Steven Holl Architects Among the Six Finalists for University College Dublin's Campus Makeover
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University College Dublin’s Belfield campus is set for a makeover. In an international competition inviting design proposals for the future campus project, 23 different countries submitted 98 entries, from which six proposals have been shortlisted by the ju
Steven Holl Architects Among the Six Finalists for University College Dublin's Campus Makeover
University College Dublin’s Belfield campus is set for a makeover. In an international competition inviting design proposals for the future campus project, 23 different countries submitted 98 entries, from which six proposals have been shortlisted by the jury for UCD’s Future Campus project. The finalists include Steven Holl Architects, Studio Libeskind, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, John Ronan Architects, UNStudio and O’Donnell + Tuomey. Studio Libeskind has proposed a series of complexes representing the Nine Muses in Joyce’s “Ulysses.” UNStudio envisions the campus as a “marketplace of innovation.”The redesign will involve two major updates — renovating the campus’ entry precinct along Stillorgan Road, and development of a new €48 million Center for Creative Design, which will be the highlight of the redesigned section. The 8,000-square-meter center will house the UCD’s design studios. “UCD hopes that the new building will express the university’s creative abilities and help it create a stronger physical presence and identity within the city and the greater international academic community,” noted ArchDaily.UCD’s Architecture Professor, Hugh Campbell, said, “We are seeking an integrated design proposal that improves the experience of our campus for its users, and that better connects us to our surroundings, orientating us outwards to the world and inviting our communities to engage with us.”UCD is Ireland’s largest university with 33,000 enrolled students and boasts of celebrated author James Joyce and several Irish Presidents as its alumni. The sprawling 133 hectares Belfield campus was developed in the 1960s and features many historic houses which are operated as the school’s academic buildings. The section which will undergo renovation includes two of these periodic houses — the Belfield House from 1801 and Merville House from 1750.UCD’s current frontage along the Stillorgan Road “is largely impermeable, with a raised berm and thick growth and tree canopies blocking access and views of the campus from the road. As part of the Future Campus initiative, UCD looks to break down this barrier and improve the connection between the university, its community and the city of Dublin as a whole,” stated ArchDaily.The winner is expected to be announced next month. http://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more
