One Microsoft Place
Located in Dublin, One Microsoft Place is the new European headquarters of Microsoft. The 35,000m2 campus spans five floors and accommodates 2,000 employees from 71 nationalities. RKD designed the building’s shell and core and worked in association with Gensler London on the interiors concepts. Our team’s primary objective was to create a physical manifestation of the cultural transformation that Microsoft has been through in recent years. Our design for Microsoft’s new campus workspace enables team members from across the business to collaborate as ‘One Microsoft’ and work on behalf of local and global customers. This is primarily achieved by the creation of a central atrium that acts as the heart of the building, connecting the many diverse teams that work within the property. At the outset of the project, our team visited Microsoft’s sites in Seattle, Stockholm and London to better understand its operations and requirements. While Microsoft required us to adhere to its corporate design handbook for specifics, such as the number of power outlets required, we were given complete control over the creative design, including the scale, form and fit-out of the facility. Taking inspiration from Ireland being an island full of young, talented and diverse people, our team created a concept focus around an island theme. Designed to foster collaborative ways of working and help Microsoft with its cultural transformation, the island theme maps out how visitors and employees interact with the space given their diverse needs: The ‘harbour’ is the arrival point, the ‘beach’ is a social space, the ‘mountain’ encourages users to progress higher and deeper into the facility, the ‘neighbourhoods’ provide workspace and meeting rooms, while the ‘trails’ provide a variety of routes for staff to circulate the building and its facilities. Through strong dialogue and collaboration, our design evolved over time to better reflect the needs of Microsoft and its workforce. The client-approved design provides an ultra-modern piece of architecture, reflecting Microsoft’s position as a world-renowned industry leader. For example, external anodised aluminium planks were selected both to enhance the building’s crisp, modern lines and to act as a stylish contrast to the solid stone plinth that underpins the structure. The building is orientated on a north west/south east axis to maximise levels of natural daylight and to take full advantage of its wonderful elevated setting with spectacular views of the woodland and Leopardstown Racecourse in the immediate surroundings, while Dublin Bay and the Dublin Mountains can be seen in the distance. The façade combines curtain wall and anodised rainscreen cladding to create a modern and striking appearance, which is in keeping with Microsoft’s position as a sector-leading business. The façades incorporate solar shading where necessary, to minimise solar glare and solar gain. The design of the property’s west-facing entrance resembles a pair of outstretched arms, enticing and welcoming visitors to enter the building. The building sits on a plinth of local natural stone, reflecting the building’s location in the foothills of the Dublin mountains. A key success of the chosen design was its ability to create a sense of intimacy despite that vast scale of the structure. From the exterior this was achieved by the carefully selected geometry of the façades, which ensure visitors rarely gain a full view of the building. Inside the property, the island theme with its winding trails throughout the various areas ensures a sense of intimacy in how staff discover and experience their workplace. The location of One Microsoft Place ensures it can be accessed easily by staff and visitors alike. The M50 motorway and a variety of bus and tram stops are all located within the immediate vicinity. For those traveling from further afield, Salthill and Monkstown train station and Dublin Airport are just 10 and 30 minutes away, respectively. We worked closely with the local authority to ensure our design met their requirements. However, we weren’t required to adhere to any local vernacular building styles as the estate features a wide range of building styles from numerous decades and the abundance of trees and woodland ensures visibility of the properties is limited. Two basement levels of the building incorporate a range of facilities designed to improve the wellbeing of staff, including a gym, yoga studio, faith rooms, treatment room and shower and changing rooms. They also provide secure underground parking for 215 cars and 24 motorcycles, along with dedicated electric vehicle charging points, and storage provision for 220 bicycles. Key areas of the ground floor include the arrival atrium, client meeting suites, main atrium, the 'mountain' staircase and digital waterfall, multi-use lounge, market bakery/servery, Italian Quarter, beach servery, street food bar and terrace. Also located on the ground floor ‘DreamSpace’. We worked in collaboration with Microsoft to design this space for the dedicated use of children. Each working day sees two classes of children invited to tour One Microsoft Place and then take part in IT-related classes and workshops within DreamSpace. Designed to foster an ongoing interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects, DreamSpace is a core element of Microsoft’s strategy to inspire the next generation of its workforce. The colours and textures of materials and the scale of furniture used in DreamSpace are different to what's found throughout the rest of the building as they've been carefully selected to suit the variety of age groups that visit and use the space. The first, second, third and fourth floors provide a wide variety of open plan office space and meeting rooms collectively known as 'neighbourhoods'. These are interconnected by a range of 'trails' - winding pathways that encourage staff to interact and socialise with their colleagues. Each of these four floors are accessed via the 'mountain' staircase and overlook the stunning ground floor atrium. More than 25,000 individual and varied pieces of furniture are located throughout the building, ensuring staff can always find a comfortable place work, relax and socialise. The roof level includes additional plant and services, a green roof area and a large terrace with panoramic views of the Dublin Mountains.
