architects is a design-led practice with an international reputation for the delivery of buildings of the highest quality. It is renowned for its work in many fields including master-planning, education, healthcare, housing and the arts. The practice offers skills in architecture and related fields such as urban design and planning, interior and furniture design and is one of the leading exponents of sustainability in the field of architecture. Implicit in the work of ABK is a search for quality, which concerns the character and atmosphere of spaces and a sense of place. Each building proposal is a unique response, integrating the general and the particular into a coherent whole. Some of ABK Architects’ most prominent projects include: Roscommon Civic Offices, Roscommon, Ireland The following statistics helped ABK Architects achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 27. de Siún Scullion Architects © de Siún Scullion Architects We are a new Dublin-based Architecture practice offering a broad range of experience and specialist expertise in high quality, innovative and sustainable design to both public and private sector clients Some of de Siún Scullion Architects’ most prominent projects include: 5Cube, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped de Siún Scullion Architects achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 26. TAKA architects © TAKA architects TAKA is an architectural practice based in Dublin, Ireland. Our practice is focused on creating buildings, places and moments which have a distinct character. Our approach involves a careful and economic approach to materials and construction and a first-principles approach to sustainability. We collaborate closely with clients, professional consultants, and expert makers to ensure the ambitions of projects are met and exceeded. A continuing level of excellence in the built work of the practice is recognized by multiple national and international awards and worldwide publication. Some of TAKA architects’ most prominent projects include: Merrion Cricket Club, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped TAKA architects achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 25. NOJI Architects © NOJI NOJI Architects are a practice based in Sligo Town working on individual and collaborative projects throughout Ireland. NOJI architects have been in existence for 4 years, now with two staff and the principle architect being John Monahan. The practice has been primarily involved with residential work ranging from renovation extensions of period properties to one off houses and the possibility of community level buildings in the near future. In parallel to the mainly residential work there is an emphasis on the smaller scale design projects allowing an artistic expression and shorter build fruition periods. NOJI architects aim to have craft and innovative design solutions at the core of their work. Some of NOJI Architects’ most prominent projects include: Scale of Ply, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped NOJI achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 24. Carr Cotter Naessens Architects © Dennis Gilbert, VIEW Box Architecture was created in 1997. Since conception, the company has been established as a leading design practice in the nation. Quality has remained the focus of Box throughout and this has been employed to a variety of projects including urban schemes, apartment units, award-winning private commissions, corporate offices, crèches and housing developments. The success of Box Architecture is achieved through a personal approach to understand client needs. With a hands-on approach, technical expertise, creative execution and a commitment to continued education, the company applies a philosophy of the highest principle in order to contribute to a sustainable future and maintain quality architecture. Some of Carr Cotter Naessens Architects’ most prominent projects include: dlrLexicon, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Carr Cotter Naessens Architects achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 23. Box Architecture Timber elements mark the transition between openness and enclosure - © Box Architecture Box Architecture was created in 1997. Since conception, the company has been established as a leading design practice in the nation. Quality has remained the focus of Box throughout and this has been employed to a variety of projects including urban schemes, apartment units, award-winning private commissions, corporate offices, crèches and housing developments. The success of Box Architecture is achieved through a personal approach to understand client needs. With a hands-on approach, technical expertise, creative execution and a commitment to continued education, the company applies a philosophy of the highest principle in order to contribute to a sustainable future and maintain quality architecture. Some of Box Architecture’s most prominent projects include: BALLYROAN PARISH CENTRE Ballyroan Library The following statistics helped Box Architecture achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 2 22. Kingston Lafferty Design © Donal Murphy Kingston Lafferty Design are an award-winning, international multi-disciplinary design company run by Roisin Lafferty based in Dublin, Ireland. At KLD we think differently about design. Our designs take people on a journey, delivering fun and unexpected experiences. With a holistic approach, we study the way in which people live and work to create tactile and meaningful design, putting human behavior at the centre of every project. Some of Kingston Lafferty Design’s most prominent projects include: Dublin Residence, Dublin, Ireland Ballsbridge Residence, Dublin, Ireland Ranelagh Residence, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Kingston Lafferty Design achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 3 21. Architecture Republic © Architecture Republic Architecture Republic with offices in Dublin (Ireland)and Lyon (France) operates in the fields of architecture, urbanism and landscape design. We engage with engineers, artists, researchers, policy-makers, and other professionals through research, analysis and cross disciplinary collaboration. We find the seeds of our inspiration in the rich and complex realm of ordinary everyday life. We believe in the social engagement and spatial power of architecture more than its visual or plastic expression. We believe in architecture that creates public spaces and democratic cities. An architecture that revitalizes redefines and strengthens existing buildings and neighbourhoods. Some of Architecture Republic’s most prominent projects include: The Plastic House, Dublin, Ireland Formwork Studio Brick a Back, Gordon Street, Dublin, Ireland Orla Kiely’s New York Store, New York, New York The following statistics helped Architecture Republic achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 4 20. Conneely Wessels Architects © F22 PHOTOGRAPHY Conneely Wessels Architects is an Award Winning Architectural Practice, established in 2008 and based in Kinsale, County Cork. Our practice provides a responsive, imaginative and professional service, tailored to the aspirations of each of our clients, and to deliver quality results, regardless of commission size or type. Some of Conneely Wessels Architects’ most prominent projects include: Three Pavilions, House Clancy, Kinsale, Ireland Peek-a-Boo!, Kinsale, Ireland Cardinal Point, Kinsale, Ireland Ardgwee House, Kinsale, Ireland The following statistics helped Conneely Wessels Architects achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 4 19. ARCHITECTSTM © Ros Kavanagh ARCHITECTSTM is a design practice founded by Tom Maher. Based in Dublin, Ireland the firm boasts a portfolio of residential, cultural and commercial designs. Some of ARCHITECTSTM’s most prominent projects include: K HOUSE, Ranelagh, Ireland GARDENER’S WORLD (FUTURE), Callan, Ireland SLATE STOREY EXTENSION, Dublin, Ireland COTTAGE, County Kilkenny, Ireland 8BY4, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped ARCHITECTSTM achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 5 18. Paul Dillon Architects © Paul Dillon Architects In 1999, architect Paul Dillon established his full-service practice in Galway, which quickly earned a reputation for combining design sensitivity with professional management and delivery. Each year, paul dillon architects complete a small number of challenging everyday projects, ranging from domestic extensions and garden designs to large commercial, retail, industrial and public projects. This commitment to the process of building, has been recognized with numerous national and international publications and awards. The completed work, both public and private, is receiving growing understanding and appreciation from those who take responsibility for their built environment. Some of Paul Dillon Architects’ most prominent projects include: Carnaun Primary School, Athenry, Ireland Extension to Secondary School, County Galway, Ireland Kilrickle Primary School, Kilreekill, Ireland Art Room, Secondary School, Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland Art Room, Inis Mór, County Galway, Ireland The following statistics helped Paul Dillon Architects achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 5 17. Isabel Barros Architects © Robert Mullan Photography isabel barros architects are driven by a passion for creating high quality contemporary architecture. Our goal is to make good design available to the general public while maintaining a strong focus on the energy efficiency and sustainability of our designs. Some of Isabel Barros Architects’ most prominent projects include: Seaview House, Wexford, Ireland Conservation Works at Brandon House Hotel, New Ross, Ireland Extension to House Over 100 Years Old, Ireland River House Kilkenny, Kilkenny, Ireland Shaolin Cottage, Ireland The following statistics helped Isabel Barros Architects achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 6 16. Solearth Architecture © Solearth Architecture Solearth Architecture specialise in design that is both beautiful and deeply sustainable. We have for 15 years been Irelands leading green design firm and now provide architecture, design and consulting services further afield. All projects and client types are of interest to us but our key experience to date lies in hospitality, visitor, environment, wellness and buildings for spirituality as well as housing and private houses. We also have expertise in sustainable masterplanning and urban design. We are Europes only Living Building accredited practice. Some of Solearth Architecture’s most prominent projects include: Airfield Evolution, Dublin, Ireland Castle Espie, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom The Daintree Building, Dublin, Ireland Ballybay Wetland Centre, Ballybay, Ireland Dechen Shying, Cork, Ireland The following statistics helped Solearth Architecture achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 7 15. Foley Architects © Foley Architects, CAMPUS Foley Architects is an architectural practice based in Dublin led by Stephen Foley and Marta Lopez driven by creating sustainable buildings and considered spaces that connect to their physical and social contexts. Our mission is to uncover what is special about each project to create unique spaces and buildings which can inspire communities. The concept of our first built project, the Eastbourne Beach Hut took inspiration from a local story involving fossils and was developed using digital fabrication tools. The pavilion’s translucent skin allows it to transform at night, emitting light and expressing its structure. The Cork Butter museum involved the adaptive reuse of an existing space, it’s remodelling and installation of elements for a collection of artefacts, using economic materials like mild steel and birch plywood. Some of Foley Architects’ most prominent projects include: The Lark Theatre, Dublin, Ireland Eastbourne Beach Hut, Eastbourne, United Kingdom Rossaveel Small Craft Harbour, Galway, Ireland 12th Lock Area Masterplan, Lucan, Ireland Killybegs Small Craft Harbour, Donegal, Ireland The following statistics helped Foley Architects achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 9 14. David Flynn Architects © David Flynn Architects Ltd We are award-winning Architects in Dublin specializing in residential projects, including newbuild houses, reconstruction and significant refurb / extension / transformation of existing. We are currently engaged as Architects in a small number of projects across Dublin with construction values ranging from €400,000 up to €1.5m. The majority of our houses will end up as highly efficient A-rated homes for life. We have a track record in delivering highly bespoke residential architecture projects which run smoothly through design, planning and construction stages, many of which have received awards and been widely published. We use highly detailed 3D Digital models to plan, visualise and clearly communicate from early in the design process to ensure a successful outcome. Some of David Flynn Architects’ most prominent projects include: Garden Retreat, Blackrock, Ireland Mount Merrion, Dublin, Ireland 1930s Extension Renovation, Booterstown, Ireland 1870s period house extension, Sandymount, Ireland Rebuild & Renovation, Clonskeagh, Ireland The following statistics helped David Flynn Architects achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 10 13. ODKM Architects & Designers © ODKM Architects & Designers ODKM are highly experienced award-winning architectural practice, with accolades and publications both in Ireland and abroad. We love design, how it makes us feel, and what it offers us every day, and we are passionate about how important this is in creating new spaces, identities and places that exceed our clients expectations. Ultimately, buildings are about people, and we believe in quality driven design to create environments with a sense of place. Our team each bring unique and diverse skills to the practice, all stemming from a common holistic design philosophy; that design can improve the quality of our lives, and make us happier. Some of ODKM Architects & Designers’ most prominent projects include: Ranelagh House, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped ODKM Architects & Designers achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 12. Architectural Farm © Ste Murray | Photography & Design Architectural Farm is a design focused architectural studio based in Dublin. The studio has been led by Shane Cotter and Kathryn Wilson since 2010. To date the practice has worked on a variety of projects specializing in residential and public commissions in both urban and rural settings but also have collaborated on retail, commercial and landscaping projects. Some of Architectural Farm’s most prominent projects include: Walled Garden, Ballsbridge, Ireland St Declans Terrace, Saint Declan’s Terrace, Ireland The following statistics helped Architectural Farm achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 2 11. GKMP Architect © GKMP Architect GKMP Architects is a Dublin-based practice that designs high quality modern architecture. Our recent projects include house design, domestic extensions, public spaces and tourist facilities. Some of GKMP Architect’s most prominent projects include: Hedge House at Leeson Walk, Dublin, Ireland House Extension at Silchester Park, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped GKMP Architect achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 2 10. Aughey O’Flaherty Architects © Aughey O'Flaherty Architects Since the start, in 1999, we have been blessed with great clients. We work closely with them to understand their needs and create buidings to fit those needs. By 2003, the practice had won the first of many awards and in 2005, we won the prestious RIAI award, best building in the landscape.As conservation architects, we have Grade II RIAI Conservation Accreditation. Some of Aughey O’Flaherty Architects’ most prominent projects include: Fethard House on Mount Anville, Goatstown, Ireland New House The following statistics helped Aughey O'Flaherty Architects achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 3 9. BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners © BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects, founded in 2015 by Gareth Brennan and Séamus Furlong, is an award-winning RIAI-registered practice based in Clontarf, Dublin. The practice is accredited in Conservation (Grade III), can act as Project Supervisors for the Design Process (PSDP) and holds full Professional Indemnity Insurance. The work of the practice – a mix of residential and commercial projects — centers on the principle that the well-considered and carefully developed design of buildings and spaces we use every day helps to enrich and enliven our experience and interaction with the built environment. Some of BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners’ most prominent projects include: GLENTORA, Howth, Dublin, Ireland FOUR WINDS, Dublin, Ireland STRAND ROAD, Dublin, Ireland LERRIG, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 4 8. Ambient Architecture © Ambient Architecture At Ambient Architecture we design exclusive residences for private clients in new builds, renovation and conservation projects. For our commercial partners, we develop innovative, sustainable, and sound feasibility and planning solutions. As architects we focus on providing the best outcome for our clients, in terms of design, costs, and buildability. Some of Ambient Architecture’s most prominent projects include: New house in Malahide, Malahide, Ireland Rathgar Redbrick, Dublin, Ireland Loreto Abbey Dalkey Sportshall, Dalkey, Ireland Rathmines Redbrick, Dublin, Ireland 2SEMIS, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Ambient Architecture achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 5 7. Coady Architects © Coady Architects Coady Architects is an award winning practice of highly skilled professionals, specializing in healthcare, residential, workplace and education design. We are passionate about understanding our clients’ and end users’ needs. We understand commercial drivers and add value at every opportunity. We enjoy design, we listen and explore, we innovate and challenge to deliver better environments and better buildings. Some of Coady Architects’ most prominent projects include: Scholen van Morgen. VIIO, Tongeren, Belgium Eolas, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland Clinical Education and Research Centre, Limerick, Ireland Scholen van Morgen. Heilig Hart van Mariainstituut, Berlaar, Belgium Scholen van Morgen, Virga Jessecollege, Hasselt, Belgium The following statistics helped Coady Architects achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 5 6. Architecture 53seven © Architecture 53seven Architecture 53seven is focussed on the delivery of inventive architecture and urban design, with a particular interest in developing new programmatic forms that reflect the complexities of the contemporary city. Established by Jason O’Shaughnessy in 2000, Architecture 53seven has developed a series of acclaimed projects in Ireland and overseas and was nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2009. Some of Architecture 53seven’s most prominent projects include: Egans Juice Bar and Roof Terrace, Main Street, Portlaoise, Ireland Tullow Ciivic Offices and Library Montenegro Villa, Dobra Voda, Montenegro Villa Petrovic, Dobra Voda, Montenegro Renaasance day hospital The following statistics helped Architecture 53seven achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 37 5. FKL architects © FKL architects FKL architects is committed to contemporary design with a focus on the application of abstract ideas to built form. Each project is approached from first principles by responding to the specifics of site and program and formulating a singular concept that informs all aspects of the design. This individual concept is firmly rooted in the pragmatics of the