Residential Campus Masterplan, University College Dublin, Dublin
UCD’s Strategic Masterplan identifies the southern precinct of its lands as its residential use cluster. The precinct houses an existing student residences population of 1,500 bedspace’s. As the University has continued to expand, the bespoke UCD Residential Precinct Masterplan has been masterplanned by Reddy A+U. The team masterplan provides for almost 3,000 student residential units and has been developed as a phased development.
The team built on the tradition of UCD’s established residential courtyard building forms, with a view to a more sustainable development model including the requirement for a more community orientated approach. The student experience from classroom to bedroom elicited an amenity orientated response in both the masterplan and the architectural composition of buildings.
Phase 1 of the masterplan for UCD’s Student Residences Precinct consists of 924 beds within 3 buildings and a Student Amenity facility of over 3,500m². This facility will create the social heart of the development and will include food and beverage offerings, meeting rooms, a gym and student welfare shops. Specialist facilities will be provided including rehearsal and performance rooms that will cater for dance, music and theatre which will enrich the students welfare.
The Fulcrum building which will form the epicentre of student life is fronted by a curated plaza. This clearly identifies the student residences cluster and fronts the building which provides all the amenity spaces and facilities catering for all the students needs from a bike shop to student welfare. The central space of the building is conceived as serving all of the communal requirements of the student in the weekday and weekend, housing events, essentials, welfare and health orientated activities in an environment which will by design promote interaction and collision.
The landscape of the campus is characterised by its green and verdant spaces, the woodland walk and its natural diversity. The Masterplan incorporates a new cyclist’s route and pedestrian path through the residential courtyards. Central to the scheme is provision of defined activity spaces for play and reflection.