Confucius Institute For Ireland
Confucius Institute for Ireland, UCD, Dublin Confucius Institute is a non-profit public educational organisation associated with China’s Ministry of Education. Like the British Council and Japan Foundation, the Confucius Institute has sites worldwide to promote international cultural exchange and language study. With a construction value of €4.8m which has been jointly funded by the Irish and Chinese governments, Confucius Institute for Ireland is the Institute’s first purpose-built development, making it a world first in the organisation’s international portfolio. Openness underpins the design. The ambition has been to create a building that is timeless in its design, and inclusive and belonging to eastern and western cultures to facilitate cultural sharing and exchange. The design is influenced both by Chinese courtyard buildings and cloisters found in western architecture, where learning and contemplation are linked with the ritual of walking, and students’ wellbeing is enhanced by proximity to nature. Located on a greenfield site at the heart of the University College Dublin (UCD) campus adjacent to a lake, the 2,059 m² building takes the form of a tiered glass pavilion in the landscape, designed to complement the scale and character of the existing campus while making subtle reference to forms and treatments associated with Chinese culture. The external form consists of a series of square floor-plates stacked vertically, each one progressively smaller than the one below, creating a ziggurat form analogous to traditional Chinese building forms. This arrangement makes each floor legible and creates an open, generous ground floor level while delivering a human-scaled building. The ground floor, which accommodates an art gallery, 100 auditorium, restaurant and library, is expressed sculpturally with faceted planes of sandblasted limestone creating strongly tectonic portal frames for viewing the primary activities within. The form gives weight to the building, firmly anchoring it to a horizontal paved landscape that extends out from the interior to define a precise territory, which is in counterpoint to the informal network of paths and routes around the campus. Expansive flush glazing at this level encourages a seamless interface between the landscape and the interior, encouraging the spaces to be read as glazed vitrines, containing and expressively displaying the more public activities within the building at ground floor to the surrounding campus on each side. The embracing form defining a broad datum at ground floor creates a welcoming experience, drawing people into the building in an open and democratic way. The two upper levels are extensively glazed and detailed throughout with gold-anodised aluminium, which creates a shimmering appearance in the daylight hours and animates the building like a lantern at night and during the winter months. Ventilation openings are concealed behind fixed perforated panels, giving the building a calm, stillness. The panels are detailed with a lattice pattern abstracted from traditional Chinese motifs developed following research visits to Beijing and Suzhou. At the centre of the square plan is a timber-lined atrium rising up through three-storeys and capped with a gridded timber lattice structure which floods the middle of the building with daylight. A composition of columns occupies the ground floor creating a forest-like experience around an open central space suitable for gatherings, performances and cultural events. The atrium serves as a legible wayfinding space from which all activities can be seen and accessed. It punctuates the building imparting serenity to the heart of the building and delivering daylight and natural ventilation to an expansive ground floor. The ground floor is conceived as an open forum planned in a clear orthogonal manner associated with traditional Chinese typologies, such as courtyard houses (Siheyuan) and The building is organised over three levels. The ground floor is occupied principally by collective and social spaces required for the Confucius Institute such as the auditorium, display galleries, library and restaurant. The arrangement allows these functions to be used independently of the dedicated teaching and research spaces, which are situated on the first floor. The first floor accommodates education spaces (classrooms, tutorial rooms and seminar spaces) 15m² to 95 m² to meet the needs of the Confucius Institute teaching programme. An elevated and outward looking aspect with views across the adjacent lake and wider campus encourages an awareness of the surrounding landscaped environment, as a backdrop to the learning activities. The second floor is dedicated to a series of visitor teaching offices, administration spaces and Director’s offices. A 30m² conference room is located at this level, which can function as a hospitality space and in conjunction with the Director’s activities. The elevated position combined with tall panels of glazing, creates generous and light-filled spaces which command fine open views of the campus. The façade treatment responds directly to the nature of the functions at each level with expansive glazing units at ground floor connecting the more active, social spaces to the landscape surrounding the building. At the upper levels deep aluminium mullions provide shading, privacy and a finer scale to the interior spaces comprising of study areas, meeting rooms and offices.