project. We seek to condense ideas to their essentials, from the building form to the detail of junctions between materials with all decisions re-affirming and complementing the primary concept. The form and language of each project grows out of this approach leading to a diversity in the work, within a framework given by enduring interests; in space, atmosphere, assemblage, pattern, hierarchy, texture and materiality. Some of FKL architects’ most prominent projects include: A House, Rathmines, Ireland A house, Rathmines, Ireland St John’s House Nursing Home, Dublin, Ireland Brick House Reuben Street Apartments, Dolphins Barn, Ireland The following statistics helped FKL architects achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 17 4. Heneghan Peng Architects © Iwan Baan heneghan peng architects is a design partnership practicing architecture, landscape and urban design. The practice was founded by Shih-Fu Peng and Róisín Heneghan in New York in 1999 and in 2001 opened an office in Dublin, Ireland. We take a multi-disciplinary approach to design and have collaborated with many leading designers and engineers on a range of projects which include larger scale urban masterplans, bridges, landscapes and buildings. Current projects include the Canadian Canoe Museum, The Old Library refurbishment at Trinity College Dublin, the Visitors’ Centre at the Berlin Botanic Gardens and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Some of Heneghan Peng Architects’ most prominent projects include: The Palestinian Museum, Bir Zayt Air BnB European Operations Hub, Dublin, Ireland School of Architecture and Design/Library at the University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Heneghan Peng Architects achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 3 3. Scullion Architects © Scullion Architects SCULLION ARCHITECTS are a Dublin-based Architectural Studio established by Declan Scullion MRIAI, providing architectural services for both the public and private sector. The practice’s work is characterized by a particular attention to user experience supported by an interest in things well-made. Our ambition is to provide a dedicated and professional service delivering exceptional buildings. Some of Scullion Architects’ most prominent projects include: Grand Canal Street, Dublin, Ireland Glass Ribbon, Dublin, Ireland Blackrock House, Dundalk, Ireland Churchtown, Dublin, Ireland The Liberties, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Scullion Architects achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 5 2. ODOS © ODOS The constant questioning of how people work, rest and play in today’s society is the fundamental driving force behind the practice. We strongly believe our clients deserve to be challenged and that buildings need to inspire their occupants. As architects we have a duty to expose such possibilities. We hope to instill a sense of curiosity and excitement, stimulating a response, confronting and challenging traditional conceptions of architecture Some of ODOS’s most prominent projects include: Flynn Mews House, Dublin, Ireland Dwelling at Maytree, Wicklow, Wicklow, Ireland 3 Mews Houses, Dublin, Ireland Grangegorman, Dublin 7, Dublin, Ireland 31 Carysfort Road, Dalkey, Ireland The following statistics helped ODOS achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 9 1. McCullough Mulvin Architects © McCullough Mulvin Architects McCullough Mulvin Architects is an architecture and urban design practice based in Dublin. Much of our work has been in the design of cultural and civic buildings around Ireland, projects working to define a new public realm in a changing society, dealing with Ireland’s diffuse light and stark materiality. The work is based around an idea of experimentation – from small domestic work through to larger civic projects – testing at all scales, the work is original and the response to each brief particular. There is no house style, rather a concern for improving the lives of people by designing public and private spaces where life is played out. Some of McCullough Mulvin Architects’ most prominent projects include: Medieval Mile Museum, Kilkenny, Ireland Featured image: Trinity Long Room Hub, Dublin, Ireland Z Square House, Temple Gardens, Dublin, Ireland Beaufort Maritime Research Building, Cork, Ireland one up two down , Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped McCullough Mulvin Architects achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 6 Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking? With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year. Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York. An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted A Guide to Project Awards The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award. The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status: Project completed within the last 3 years A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value High quality, in focus photographs At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings Inclusion of construction photographs There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.     We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com. The post 30 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Ireland appeared first on Journal.

Mark Jupiter always knew he was a creator, and in his youth he embraced different forms of expression. He eventually felt a deep pull to design and built his first house, with care in every element. “I felt that it was something I needed to do at least once in my life,” Jupiter says. “From raising a massive Gambrel timber frame to constructing the first LEED Platinum homes in the country, it became clear that the crossroads of craft and invention was where I was meant to be.” The path to success wasn’t an easy one for Jupiter. After both of his parents passed away, and experiencing the collapse of his housing company during the financial crisis of 2008, Jupiter was at a loss. He credits his wife with providing support and giving him the courage to reinvent himself. Her belief in his talents inspired him to go back to the basics and start making furniture, a world he knew well. Mark Jupiter \\\ Photo: Michael Biondo Jupiter’s father was a furniture maker, and he learned the tricks of the trade from him, pitching in and doing a little bit of everything, from lifting materials to sanding wood. It all came naturally to him, and so this native New Yorker decided to move back to the city from upstate and start his own business. He found the perfect space in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood, and in 2013 opened his eponymous studio with a dozen pieces, which he describes as “the functional jewelry of any room.” The operation has grown from a modest one-man shop to a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and showroom. At a time when craft-based businesses are continually being pushed out of high-end areas of the city, the workshop is more than a place where furniture is made – it’s a space for the community to come together to connect and inspire one another. Jupiter loves to collaborate with people, and nothing fuels him more than when he is alongside others who are inspired, especially team members. “Though it’s my name on the door, the truth is that none of it happens without the incredibly talented people I get to work with every day,” he notes. “This crew brings relentless skill, passion, and precision to everything we create.” Today, Mark Jupiter joins us for Friday Five! Photo: Mark Jupiter 1. My Wife’s Pottery I don’t watch her make it – I just see what she brings home, and every time I’m blown away. Her pottery has this quiet power to it. There’s nothing showy, just form, texture, and restraint. It reminds me that great work doesn’t need to announce itself – it simply belongs. Her pieces inhabit our space and shape how I think about presence and utility. Photo: Mark Jupiter 2. Chopping Wood I love the clean rhythm of chopping wood. It’s one of the few acts left that connects you directly to consequence – swing, crack, split. The weight of the axe, the resistance of the grain, the satisfaction of stacking something you’ve shaped with your own hands. It’s design in its most primitive form. Photo: Josh Wong 3. My Daughter’s Poetry and Singing My daughter writes and sings with an honesty I can’t touch. Watching her grow into her own creative voice reminds me of what it means to express something without pretense. She proves that beauty doesn’t need polish – it needs truth. Her creativity brings me back to the core of why I build anything at all. Photo: Mark Jupiter 4. Watching a Great Artist Work There’s a sacredness to watching someone who’s mastered their craft. Whether it’s a painter, a chef, or a sculptor – that zone they enter is electric. One of the most powerful examples was working with the artist Craig Anthony Miller – CAM – who created a commissioned mural for my new DUMBO showroom. He painted it right in my shop, and I had the privilege of watching him work every day. The decisions, the energy, the confidence – it was all a kind of a moving meditation. Photo: Mark Jupiter 5. Goats And then there’s this one – me and a goat, sharing a moment. I’ve always had a deep love for goats… really, most farm animals. Not in a Deliverance kind of way – just in a grounded, soul-level kind of way. Goats especially. You give them a little kiss, feed them some grain, and the next minute they’ll surprise you with a good-natured head butt when you least expect it. It’s their honesty I love – no pretense. Although I was born and raised in New York City, I’ve always felt a real connection to the mountains and farm country of upstate New York. There’s something about that life that stays with you, even when you’re back in the city, covered in sawdust.   