St Patrick’s College Drumcondra
Dublin City University
Project Details
Client: DCU, St Patrick’s College
Architect: Taylor Architects
Value: €38.0M
Services Provided: C&S Engineering Services
Category: Education
Project Duration: 2006 – 2014
Project Description
The upgrade and redevelopment project at Dublin City University’s (DCU) teacher training college, (St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra) included erection of five buildings and work to a number of listed historic buildings and was carried out in four phases. The development masterplan created internal alleyways through existing protected buildings to establish a thoroughfare connecting the whole college internally. An iconic building fronting the busy Drumcondra Road re-established the college’s connection to the local community.
12,867m2 of new space accommodates lecture theatres, laboratories, classrooms and workshops, alongside 7,000m2 of refurbishment and 9,000m2 of deep retrofit. The total new build and refurbishment includes; lecture theatres with individual capacity of up to 500 seats, science laboratories, library, exhibition spaces, digital learning centres, seminar rooms, fully equipped crèche and a sports hall with gymnasium and café.
Constructed using a number of structural forms, steel frames large lecture theatres, while the remaining sections boast fairfaced concrete walls, slabs, columns. The project included straddling multistorey new accommodation over existing buildings with the installation of 25m-long steel trusses.
Minimising impact on the existing live campus environment was pivotal to the project, as the campus had to be kept operational for the majority of the year. With four buildings at different locations on this campus of historic buildings/protected structures, Health and Safety proved a critical concern requiring careful consideration due to the complex nature of site. A major investigation of existing site services highlighted the need for repair, rehabilitation or replacement. Due to its location on a busy city road, detailed traffic consultations were required with Dublin City Council.