10 Molesworth Street
Designed to reflect its prestigious environment and the rich heritage of the surrounding area, this prominent building creates a new modern Grade A office space with generous roof terraces and private gardens. 10 Molesworth Street, located on the corner of Molesworth Street and South Frederick Street, at the centre of Dublins business and cultural cente is deceptively simple. Its striking form is the result of the elegant resolution of a myriad of issues. Responding to the initial brief, the building is legible for both the occupiers and for visitors. A pronounced main entrance, on the historic corner site, and on a slight bend in the street, serves to immediately signpost the building entrance. The new building serves to redefine and integrate the main contextual street elevations, these being carefully composed to respond to the historic context hile acknowledging its historic past. Great attention was paid to the selection and detailing of the building materials. The facade is composed of a palette of high quality natural materials consisting primarily of brick, stone and glass. The bricks are a special selection of traditional thrown handmade bricks, by Coleford Brick and Tile, in a blended red colour range with off-white mortar joints. The bricks are laid in a Flemish bond, in keeping with many of the surrounding Georgian buildings. The stonework to the street elevations is Portland Basebed with a smooth rubbed finish and with thin bed mortar joints in a colour to match the stone. The result has combined contemporary design with superior craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail to produce a unique building finished to exceptionally high standards. The private landscaped gardens provide a unique amenity in the heart of Dublin 2. The southerly aspect of the gardens is complemented by an elegant lawn and sunken garden that offers occupiers of the building a peaceful space removed from the bustle of the city. 5,500 sq ft of stone-paved terraces on the fourth and fifth floors provide a unique outdoor amenity with unrivalled views towards Leinster House, Government Buildings, the Mansion House and further around the city. Sustainability and future use of the building was a key part of this project. Energy efficient and well screened design of facades, excellent accessibility standards, rain water harvesting, ice bank storage systems and green roofs, open and well lit floor areas with excellent street and landscaped garden views for the occupiers, all lead to a LEED Platinum Certification with an A3 energy rating, together with a WIREDSCORE Platinum rating.
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, Ireland's largest all-seated theatre.
U2 Tower
Proposed landmark skyscraper to be constructed in Dublin.
Capital Dock
Located on the peninsula that separates Grand Canal Dock from the River Liffey, the layout of this strategic urban quarter has been carefully considered to create a development of distinction, with a variety of high quality public spaces and exemplary building designs. The scheme includes three residential buildings, a cluster of three office blocks and a pavilion building on the waters’ edge, arranged around two significant public spaces of contrasting character - a sheltered square, surrounded by buildings on all sides, and a large, open park with expansive views of the water to the north east of the site. The public realm is activated by social, café and cultural uses located at ground and first floors, which are intended to serve both the schemes’ occupants and the wider community. The subject scheme provides a 30:70 residential: commercial ratio within its own site boundaries. The buildings are designed as strong, simple forms, taking reference from the traditional industrial architecture of the docklands. Their simple geometry and robust materiality are concerned with permanence and timelessness. The residential elements of Capital Dock are designed to maximise the opportunities presented by both the site and the brief, with a good mix of residential unit types, private, communal and public external spaces and excellent tenant amenity facilities. The residential units are adaptable and flexible, providing for the changing needs of their occupants, including families with children. 90% of the units are dual aspect, and enjoy views over the water. All units are generously proportioned, exceeding the standard sizes prescribed by the local authority, with 1 bedroom units measuring 55m², 2 bedroom units ranging between 80m² to 90m², and 3 bedroom units being 100m² or greater. All apartments have generous, private winter-garden spaces, the flexible screening of which mitigates the windy conditions in this exposed location. The winter gardens have weatherproof glazed screening on both their external and internal facades, allowing the occupant to choose whether the space is used as an external amenity, or if it becomes an extension of the internal living zone. In addition, all residential units have access to shared roof terraces, which provide space for communal social activities and capture views of the city scape. The tenant amenity spaces include a concierge facility, gymnasium, cinema, residents lounge, and business suites.
Samuel Beckett Bridge
Cable-stayed bridge in Dublin, Ireland.
Treasury Dock
Our client is a forward-looking government agency that wanted to create a transformative, transparent workplace that would enhance connection, support staff, and have best in class amenities. They decided to relocate its headquarters, bringing their staff to a new site, which could accommodate their requirements for a 21st century office. The brief for this project was to design an uplifting working environment for staff with a focus on sustainability and wellness. The spaces were to reflect quality and stability to visitors without being lavish. The development of a strong concept was key to achieving a successful HQ project expressing the sense of pride the staff feel in the work they do. The Integrated Design Team led by Perkins&Will, and COADY Architects, delivered a fully operational office fit out for the client. The team also reviewed progress and quality of the landlord’s work in terms of the Shell and Core and associated works. For their new office, our client selected a landmark waterside building which is part of a Strategic Development Zone and is designed to International LEED Platinum Specification. The building comprises nine floors over basement providing a total of 143,838 sqft of Grade A office accommodation. Floor plates are flexible and efficient allowing for innovative and creative workspace solutions. The accommodation consists of open plan office space, cellular offices, meeting rooms, training areas, reception area, canteen and a wellness area. We focussed on producing a state-of-the-art fit out design that represents our client’s values and culture whilst also providing a sustainable working environment and legacy for future generations. It meets the specialist requirements of the client’s business units whilst allowing for future flexibility. The main concept is to provide a bespoke design solution which provides a variety of high-quality spaces that are uplifting and express a sense of pride. The space will support self-leadership, collaboration and learning. Materials were chosen to work with the architecture of the building where timber plays a prominent role in the atrium design. Wood panelling is applied to ceilings and walls to bring warmth and a naturalistic abstract pattern is applied in varying shapes inspired by the boats in the adjacent docks. A variety of soft colours are used in the on upholstery and fabric wall panels of the working floors to minimise distraction. Pops of colour in the restaurant bring a sense of fun. Our client is a large and complex organisation, and it was important to produce a workplace that all staff would enjoy and be proud of. To ensure that we delivered efficient and desirable spaces for all, we carried out a comprehensive consultation process with the business during the project’s initial phases. During this process we workshopped the brief and design solutions with our client which, as a result, enhanced the quality of the final design.