Works by Mark Jupiter: Photo: Mark Jupiter Mark Jupiter DUMBO Showroom When I first started the company, I wanted to reimagine how people experience custom furniture. It wasn’t enough to just have a great shop – I knew I needed a showroom that felt equally considered. That’s why I built them side by side. Clients can walk in and see the finished pieces in a curated environment, then step through the doors and watch those same pieces being crafted by hand. It’s a full-circle experience – one that honors both the artistry of the object and the integrity of the process behind it. Photo: Courtesy of KITH KITH’s Women’s exclusive flagship store in Soho The KITH Women’s flagship store in SoHo is one of the latest chapters in an ongoing collaboration with KITH and its founder, Ronnie Feig. It all started with the Daisy Coffee Table, a piece I designed and named after my daughter. From that single gesture grew a multi-year, now global partnership, bringing the essence of that same design into KITH spaces worldwide. It’s a rare thing when a personal story becomes part of a larger cultural one, and I’m grateful to be building that story together. Photo: Mark Jupiter The Jacqueline Desk This is the Jacqueline Desk. Its quiet elegance and underlying complexity are what I’m most proud of. It’s a form I’ve adapted over time into desks, dining tables, and custom pieces in all shapes, sizes, and finishes. Like many of my designs, it’s named after someone I love and admire. This one is especially close to my heart. It’s named after my sister Amy Jacqueline Jupiter – a brilliant woman who, like the piece itself, is both elegant and beautifully complex. Photo: Mark Jupiter The Gabriel Credenza The Gabriel Credenza is a unique piece originally designed for a client inspired by the slow, hypnotic movement of his lava lamp. That’s where the curves and organic flow originate. Equally meaningful is the name. I named it after Gabriel Davis, the craftsperson who brought it to life. Gabriel has been a part of my studio for nearly eight years, and he’s one of the most gifted furniture makers I’ve ever known. The man is a genius with a table saw, and this piece carries both his precision and his spirit. Photo: Courtesy of KITH Collaboration with KITH and Bose I was asked by KITH and Bose to reimagine the classic 901 Speaker for its 60th anniversary. Working with Ronnie Feig and the engineers at Bose – individuals at the top of their creative game – was both a privilege and a creative high point. The exchange of ideas, the trust, and the shared pursuit of excellence – that’s the kind of collaboration I live for.

The Monty Hall Problem is a well-known brain teaser from which we can learn important lessons in Decision Making that are useful in general and in particular for data scientists. If you are not familiar with this problem, prepare to be perplexed . If you are, I hope to shine light on aspects that you might not have considered . I introduce the problem and solve with three types of intuitions: Common — The heart of this post focuses on applying our common sense to solve this problem. We’ll explore why it fails us and what we can do to intuitively overcome this to make the solution crystal clear . We’ll do this by using visuals , qualitative arguments and some basic probabilities (not too deep, I promise). Bayesian — We will briefly discuss the importance of belief propagation. Causal — We will use a Graph Model to visualise conditions required to use the Monty Hall problem in real world settings.Spoiler alert I haven’t been convinced that there are any, but the thought process is very useful. I summarise by discussing lessons learnt for better data decision making. In regards to the Bayesian and Causal intuitions, these will be presented in a gentle form. For the mathematically inclined I also provide supplementary sections with short Deep Dives into each approach after the summary. (Note: These are not required to appreciate the main points of the article.) By examining different aspects of this puzzle in probability you will hopefully be able to improve your data decision making . Credit: Wikipedia First, some history. Let’s Make a Deal is a USA television game show that originated in 1963. As its premise, audience participants were considered traders making deals with the host, Monty Hall . At the heart of the matter is an apparently simple scenario: A trader is posed with the question of choosing one of three doors for the opportunity to win a luxurious prize, e.g, a car . Behind the other two were goats . The trader is shown three closed doors. The trader chooses one of the doors. Let’s call this (without loss of generalisability) door A and mark it with a . Keeping the chosen door closed, the host reveals one of the remaining doors showing a goat (let’s call this door C). The trader chooses door and the the host reveals door C showing a goat. The host then asks the trader if they would like to stick with their first choice or switch to the other remaining one (which we’ll call door B). If the trader guesses correct they win the prize . If not they’ll be shown another goat (also referred to as a zonk). What is the probability of being Zonked? Credit: Wikipedia Should the trader stick with their original choice of door A or switch to B? Before reading further, give it a go. What would you do? Most people are likely to have a gut intuition that “it doesn’t matter” arguing that in the first instance each door had a ⅓ chance of hiding the prize, and that after the host intervention , when only two doors remain closed, the winning of the prize is 50:50. There are various ways of explaining why the coin toss intuition is incorrect. Most of these involve maths equations, or simulations. Whereas we will address these later, we’ll attempt to solve by applying Occam’s razor: A principle that states that simpler explanations are preferable to more complex ones — William of Ockham (1287–1347) To do this it is instructive to slightly redefine the problem to a large N doors instead of the original three. The Large N-Door Problem Similar to before: you have to choose one of many doors. For illustration let’s say N=100. Behind one of the doors there is the prize and behind 99 (N-1) of the rest are goats . The 100 Door Monty Hall problem before the host intervention. You choose one door and the host reveals 98 (N-2) of the other doors that have goats leaving yours and one more closed . The 100 Door Monty Hall Problem after the host intervention. Should you stick with your door or make the switch? Should you stick with your original choice or make the switch? I think you’ll agree with me that the remaining door, not chosen by you, is much more likely to conceal the prize … so you should definitely make the switch! It’s illustrative to compare both scenarios discussed so far. In the next figure we compare the post host intervention for the N=3 setup (top panel) and that of N=100 (bottom): Post intervention settings for the N=3 setup (top) and N=100 (bottom). In both cases we see two shut doors, one of which we’ve chosen. The main difference between these scenarios is that in the first we see one goat and in the second there are more than the eye would care to see (unless you shepherd for a living). Why do most people consider the first case as a “50:50” toss up and in the second it’s obvious to make the switch? We’ll soon address this question of why. First let’s put probabilities of success behind the different scenarios. What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? So far we learnt from the N=100 scenario that switching doors is obviously beneficial. Inferring for the N=3 may be a leap of faith for most. Using some basic probability arguments here we’ll quantify why it is favourable to make the switch for any number door scenario N. We start with the standard Monty Hall problem (N=3). When it starts the probability of the prize being behind each of the doors A, B and C is p=⅓. To be explicit let’s define the Y parameter to be the door with the prize , i.e, p(Y=A)= p(Y=B)=p(Y=C)=⅓. The trick to solving this problem is that once the trader’s door A has been chosen , we should pay close attention to the set of the other doors {B,C}, which has the probability of p(Y∈{B,C})=p(Y=B)+p(Y=C)=⅔. This visual may help make sense of this: By being attentive to the {B,C} the rest should follow. When the goat is revealed it is apparent that the probabilities post intervention change. Note that for ease of reading I’ll drop the Y notation, where p(Y=A) will read p(A) and p(Y∈{B,C}) will read p({B,C}). Also for completeness the full terms after the intervention should be even longer due to it being conditional, e.g, p(Y=A|Z=C), p(Y∈{B,C}|Z=C), where Z is a parameter representing the choice of the host . (In the Bayesian supplement section below I use proper notation without this shortening.) p(A) remains ⅓ p({B,C})=p(B)+p(C) remains ⅔, p(C)=0; we just learnt that the goat is behind door C, not the prize. p(B)= p({B,C})-p(C) = ⅔ For anyone with the information provided by the host (meaning the trader and the audience) this means that it isn’t a toss of a fair coin! For them the fact that p(C) became zero does not “raise all other boats” (probabilities of doors A and B), but rather p(A) remains the same and p(B) gets doubled. The bottom line is that the trader should consider p(A) = ⅓ and p(B)=⅔, hence by switching they are doubling the odds at winning! Let’s generalise to N (to make the visual simpler we’ll use N=100 again as an analogy). When we start all doors have odds of winning the prize p=1/N. After the trader chooses one door which we’ll call D₁, meaning p(Y=D₁)=1/N, we should now pay attention to the remaining set of doors {D₂, …, Dₙ} will have a chance of p(Y∈{D₂, …, Dₙ})=(N-1)/N. When the host reveals (N-2) doors {D₃, …, Dₙ} with goats (back to short notation): p(D₁) remains 1/N p({D₂, …, Dₙ})=p(D₂)+p(D₃)+… + p(Dₙ) remains (N-1)/N p(D₃)=p(D₄)= …=p(Dₙ₋₁) =p(Dₙ) = 0; we just learnt that they have goats, not the prize. p(D₂)=p({D₂, …, Dₙ}) — p(D₃) — … — p(Dₙ)=(N-1)/N The trader should now consider two door values p(D₁)=1/N and p(D₂)=(N-1)/N. Hence the odds of winning improved by a factor of N-1! In the case of N=100, this means by an odds ratio of 99! (i.e, 99% likely to win a prize when switching vs. 1% if not). The improvement of odds ratios in all scenarios between N=3 to 100 may be seen in the following graph. The thin line is the probability of winning by choosing any door prior to the intervention p(Y)=1/N. Note that it also represents the chance of winning after the intervention, if they decide to stick to their guns and not switch p(Y=D₁|Z={D₃…Dₙ}). (Here I reintroduce the more rigorous conditional form mentioned earlier.) The thick line is the probability of winning the prize after the intervention if the door is switched p(Y=D₂|Z={D₃…Dₙ})=(N-1)/N: Probability of winning as a function of N. p(Y)=p(Y=no switch|Z)=1/N is the thin line; p(Y=switch|Z)=N/(N-1) is the thick one. (By definition the sum of both lines is 1 for each N.) Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this graph (albeit also by definition) is that the N=3 case has the highest probability before the host intervention , but the lowest probability after and vice versa for N=100. Another interesting feature is the quick climb in the probability of winning for the switchers: N=3: p=67% N=4: p=75% N=5=80% The switchers curve gradually reaches an asymptote approaching at 100% whereas at N=99 it is 98.99% and at N=100 is equal to 99%. This starts to address an interesting question: Why Is Switching Obvious For Large N But Not N=3? The answer is the fact that this puzzle is slightly ambiguous. Only the highly attentive realise that by revealing the goat (and never the prize!) the host is actually conveying a lot of information that should be incorporated into one’s calculation. Later we discuss the difference of doing this calculation in one’s mind based on intuition and slowing down by putting pen to paper or coding up the problem. How much information is conveyed by the host by intervening? A hand wavy explanation is that this information may be visualised as the gap between the lines in the graph above. For N=3 we saw that the odds of winning doubled (nothing to sneeze at!), but that doesn’t register as strongly to our common sense intuition as the 99 factor as in the N=100. I have also considered describing stronger arguments from Information Theory that provide useful vocabulary to express communication of information. However, I feel that this fascinating field deserves a post of its own, which I’ve published. The main takeaway for the Monty Hall problem is that I have calculated the information gain to be a logarithmic function of the number of doors c using this formula: Information Gain due to the intervention of the host for a setup with c doors. Full details in my upcoming article. For c=3 door case, e.g, the information gain is ⅔ bits (of a maximum possible 1.58 bits). Full details are in this article on entropy. To summarise this section, we use basic probability arguments to quantify the probabilities of winning the prize showing the benefit of switching for all N door scenarios. For those interested in more formal solutions using Bayesian and Causality on the bottom I provide supplement sections. In the next three final sections we’ll discuss how this problem was accepted in the general public back in the 1990s, discuss lessons learnt and then summarise how we can apply them in real-world settings. Being Confused Is OK “No, that is impossible, it should make no difference.” — Paul Erdős If you still don’t feel comfortable with the solution of the N=3 Monty Hall problem, don’t worry you are in good company! According to Vazsonyi (1999)¹ even Paul Erdős who is considered “of the greatest experts in probability theory” was confounded until computer simulations were demonstrated to him. When the original solution by Steve Selvin (1975)² was popularised by Marilyn vos Savant in her column “Ask Marilyn” in Parade magazine in 1990 many readers wrote that Selvin and Savant were wrong³. According to Tierney’s 1991 article in the New York Times, this included about 10,000 readers, including nearly 1,000 with Ph.D degrees⁴. On a personal note, over a decade ago I was exposed to the standard N=3 problem and since then managed to forget the solution numerous times. When I learnt about the large N approach I was quite excited about how intuitive it was. I then failed to explain it to my technical manager over lunch, so this is an attempt to compensate. I still have the same day job . While researching this piece I realised that there is a lot to learn in terms of decision making in general and in particular useful for data science. Lessons Learnt From Monty Hall Problem In his book Thinking Fast and Slow, the late Daniel Kahneman, the co-creator of Behaviour Economics, suggested that we have two types of thought processes: System 1 — fast thinking : based on intuition. This helps us react fast with confidence to familiar situations. System 2 – slow thinking : based on deep thought. This helps figure out new complex situations that life throws at us. Assuming this premise, you might have noticed that in the above you were applying both. By examining the visual of N=100 doors your System 1 kicked in and you immediately knew the answer. I’m guessing that in the N=3 you were straddling between System 1 and 2. Considering that you had to stop and think a bit when going throughout the probabilities exercise it was definitely System 2 . The decision maker’s struggle between System 1 and System 2 . Generated using Gemini Imagen 3 Beyond the fast and slow thinking I feel that there are a lot of data decision making lessons that may be learnt. (1) Assessing probabilities can be counter-intuitive … or Be comfortable with shifting to deep thought We’ve clearly shown that in the N=3 case. As previously mentioned it confounded many people including prominent statisticians. Another classic example is The Birthday Paradox , which shows how we underestimate the likelihood of coincidences. In this problem most people would think that one needs a large group of people until they find a pair sharing the same birthday. It turns out that all you need is 23 to have a 50% chance. And 70 for a 99.9% chance. One of the most confusing paradoxes in the realm of data analysis is Simpson’s, which I detailed in a previous article. This is a situation where trends of a population may be reversed in its subpopulations. The common with all these paradoxes is them requiring us to get comfortable to shifting gears from System 1 fast thinking to System 2 slow . This is also the common theme for the lessons outlined below. A few more classical examples are: The Gambler’s Fallacy , Base Rate Fallacy and the The Linda [bank teller] Problem . These are beyond the scope of this article, but I highly recommend looking them up to further sharpen ways of thinking about data. (2) … especially when dealing with ambiguity or Search for clarity in ambiguity Let’s reread the problem, this time as stated in “Ask Marilyn” Suppose you’re on a game show, and you’re given the choice of three doors: Behind one door is a car; behind the others, goats. You pick a door, say №1, and the host, who knows what’s behind the doors, opens another door, say №3, which has a goat. He then says to you, “Do you want to pick door №2?” Is it to your advantage to switch your choice? We discussed that the most important piece of information is not made explicit. It says that the host “knows what’s behind the doors”, but not that they open a door at random, although it’s implicitly understood that the host will never open the door with the car. Many real life problems in data science involve dealing with ambiguous demands as well as in data provided by stakeholders. It is crucial for the researcher to track down any relevant piece of information that is likely to have an impact and update that into the solution. Statisticians refer to this as “belief update”. (3) With new information we should update our beliefs This is the main aspect separating the Bayesian stream of thought to the Frequentist. The Frequentist approach takes data at face value (referred to as flat priors). The Bayesian approach incorporates prior beliefs and updates it when new findings are introduced. This is especially useful when dealing with ambiguous situations. To drive this point home, let’s re-examine this figure comparing between the post intervention N=3 setups (top panel) and the N=100 one (bottom panel). Copied from above. Post intervention settings for the N=3 setup (top) and N=100 (bottom). In both cases we had a prior belief that all doors had an equal chance of winning the prize p=1/N. Once the host opened one door (N=3; or 98 doors when N=100) a lot of valuable information was revealed whereas in the case of N=100 it was much more apparent than N=3. In the Frequentist approach, however, most of this information would be ignored, as it only focuses on the two closed doors. The Frequentist conclusion, hence is a 50% chance to win the prize regardless of what else is known about the situation. Hence the Frequentist takes Paul Erdős’ “no difference” point of view, which we now know to be incorrect. This would be reasonable if all that was presented were the two doors and not the intervention and the goats. However, if that information is presented, one should shift gears into System 2 thinking and update their beliefs in the system. This is what we have done by focusing not only on the shut door, but rather consider what was learnt about the system at large. For the brave hearted , in a supplementary section below called The Bayesian Point of View I solve for the Monty Hall problem using the Bayesian formalism. (4) Be one with subjectivity The Frequentist main reservation about “going Bayes” is that — “Statistics should be objective”. The Bayesian response is — the Frequentist’s also apply a prior without realising it — a flat one. Regardless of the Bayesian/Frequentist debate, as researchers we try our best to be as objective as possible in every step of the analysis. That said, it is inevitable that subjective decisions are made throughout. E.g, in a skewed distribution should one quote the mean or median? It highly depends on the