National Forensic Mental Health Service, Portrane
The new National Forensic Mental Health Hospital, Portrane will replace the existing Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum. Located on a 10-hectare woodland site north of Dublin City, the 24,000m2 campus will accommodate 170 high, medium, and low secure mental health beds. It has been designed to provide a safe, secure, and healing environment that contributes to a patient`s recovery, with buildings strategically placed to optimise the existing topology, mature woodland setting and long coastal views. The civic building announces the entrance and is deliberately articulated in opposing architectural language to denote its administrative function. Accessed through the entrance building, 130 of the beds are laid out as a series of single storey pavilion buildings around a pedestrianised ‘village green’ with peaceful gardens for patient amenity and therapeutic activities. Nestled amongst the in-patient buildings, a ‘village centre’ provides a range of shared recreational facilities including a horticultural area. Intuitive wayfinding is achieved through a site-wide narrative of colour, art, and landscaping. At night, illuminated coloured glazed entrances to the various in-patient buildings act as beacons in the woodland setting. Entrances to the in-patient buildings have direct views of a garden creating a positive first impression. Generous full height glazing along corridors provides good observation and offers contemplative views to adjacent courtyard gardens and ample daylight into the building. Tall, wide spaces are created in central areas to reduce congestion and provide a sense of calm. The interior layout minimises ambiguities, surprises, or hidden spaces in circulation, which maximises opportunities for natural and passive surveillance by staff in a subtle a manner, without infringing on privacy. Interior features include subtle measures to reduce noise and resulting stress, by discrete integration of out-of-reach acoustic panels, and the elimination of opportunities for self-harm by careful selection of materials, fittings and fixtures. Variety in spatial character, brightness, colour, and scale make the spaces visually stimulating while set in a secure internal environment. The entire facility is designed in accordance with the UK Department of Health High Secure Design Guide and Category B Prison Standards. An equivalent facility is that of HMPS Broadmoor in the UK. To meet this requirement, the pavilion buildings are surrounded by a 5.2m high secure perimeter fence or equivalent building/boundary structure. High secure design guidelines also require a minimum eaves height of 4.2m. To reduce the scale and allow the buildings appear a single storey, a dark coloured render band was introduced below the eaves to allow it to be read with the roof. To reduce the mass of the roofs, the roofs pitches were kept low, hipped and overhangs utilized to help float the roof. The new facility will once again position Ireland’s forensic mental health services as world leaders in best clinical practice in a facility which maximises the therapeutic value of landscape and design within the constraints of a secure setting.
Printing House Square, Trinity Collge Dublin
Contemporary design containing student residences, sport and well-being facilities in a sensitive new addition to historic Trinity College campus Printing House Square is the first new square to be built in Trinity for 200 years. A new gateway between college and city opens the historic campus to the city along what has been until now an impermeable section of Pearse Street. The courtyard form provides student accommodation, health and disability services, and a sports centre - its stone roof folding down to provide an intimate context around the 18th century Printing House. The building form is like a granite rock with a distinctive undulating stone roof, reflecting the mountains in distant view and, at closer quarters, a grouping of ordinary Georgian roofs. The building’s materiality reflects its form and location with a board-marked concrete working plinth supporting a granite-clad upper world. Glimpses are provided from the courtyard, through landscaped cuts, to facilities at lower levels. The building establishes a strong formal and material relationship between contemporary architecture and historic fabric, blind stone gables folding around the Printing House’s Classical temple architecture to create a rocky landscape setting, allowing it to retain precedence in views on campus from New Square and the Berkeley Library. Households of six to eight students share a kitchen/living/dining space – a total of 250 bedspaces – which float over the Health Centre (consulting rooms, treatment rooms) and Seminar spaces which are shared with Disability Services (consultation/offices/meeting): all these facilities are naturally lit. Sports Centre services include squash, handball and triathlon training, the squash courts being designed as flexible spaces with moveable walls to allow for a variety of uses into the future. Trinity’s policies of inclusivity are focused on creating optimum conditions for students and staff to live, work and learn. This building enshrines these principles, the courtyard form creating a safe space for everyone who enters. All levels are accessible via gentle slopes, ramps and external lifts. As well as physical comfort and dignity, a huge variety of environments create appropriate settings for people of all abilities and needs – from lower convivial households of rooms where younger students meet, live and play together, to the more monastic top floor which folds quiet calm volumetric rooms into roofspaces like Paris garrets with uplifting views through tiny granite courtyards. Wayfinding was developed through the use of colour, with each household given a different colour within a tight range, this inflects to the staircases to provide a sense of identity for every student in every household. Printing House Square intensifies development on this precious city centre site. Intensive use of the site suggested deep basements for indoor sports, cutting away structure to bring light deep into the Health Centre and Disability Services, making the building section like an iceberg. The design incorporates 5 key sustainability strategies: solar panels, CHP, heat pumps, rainwater harvesting and natural ventilation. Energy monitoring displayed on screens in each household encourages reduction of energy usage. The building is BREEAM Excellent.
A house in a garden - 81 Hollybrook Grove
This house is situated in a garden at the end of a short terrace of a 1940’s estate on the edge of Dublin city. The site is bounded to the south by a suburban hedge of hazel and privet, to the northwest by the blank wall of the original terrace and to the northeast by a high wall backing onto a public laneway. The ground floor layout is derived from the planning requirements for outdoor amenity space. To maximise the presence of the garden it takes advantage of the excellent privacy provided by the thick hedgerow. At the ground level all the supporting walls are located within an internal cross-shaped core, allowing a curtain of glass and timber folding doors to wrap the exterior of the house for direct connection and access to the garden. Internally a cross-shaped core divides the plan into 4 public rooms: a hall/library, kitchen, dining and living room. These are located according to proportion and orientation and step in section to accommodate ceiling heights of varying dimension and intimacy. A recessed ceilng track allows the rooms to be completely wrapped in woolen curtain like a medieval four poster bed. The core contains the service and plumbed elements of the plant, wash closet, kitchen appliances, fireplace as well as storage and the staircase. A continuous loop of circulation is along the perimeter. On fine days, the folding doors can slide back from their corners allowing the house to spread outside - reducing the house’s footprint to the structural core. The gardens are planted to provide a variety of flora, much edible, responding to light, shade, aspect and condition. A south facing terrace is located with a bench built into a new inhabited garden wall. The first floor is laid out with three bedrooms and a bathroom off a small central landing. The landing is lit from a tall roof light contained within an extruded chimneystack and lined in timber panelling up to door height. The landing is one door wide and two doors in length. From this space, panelled doors open into generously proportioned bedrooms side lit from large windows sitting on the skirting of the opposing walls. The ceilings are draped along the pitch of the roof, falling from 4.5m above the sweep of the doorway to 2m around the perimeter. These rooms are lined in through-coloured Valchromat MDFs with a marquetry Valchromat MDF floor. Radiators, sockets, MHVR grilles, sensors and switches are framed within these MDF elaborations. Externally, the house is treated in a manner similar but exaggerated to the immediate terrace housing. The masonry walls are finished in a pigmented off-white cementious render, deeply roughcast on the garden side and hand trowelled smooth on the laneway elevation and public faces. A heather coloured fibre cement roof is elaborated with expressed untreated copper crampions, copper guttering and tall standing seam hips. Copper downpipes are used to draw figures across blank parts of the façade reminiscent of a line drawing. Over time these elements will oxidise to a pale powder green. Where the house meets the laneway a simple gable is projected with the image of a doorway and window set in relief. This project is a contemporary translation of the ordinary suburban house. In their spirit the house is built economically using everyday materials and techniques easily sourced and knowledgeable for a local builder and tradesmen. These materials and techniques are amplified and exaggerated to become something at once familiar but different. We believe this house demonstrates that a rich architecture does not necessarily mean an expensive architecture. Researching the architecture of the Arts and Crafts movement we have realised that what has happened over the last century with the reversal of expenditure in construction works from material to labour costs means a highly crafted architecture is beyond the means of most everyday budgets due to the increased cost of labour and decreased access to affordable skilled makers. However taking inspiration from the arts side of this movement this house focuses on the traditional meaning of the applied arts and translates it into the contemporary setting - using design and assembly to enhance character and atmosphere where the construction and material costs would exclude. We call this approach 'richly economical'. Through detailed design resolution and ample allowance for construction tolerances we have used linings, skirting, plaster and paint to build in a design robustness allowing for a cheaper build onsite. Services and fittings are used decoratively as well as pragmatically to mitigate the minimal aesthetic which requires such accuracy and labour. Artists like Richard Wentworth, Fischli & Weiss and photographers, Lewis Baltz and Thomas Struth are heroes of the office. They show that how through simple manipulation and re-evaluation sometimes the ordinary can be transformed into the extraordinary. Taking this approach the practice enjoys seeking novel ways at looking at what some may consider the everyday and banal and through new juxtapositions, exaggeration, and subverted associations to seek to articulate playfulness and delight. With the rise of the modern movement in the C20th, functionalism and even minimalism became the norm. However this house take inspiration from the pre modern; a door can be much more than a door, and a wall much more than a means to enclose space. We reject the simplicity of the modernist extrusion of a plan and instead look at Alberti's understanding of the wall and its possibilities to generate atmosphere.