context and hence a subjective decision needs to be made. The responsibility of the analyst is to provide justification for their choices first to convince themselves and then their stakeholders. (5) When confused — look for a useful analogy … but tread with caution We saw that by going from the N=3 setup to the N=100 the solution was apparent. This is a trick scientists frequently use — if the problem appears at first a bit too confusing/overwhelming, break it down and try to find a useful analogy. It is probably not a perfect comparison, but going from the N=3 setup to N=100 is like examining a picture from up close and zooming out to see the big picture. Think of having only a puzzle piece and then glancing at the jigsaw photo on the box. Monty Hall in 1976. Credit: Wikipedia and using Visual Paradigm Online for the puzzle effect Note: whereas analogies may be powerful, one should do so with caution, not to oversimplify. Physicists refer to this situation as the spherical cow method, where models may oversimplify complex phenomena. I admit that even with years of experience in applied statistics at times I still get confused at which method to apply. A large part of my thought process is identifying analogies to known solved problems. Sometimes after making progress in a direction I will realise that my assumptions were wrong and seek a new direction. I used to quip with colleagues that they shouldn’t trust me before my third attempt … (6) Simulations are powerful but not always necessary It’s interesting to learn that Paul Erdős and other mathematicians were convinced only after seeing simulations of the problem. I am two-minded about usage of simulations when it comes to problem solving. On the one hand simulations are powerful tools to analyse complex and intractable problems. Especially in real life data in which one wants a grasp not only of the underlying formulation, but also stochasticity. And here is the big BUT — if a problem can be analytically solved like the Monty Hall one, simulations as fun as they may be (such as the MythBusters have done⁶), may not be necessary. According to Occam’s razor, all that is required is a brief intuition to explain the phenomena. This is what I attempted to do here by applying common sense and some basic probability reasoning. For those who enjoy deep dives I provide below supplementary sections with two methods for analytical solutions — one using Bayesian statistics and another using Causality. [Update] After publishing the first version of this article there was a comment that Savant’s solution³ may be simpler than those presented here. I revisited her communications and agreed that it should be added. In the process I realised three more lessons may be learnt. (7) A well designed visual goes a long way Continuing the principle of Occam’s razor, Savant explained³ quite convincingly in my opinion: You should switch. The first door has a 1/3 chance of winning, but the second door has a 2/3 chance. Here’s a good way to visualize what happened. Suppose there are a million doors, and you pick door #1. Then the host, who knows what’s behind the doors and will always avoid the one with the prize, opens them all except door #777,777. You’d switch to that door pretty fast, wouldn’t you? Hence she provided an abstract visual for the readers. I attempted to do the same with the 100 doors figures. Marilyn vos Savant who popularised the Monty Hall Problem. Credit: Ben David on Flickr under license As mentioned many readers, and especially with backgrounds in maths and statistics, still weren’t convinced. She revised³ with another mental image: The benefits of switching are readily proven by playing through the six games that exhaust all the possibilities. For the first three games, you choose #1 and “switch” each time, for the second three games, you choose #1 and “stay” each time, and the host always opens a loser. Here are the results. She added a table with all the scenarios. I took some artistic liberty and created the following figure. As indicated, the top batch are the scenarios in which the trader switches and the bottom when they switch. Lines in green are games which the trader wins, and in red when they get zonked. The symbolised the door chosen by the trader and Monte Hall then chooses a different door that has a goat behind it. Adaptation of Savant’s table³ of six scenarios that shows the solution to the Monty Hall Problem We clearly see from this diagram that the switcher has a ⅔ chance of winning and those that stay only ⅓. This is yet another elegant visualisation that clearly explains the non intuitive. It strengthens the claim that there is no real need for simulations in this case because all they would be doing is rerunning these six scenarios. One more popular solution is decision tree illustrations. You can find these in the Wikipedia page, but I find it’s a bit redundant to Savant’s table. The fact that we can solve this problem in so many ways yields another lesson: (8) There are many ways to skin a … problem Of the many lessons that I have learnt from the writings of late Richard Feynman, one of the best physics and ideas communicators, is that a problem can be solved many ways. Mathematicians and Physicists do this all the time. A relevant quote that paraphrases Occam’s razor: If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough — attributed to Albert Einstein And finally (9) Embrace ignorance and be humble ‍ “You are utterly incorrect … How many irate mathematicians are needed to get you to change your mind?” — Ph.D from Georgetown University “May I suggest that you obtain and refer to a standard textbook on probability before you try to answer a question of this type again?” — Ph.D from University of Florida “You’re in error, but Albert Einstein earned a dearer place in the hearts of people after he admitted his errors.” — Ph.D. from University of Michigan Ouch! These are some of the said responses from mathematicians to the Parade article. Such unnecessary viciousness. You can check the reference³ to see the writer’s names and other like it. To whet your appetite: “You blew it, and you blew it big!”, , “You made a mistake, but look at the positive side. If all those Ph.D.’s were wrong, the country would be in some very serious trouble.”, “I am in shock that after being corrected by at least three mathematicians, you still do not see your mistake.”. And as expected from the 1990s perhaps the most embarrassing one was from a resident of Oregon: “Maybe women look at math problems differently than men.” These make me cringe and be embarrassed to be associated by gender and Ph.D. title with these graduates and professors. Hopefully in the 2020s most people are more humble about their ignorance. Yuval Noah Harari discusses the fact that the Scientific Revolution of Galileo Galilei et al. was not due to knowledge but rather admittance of ignorance. “The great discovery that launched the Scientific Revolution was the discovery that humans do not know the answers to their most important questions” — Yuval Noah Harari Fortunately for mathematicians’ image, there were also quiet a lot of more enlightened comments. I like this one from one Seth Kalson, Ph.D. of MIT: You are indeed correct. My colleagues at work had a ball with this problem, and I dare say that most of them, including me at first, thought you were wrong! We’ll summarise by examining how, and if, the Monty Hall problem may be applied in real-world settings, so you can try to relate to projects that you are working on. Application in Real World Settings Researching for this article I found that beyond artificial setups for entertainment⁶ ⁷ there aren’t practical settings for this problem to use as an analogy. Of course, I may be wrong⁸ and would be glad to hear if you know of one. One way of assessing the viability of an analogy is using arguments from causality which provides vocabulary that cannot be expressed with standard statistics. In a previous post I discussed the fact that the story behind the data is as important as the data itself. In particular Causal Graph Models visualise the story behind the data, which we will use as a framework for a reasonable analogy. For the Monty Hall problem we can build a Causal Graph Model like this: Reading: The door chosen by the trader is independent from that with the prize and vice versa. As important, there is no common cause between them that might generate a spurious correlation. The host’s choice depends on both and . By comparing causal graphs of two systems one can get a sense for how analogous both are. A perfect analogy would require more details, but this is beyond the scope of this article. Briefly, one would want to ensure similar functions between the parameters (referred to as the Structural Causal Model; for details see in the supplementary section below called The Causal Point of View). Those interested in learning further details about using Causal Graphs Models to assess causality in real world problems may be interested in this article. Anecdotally it is also worth mentioning that on Let’s Make a Deal, Monty himself has admitted years later to be playing mind games with the contestants and did not always follow the rules, e.g, not always doing the intervention as “it all depends on his mood”⁴. In our setup we assumed perfect conditions, i.e., a host that does not skew from the script and/or play on the trader’s emotions. Taking this into consideration would require updating the Graphical Model above, which is beyond the scope of this article. Some might be disheartened to realise at this stage of the post that there might not be real world applications for this problem. I argue that lessons learnt from the Monty Hall problem definitely are. Just to summarise them again: (1) Assessing probabilities can be counter intuitive …(Be comfortable with shifting to deep thought ) (2) … especially when dealing with ambiguity(Search for clarity ) (3) With new information we should update our beliefs (4) Be one with subjectivity (5) When confused — look for a useful