Central Quad, TU Dublin Grangegorman Campus
Completed in March 2021, Central Quad is an interdisciplinary teaching building for the TU Dublin Grangegorman Campus. Science, research and innovation-focused, the Central Quad accommodates ten schools from the College of Sciences & Health, College of Engineering & Built Environment and College of Arts & Tourism, alongside general learning space, distributed learning commons, staff accommodation and building support. The building is a contemporary and dynamic interpretation of the classic university quadrangle, split into two L-shaped forms blocks around a landscaped courtyard. A simple, but generous, colonnade provides shelter and a collegiate atmosphere. Large windows look inwards to the green space of the quad and outwards to the Grangegorman Campus and its neighbourhood. A clear entrance to the quad is marked by a double height atrium. The 35,000sqm building contains general learning space – including a 250-seat lecture theatre and informal learning and commons areas, staff accommodation and building support - as well as a range of specialist learning facilities such as wet and dry laboratories, workshops, kitchens, support spaces and teaching restaurants. Routes through the building make it an open and accessible building and announce its role as a teaching and social centre for the university. Reflecting the ambitions of the new Campus, the Central Quad brings together the whole of the university ecosystem to interact, engage and learn together. We have concentrated on creating a rich variety of space types ranging from a dramatic double height reception which is the buildings social hub, through to more intimate informal learning areas along the circulation routes that gradually reveal themselves. The incorporation of colour and texture create a rich social learning environment, while clear wayfinding and signage makes the building easy to navigate. At the heart of the secondary atrium, Solaris Nexum, a site-specific kinetic sculpture by the artist Alexandra Carr, is suspended across five storeys and reflects the shifting light, drawing attention to the upper stories and connecting the schools within the building. TU Dublin’s vision is of a Campus that is part of the community and the city. Grangegorman Campus is the largest higher education development in Europe, accessing a previously closed site to welcome in locals, students and visitors alike. The campus has relocated TU Dublin’s 20,000 staff and students, currently housed in 39 buildings across Dublin, bringing them together in a single campus.
Cadenza, Dublin
CADENZA is a new 10,550 sqm office development that demonstrates excellence in design and technical execution enhancing the surrounding area with the integration of a building completed to the highest quality. The building is located on a prominent corner site at the junction of Earlsfort Terrace and Adelaide Road extending to Hatch Lane to the east. An amalgamation of two 1970’s office buildings previously located on this site provided the opportunity to re-develop the exciting city centre site and demonstrate progression with a new world class office headquarters. The Cadenza building form rises to seven storeys with a delicate rhythmic stone veil wrapping the primary façades, echoing the urban context with the civic quality of the stone and the vertical rhythm. This facade employs a frame-less and mullion-less skin of glass, shaded by a stone veil which is suspended off of the building. This three dimensional stone matrix forms a pattern that adds a visual interest to the streetscape below and is suspended above the large curved and independently supported glass screens that enclose the entrance hall. Lower level gardens provide green spaces for the workers and the terraces at upper levels offer broad views across the city. The brass and gold fins add colour, warmth and additional shading. Overall this is a highly progressive and carefully considered development. Cadenza embraces it’s surroundings and offers back to the community an enhanced development that demonstrates what can be achieved with dedication, creativity and attention to detail through team collaboration.
Cadenza Refit
Located on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin, the Cadenza building showcases modern architecture with landscaped sunken courtyards. Its double-height, fully glazed reception features over 30 meters of large curved glass panes, seamlessly connecting the interior with the outdoor greenery. This transparency guided the use of stone and brass, integrating the reception space with its natural surroundings. The design emphasizes innovative elements that enhance the aesthetic and functional aspects of the space. One such innovation is the backlit Connemara marble feature. Using a cutting-edge system, LEDs were bonded onto a panel integrated with 5mm resin-infused marble, allowing the typically opaque stone to be elegantly illuminated from behind. This technique highlights the marble’s natural beauty and creates a striking visual effect. The ceiling presents a 'forest-like' acoustic canopy, composed of large baffles interspersed with cylindrical pendant lighting. This design mimics a natural canopy and improves sound quality, enhancing both the visual and acoustic experience. The reception desk, created through 3D printing and prototyping, adds another layer of innovation. Developed in collaboration with a windmill manufacturer, its organic shape serves as a visual centerpiece. The desk integrates essential services within a hidden drawer and complies with wheelchair accessibility standards, focusing on both design and functionality. Inspired by the Irish countryside, the reception and communal areas use Connemara marble and other native materials to accentuate the space's dimensions. Features like the bespoke coffee dock merge function with artistic expression, ensuring practicality while maintaining visual interest. Every detail, from marble-quarried landscape motifs to chosen furniture, maintains a cohesive visual experience throughout. The consistent marble flooring supports continuity, reflecting the project's natural inspiration and aligning with its aesthetic objectives. The Cadenza project incorporates these innovations into its architectural context, creating a distinctive environment that stands out on Earlsfort Terrace, showcasing a forward-thinking approach to design.
House A + Structure Prototype
The principals of joining short members of wood to create longer spans in a reciprocal frame (RF) have been used since the 12 Century for floors and roofs when longer members were not available. The properties of planar RF structures were developed and exploited in the project, House A, East Wall, Dublin 3. The roof is a planer RF system sitting on three short beams of solid Douglas fir which span the width of the space. All other beams are of shorter length and are arranged in a pattern of RF Modules to exploit the square void in the centre, 900mm x 900mm. The final layer (layer C) are the Cross-laminated timber panels which create horizontal stiffness and alternating voids to light the plan. From House A, two prototype structures are developed in large-scale timber models (Scale 1:10) to demonstrate how the structure can be adapted to a variety of spatial programmes by exploiting the variety of tessellation patterns generated by the RF Modules and how it is assembled in sequential layers without the need for temporary supports. The spatial programme in Model 1 is an adaptable hall space (16m x 16m) and Model 2 is a multi-storey housing unit (10m x 10m) based on a module of 900mm. The Structure Prototypes can be repeated horizontally or extended vertically with the top floor becoming the roof. In each case, the “Bridget’s Cross” pattern generated by the sequence of RF Modules means that there are always opportunities for light, ventilation and services in the roof or between floors. In both the hall and the housing, the plan can be open or sub-divided depending on use, generating a variety of floor plans. The models use solid beech wood members and SherpaTM Mini 10 wood connectors, at the Scale 1: 10, and can be assembled from a kit-of-parts and disassembled for ease of transport. The engineering attributes of the model scale up and best demonstrate how it would be built at 1:1. The timber members for each prototype at 1:1, are designed in BauBucheTM GL75, a hardwood glu-lam product, which is a high performance material relative to its own weight. Its engineering properties to allow for slimmer cross-sections thus reducing the volume of material consumed. The width of the panels in BauBucheTM Board S (60mm) is compatible with the modular roof and floor panel (1840mm) of the prototype that also benefits material consumption. The joint is made using a surface-mounted SherpaTM wood connector, which does not involve taking a notch out the beam. Both products are standardised and compatible, which simplifies prefabrication and rapid assembly. When comparing the planar RF design using 1800mm panels with one using 10 x 16.2m long beams 1800mm apart with like-for-like materials, in this case, the RF prototype reduces the volume of material needed by 45%. The proposed structures if built at 1:1 can be disassembled and reassembled according to needs of users and could incorporate material from existing structures for re-use.