analogy … but tread with caution (6) Simulations are powerful but not always necessary (7) A well designed visual goes a long way (8) There are many ways to skin a … problem (9) Embrace ignorance and be humble ‍ While the Monty Hall Problem might seem like a simple puzzle, it offers valuable insights into decision-making, particularly for data scientists. The problem highlights the importance of going beyond intuition and embracing a more analytical, data-driven approach. By understanding the principles of Bayesian thinking and updating our beliefs based on new information, we can make more informed decisions in many aspects of our lives, including data science. The Monty Hall Problem serves as a reminder that even seemingly straightforward scenarios can contain hidden complexities and that by carefully examining available information, we can uncover hidden truths and make better decisions. At the bottom of the article I provide a list of resources that I found useful to learn about this topic. Credit: Wikipedia Loved this post? Join me on LinkedIn or Buy me a coffee! Credits Unless otherwise noted, all images were created by the author. Many thanks to Jim Parr, Will Reynolds, and Betty Kazin for their useful comments. In the following supplementary sections I derive solutions to the Monty Hall’s problem from two perspectives: Bayesian Causal Both are motivated by questions in textbook: Causal Inference in Statistics A Primer by Judea Pearl, Madelyn Glymour, and Nicholas P. Jewell (2016). Supplement 1: The Bayesian Point of View This section assumes a basic understanding of Bayes’ Theorem, in particular being comfortable conditional probabilities. In other words if this makes sense: We set out to use Bayes’ theorem to prove that switching doors improves chances in the N=3 Monty Hall Problem. (Problem 1.3.3 of the Primer textbook.) We define X — the chosen door Y— the door with the prize Z — the door opened by the host Labelling the doors as A, B and C, without loss of generality, we need to solve for: Using Bayes’ theorem we equate the left side as and the right one as: Most components are equal (remember that P(Y=A)=P(Y=B)=⅓ so we are left to prove: In the case where Y=B (the prize is behind door B ), the host has only one choice (can only select door C ), making P(X=A, Z=C|Y=B)= 1. In the case where Y=A (the prize is behind door A ), the host has two choices (doors B and C ) , making P(X=A, Z=C|Y=A)= 1/2. From here: Quod erat demonstrandum. Note: if the “host choices” arguments didn’t make sense look at the table below showing this explicitly. You will want to compare entries {X=A, Y=B, Z=C} and {X=A, Y=A, Z=C}. Supplement 2: The Causal Point of View The section assumes a basic understanding of Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) and Structural Causal Models (SCMs) is useful, but not required. In brief: DAGs qualitatively visualise the causal relationships between the parameter nodes. SCMs quantitatively express the formula relationships between the parameters. Given the DAG we are going to define the SCM that corresponds to the classic N=3 Monty Hall problem and use it to describe the joint distribution of all variables. We later will generically expand to N. (Inspired by problem 1.5.4 of the Primer textbook as well as its brief mention of the N door problem.) We define X — the chosen door Y — the door with the prize Z — the door opened by the host According to the DAG we see that according to the chain rule: The SCM is defined by exogenous variables U , endogenous variables V, and the functions between them F: U = {X,Y}, V={Z}, F= {f(Z)} where X, Y and Z have door values: D = {A, B, C} The host choice is f(Z) defined as: In order to generalise to N doors, the DAG remains the same, but the SCM requires to update D to be a set of N doors Dᵢ: {D₁, D₂, … Dₙ}. Exploring Example Scenarios To gain an intuition for this SCM, let’s examine 6 examples of 27 (=3³) : When X=Y (i.e., the prize is behind the chosen door ) P(Z=A|X=A, Y=A) = 0; cannot choose the participant’s door P(Z=B|X=A, Y=A) = 1/2; is behind → chooses B at 50% P(Z=C|X=A, Y=A) = 1/2; is behind → chooses C at 50%(complementary to the above) When X≠Y (i.e., the prize is not behind the chosen door ) P(Z=A|X=A, Y=B) = 0; cannot choose the participant’s door P(Z=B|X=A, Y=B) = 0; cannot choose prize door P(Z=C|X=A, Y=B) = 1; has not choice in the matter(complementary to the above) Calculating Joint Probabilities Using logic let’s code up all 27 possibilities in python df = pd.DataFrame({"X": (["A"] * 9) + (["B"] * 9) + (["C"] * 9), "Y": ((["A"] * 3) + (["B"] * 3) + (["C"] * 3) )* 3, "Z": ["A", "B", "C"] * 9}) df["P(Z|X,Y)"] = None p_x = 1./3 p_y = 1./3 df.loc[df.query("X == Y == Z").index, "P(Z|X,Y)"] = 0 df.loc[df.query("X == Y != Z").index, "P(Z|X,Y)"] = 0.5 df.loc[df.query("X != Y == Z").index, "P(Z|X,Y)"] = 0 df.loc[df.query("Z == X != Y").index, "P(Z|X,Y)"] = 0 df.loc[df.query("X != Y").query("Z != Y").query("Z != X").index, "P(Z|X,Y)"] = 1 df["P(X, Y, Z)"] = df["P(Z|X,Y)"] * p_x * p_y print(f"Testing normalisation of P(X,Y,Z) {df['P(X, Y, Z)'].sum()}") df yields Resources This Quora discussion by Joshua Engel helped me shape a few aspects of this article. Causal Inference in Statistics A Primer / Pearl, Glymour & Jewell (2016) — excellent short text book (site) I also very much enjoy Tim Harford’s podcast Cautionary Tales. He wrote about this topic on November 3rd 2017 for the Financial Times: Monty Hall and the game show stick-or-switch conundrum Footnotes ¹ Vazsonyi, Andrew (December 1998 — January 1999). “Which Door Has the Cadillac?” (PDF). Decision Line: 17–19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2012. ² Steve Selvin to the American Statistician in 1975.[1][2] ³Game Show Problem by Marilyn vos Savant’s “Ask Marilyn” in marilynvossavant.com (web archive): “This material in this article was originally published in PARADE magazine in 1990 and 1991” ⁴Tierney, John (21 July 1991). “Behind Monty Hall’s Doors: Puzzle, Debate and Answer?”. The New York Times. Retrieved 18 January 2008. ⁵ Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ⁶ MythBusters Episode 177 “Pick a Door” (Wikipedia) Watch Mythbuster’s approach ⁶Monty Hall Problem on Survivor Season 41 (LinkedIn, YouTube) Watch Survivor’s take on the problem ⁷ Jingyi Jessica Li (2024) How the Monty Hall problem is similar to the false discovery rate in high-throughput data analysis.Whereas the author points about “similarities” between hypothesis testing and the Monty Hall problem, I think that this is a bit misleading. The author is correct that both problems change by the order in which processes are done, but that is part of Bayesian statistics in general, not limited to the Monty Hall problem. The post 🚪🚪🐐 Lessons in Decision Making from the Monty Hall Problem appeared first on Towards Data Science.

It’s the time of year when the NFL schedule for the coming season gets revealed, and one team, the Baltimore Ravens, has gone all-out making a Severance parody video as part of their schedule announcement. NFL’s Baltimore Ravens show deep Severance knowledge in parody Severance may be on a hiatus as work continues on season 3, but the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens have just made a parody worthy of the Apple TV+ show’s high production values. The nearly 7-minute video showcases the team’s deep knowledge of all things Severance, with references to: goats watermelon busts face balloons MDR and a lot more There’s an impressive amount of detail and throwbacks that will delight any Severance fan, whether you care about the NFL or not. You can watch the video below. Apple did a great job marketing Severance season 2 before its debut earlier this year. Ahead of season 3’s arrival, considering the show’s massive success, maybe the company can get more partners in on the fun like the NFL. Apple TV+ is available for $9.99 per month and features hit TV shows and movies like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Silo, and Shrinking. Best iPhone accessories Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Should you care about the suffering of bugs? For most people, it’s a laughable question. But for those who really, really care about animal welfare, there’s a certain intellectual journey that might lead them to take it seriously. It goes something like this: First, they learn that the vast majority of the 84 billion birds and mammals raised for food are kept on factory farms, where animals are routinely mutilated and intensively confined. They become passionate advocates for these neglected and abused creatures. Then they learn that over 90 percent of those land animals are poultry birds — chickens and turkeys raised for meat, and hens raised for eggs — who are treated worse than pigs and cows, and have even fewer legal protections. They become, more or less, advocates for chickens. But then they might learn that fish and shrimp are farmed (or caught from the ocean) on an even greater scale — trillions annually compared to a measly 76 billion chickens. If their compassion for animals extends equally to marine life, they might come to advocate primarily for these sea creatures. Go even further, and they’ll discover the emerging industry of insect farming, which works much like chicken, pig, or fish factory farming, with the aim of producing as many animals as possible as cheaply as possible. On these insect factory farms, vast numbers of bugs are confined in trays or other containers until, at several weeks old, they’re frozen, cooked, shredded, or suffocated alive. Most are then sold as feed for farmed fish, poultry, and pigs, as food for pets, or to a lesser degree, direct human consumption. For the animal advocates who take this journey and wind up at the bottom of this animal suffering rabbit hole, a new report from the research organization Rethink Priorities will be pure nightmare fuel. According to the group, humanity is on track to farm and kill nearly 6 trillion animals annually by 2033, a near-quadrupling from 2023. And almost all of the growth in animal farming