26 York Street, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
26 York Street in Dublin’s City Centre, is the largest and most technically advanced learning facility of its kind in Europe. The design builds on 200 years of excellence and innovation in medical training providing a unique reason for students to study with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The new building underpins the College’s historic presence on St. Stephen’s Green complementing and extending the existing city campus. The brief demanded a highly complex programme of spaces on a compact urban site including technically advanced simulated environments for clinical and surgical training as well as a new library, auditorium and sports facility. The ten story 11,155m2 building negotiates planning height constraints in the historic city core by incorporating four basement levels to accommodate the client’s brief. Two separate atria provide clarity of orientation and spatial organisation, while themes of transparency, openness and collaboration contribute to a redefinition of the traditional boundaries of the library. The resultant spatial variety supports the diverse demands of healthcare education while encouraging social interaction and promoting the human skills required to be an excellent medical practitioner. Materials were chosen for robustness and visual congruity. Polished terrazzo is common to circulation spaces tying the floors together and drawing light deep into the plan. Exposed concrete in various finishes reveals the structural anatomy of the building. Colour and texture is introduced to differentiate between key functions and provide a clear wayfinding strategy. The overall composition fuses precise and clinical detailing with a comfortable and inviting spatial environment to enhance the educational experience. The building has a transformational impact on the streetscape. The transparency and openness of the ground floor invites interaction with the upgraded public realm. The ceramic fritted glass of the upper floors reflects north light into the street and produces a distinctive representation of the character and spirit of the College in the 21st Century. The building caters for a diverse group of people with distinct requirements of culture, religion, individuality and ability. The principles of universal design were incorporated from the outset, with the design going beyond simple regulatory compliance to provide a truly inclusive experience for students and staff alike. The sustainable design approach impacted decisions at every scale of the building from overall energy strategy, facade design and materiality to how the facility will be used and maintained during its intended design life. The LEED method of assessment was chosen to provide a framework for the incorporation of sustainable design features, with the building on course to achieve LEED Gold Certification. The project was delivered on programme and to budget in time for a soft opening for the 2017 academic year following 30 months of construction. 26 York Street incorporates a complex and diverse series of spaces including the following: Gym / Sports Facilities Sports Hall (Which Doubles as Exam Hall) / Changing Facilities 540 Seater Auditorium 12 Tutorial Rooms Out Patient & In Patient Rooms Task Training Spaces Simulation Laboratories PC Laboratories Full Library & Study Facilities Prayer Rooms Cafe & Catering Facilities.
Clerys Quarter
Clerys Quarter is the transformation of a historic department store building that has been central to Dublin city retail and social environment for generations. It has been converted into a mixed-use building, encompassing various uses such as offices, food and beverage, hospitality, retail and entertainment across multiple floors. Simultaneously, Earl Place, the rear service street, has been revitalised into a bustling restaurant hub creating a new destination in the north city center. The Clerys building has undergone numerous changes and expansions since its reconstruction over a hundred years ago. The central vision of the project was to unwrap the many additions to Clerys and reveal the original landmark structure; and then through sympathetic additions create a new social destination which brings together business, leisure, shopping and entertainment . Retail areas on basement and lower floors, a key component of the complex, have undergone substantial upgrade and restoration. The original historic shop fronts have been refurbished. New universally accessible entrances to the shops and a new main entrance have been provided below the iconic Clerys clock which leads directly to the new public mall connecting the bustling O’Connell Street with Earl Place at the rear. The introduction of the new central mall draws the public in and gives access to the upper levels of office space and to the hospitality venue at rooftop. A circular atrium is introduced to deliver light to this new internal thoroughfare below and also provides visual connectivity between the floors at upper levels. The multi-use of the upper floors creates a busy environment with the glass lift shafts visible in the atrium and the grand old staircase linking to the historic tea rooms which overlook the street to the rear Two new cores accessed from the the mall provide circulation through the building. Glass lifts rise through the atrium to access the rooftop directly, while separate access is provided to the office levels. Protected structure status of the main Clerys building required careful analysis of the impact of proposed intervention in the context of existing structural frame capacity, buildability and ultimate performance of the complete building. The office spaces have been designed to provide ample access to views and daylight levels through floor to ceiling windows which is significant to the health and well-being aspects of future occupants. Inherited building footprint and deep plan floor plate required specific design proposals of light wells, rooflights, atriums, and glazed incisions into the building to enhance natural light penetration. The Clerys redevelopment project prioritized sustainability through a commitment to retaining and repurposing the existing building. Vertical extension and strategic demolition were employed to create new floor space, emphasizing a circular economy approach to reduce material consumption and waste generation. The building design included a significant upgrade where practical to the building fabric to ensure passive design elements including U-Values and Building Air. Clerys was awarded LEED Gold Certification for efforts made towards sustainability during project development.
Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park (Irish: Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large public urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 kilometres (1.2–2.5 mi) west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) perimeter wall encloses 707 hectares (1,750 acres) of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the 17th century has been home to a herd of wild fallow deer. The Irish Government has lobbied UNESCO to have the park designated as a World Heritage Site.
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Open in Atlas MapFrequently Asked Questions
How long does the Dublin architecture walking tour take?+
The self-guided walking tour covers approximately 15.2 km with 5 stops. Allow approximately 5 hours including 20 minutes of viewing time per building.
Is the Dublin architecture tour free?+
Yes, this is a completely free self-guided walking tour. You can view the route on the interactive map, export it to Google Maps for navigation, and explore at your own pace.
Do I need to book the Dublin architecture tour in advance?+
No booking is required — this is a self-guided tour that you can start at any time. All buildings can be viewed from the outside. For guided tours with expert commentary, we recommend checking GetYourGuide for local architecture tours.
What is the best time to do the Dublin architecture walking tour?+
Morning light (before 11am) is ideal for photography of building facades. Weekdays tend to be less crowded around commercial buildings. Allow a full half day for the complete tour.