will come from tiny animals: shrimp, fish, and most of all, two insect species (mealworms and black soldier fly larvae). While humans farm and slaughter an astonishing 3 billion pigs, sheep, goats, and cattle each year, these animals are so dwarfed in numbers by farmed chicken, fish, and bugs that Rethink Priorities didn’t even include them in its calculation, nor did it include the 1 to 2 trillion wild fish scooped out of the ocean every year. The forecast starkly illustrates how a transformation in global agriculture patterns have ratcheted up animal suffering to mind-boggling proportions. The reason is that we’re increasingly eating really small animals. In the 1990s, chicken overtook beef as America’s meat of choice, and US chicken consumption continues to climb every year. And it takes about 127 chickens to produce the same amount of meat as one cow, because cows are enormous, while chickens weigh only about 6 pounds at slaughter. So, as Americans shifted toward eating animal species that are smaller in size, the total number of animals raised on US factory farms shot up. The same logic applies to an even greater extent to fish and shrimp — you’d have to kill about 28,500 shrimps to get the same amount of meat as you would from one cow. These animals are being farmed and eaten in increasingly massive numbers around the world, with both fish and shrimp typically confined in crowded, disease-ridden ponds or tanks that animal advocates liken to underwater factory farms. The world now eats more fish from these farms than from the ocean. Even worse, small animals, like chickens, fish, insects, and shrimp, tend to be treated worse and have fewer protections than larger animals like pigs and cattle.Concern for the welfare of insects — and even fish and shrimp — might bemuse or even offend many people. Humans already kill untold numbers of bugs annually by simply going about our daily business — driving, walking, exterminating ant infestations from our homes, and spraying pesticides on our crops. Americans eat tens of billions of individual shrimps each year with virtually no worry that they might feel pain. While farmed chickens and pigs have received the sympathetic Hollywood treatment, like the Chicken Run movies, Charlotte’s Web, and Okja, similar films about shrimp or mealworms don’t seem to be in the offing. But Rethink Priorities, along with a growing chorus of scientists and philosophers, believe that invertebrates like shrimp and insects could be sentient, meaning they possess the capacity for pain, pleasure, and other sensations. They’re not arguing that these animals are equivalent to a chicken, cow, or human, but that they may be worth some moral consideration given emerging research on their potential for sentience and the massive scale on which they’re farmed.History has long shown us that today’s laughable moral concern could be tomorrow’s tragedy. That could be the case for these tiny, unfamiliar, uncharismatic animals the more we come to understand who they are and what they might be capable of feeling. What can a shrimp or an insect feel?There had long been relatively little research into whether invertebrates like shrimp and insects are sentient, but that’s begun to change in recent years.“Evidence is building that there’s a form of sentience there in insects,” Jonathan Birch, a philosopher at the London School of Economics who leads the Foundations of Animal Sentience project at the university, told me. Historically, this line of inquiry has focused on bees, he said, who have demonstrated signs of sentience by engaging in wound-tending behavior, complex decision-making in weighing pain versus pleasure, and even play. Some research has shown that fruit flies may have the capacity to feel pain and enjoy play.According to Birch and several of his colleagues, adult flies and mosquitoes, along with cockroaches and termites, satisfy six of eight key criteria for sentience, while several other orders satisfy three to four. He’s now collaborating with researchers to study pain indicators in black soldier fly larvae and crickets.What little research has looked at shrimp sentience has found mixed results, and much of it has been conducted on Caridean shrimp, not penaeid shrimp, the group that’s most commonly farmed (shrimp are not a single species, but a massive category comprising more than 2,000 known species across several taxonomic groups).Fish thrash inside a tightening net on a fish farm. Havva Zorlu/We AnimalsSome research has shown that shrimp have nociceptors, sensory neurons that detect and respond to potentially harmful stimuli — an important indicator of sentience — but their efforts to avoid threats could be merely reflexive. In one study, shrimp engaged in wound-tending behavior when researchers poured acid onto their antennae, but when they treated it with an anesthetic, the shrimp increased that behavior. This suggests they may not feel pain the way other animals do because the pain relief should have caused them to reduce wound tending.But Birch believes there is strong evidence of sentience in another crustacean species: the crab.Despite our limited understanding of invertebrates’ capacity for pain, our understanding of other animals’ capacities can quickly evolve. Just a couple of decades ago, it was largely thought that fish (which are not invertebrates) couldn’t feel pain, but scientific consensus has significantly shifted toward the belief that they can — and that they could experience many other physical and mental states. Given everything humans have learned about animals’ capacities in recent decades, there’s a strong argument to be made in favor of assuming that other animals are sentient unless proved otherwise, rather than assuming that they aren’t as the starting point.And if shrimp and insects are sentient, it would exacerbate an already emergency situation for global animal welfare, raising the number of farmed sentient animals by well over a trillion creatures today, and potentially many trillions in the decade ahead. The proposition to include these animals in humanity’s moral circle can lead some, Birch said, to throw up their hands in exasperation. “We lack ethical frameworks that tell us how to think about them, but to me, that’s not an excuse for ignoring the issue,” Birch said. “I think people sometimes imagine, well, if the sentient world is so vast — if all ways of feeding ourselves cause harm — then there can’t be any ethical constraints. And I think that’s entirely wrong. I think we do need to take the harm seriously, and think about what we might do to conduct ourselves more ethically.”A question of strategyMost people who advocate for factory-farmed animals focus on pigs, cows, chickens, and turkeys. Only the most quantitatively minded number-crunchers, like Birch and the folks at Rethink Priorities, look at the data and focus on fish, shrimp, and insects.Some in the animal advocacy movement might consider this expansion of moral concern — especially for insects — a major strategic error, one that will make an already fringe movement seem even more strange and scolding. It’s something, if I’m being honest, I’ve felt myself. A worker disinfects crickets’ watering trays in the final grow room at Entomo Farms in Ontario, Canada. James MacDonald/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBut the general public might be more open to having some ethical consideration for these animals than we might think. Hannah McKay, a research analyst at Rethink Priorities who co-authored the new report, pointed me to recent surveys from the UK and Brazil in which a majority of participants said that they believed that shrimp can feel pain. In the UK and the Netherlands, food companies are phasing out particularly cruel practices in their shrimp supply chains, “even in the absence of high public pressure,” McKay said. Last month, a post about eyestalk ablation — the common, disturbing practice of tearing out female shrimp’s eyes to make them breed faster — made it to the front page of Reddit, whose users were overwhelmingly horrified by it.In 2022, the UK passed the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act, which included decapod crustaceans (shrimp, lobsters, crabs, and crayfish) among the animals that should be considered sentient, in large part on the advice of Birch and colleagues.The aim of Rethink Priorities, Birch, and their ilk isn’t necessarily to start a campaign for worldwide shrimp and insect liberation, but rather to, at the very least, secure some minimum welfare standards.Many animal advocates today wish that their predecessors in the 1950s, who were more focused on the welfare of pets, had devoted more attention to cows, pigs, and chickens. Instead, the quiet rise of factory farming in mid-20th-century America went largely unchallenged, and has now led to the confinement, abuse, and slaughter of tens of billions of mammals and birds each year. Sagar Shah, a senior researcher at Rethink Priorities who co-authored the report with McKay, feels the same way about fish and shrimp farming, telling me that if he could turn the clock back 30 years to when these industries were relatively small, he would’ve pushed for “more resources into thinking about these questions: Are [fish and shrimp] sentient? What does good welfare mean for these animals if we’re going to use them?”“Collectively, we missed the boat a bit, and we’ve already got a huge scale of farming for fish and shrimp, and we’re catching up now,” Shah said. “But for insects, the industry is in its infancy, and that means we’ve got an opportunity to figure out what good welfare means and shape the growth of the industry.” It’s a cause that few animal advocates are willing to dedicate themselves to, and it may not win them many allies anytime soon. But that doesn’t deter Shah, who says “that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.” You’ve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you — threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. 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