Following a two-stage open Architectural Design Competition, the Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA) is delighted to announce Carr Cotter Naessens Architects as the winning Competition Team for the FOCAS Research Institute at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) Grangegorman Campus.

The appointment is the culmination of an open and inclusive procurement process for this ambitious project, which has set ambitious design targets in response to the Climate Crisis.

From a longlist of 40 entries, 5 teams were shortlisted for Stage 2 of the competition:

• A2 Architects;
• Carr, Cotter Naessens Architects;
• Clancy Moore Architects;
• Heneghan Peng Architects; and
• John McLaughlin Architects.

Carr Cotter Naessens Architects’ Competition Team includes; Moloney O’Beirne Architects, Punch Consulting Engineers (structural & civil), Murphy Façade Studio (facades), Brady Shipman Martin (landscape), Prochem (laboratory specialist) and Chris Mee Group (PSDP).

A separately procured Technical Team now completes the FOCAS Design Team.

The Technical Team comprises; RPS (Building services engineering & sustainability), Duke McCaffrey (cost control, project management & life cycle assessment) and Maurice Johnson & Partners (fire safety consultant).

Speaking of the appointment, Ger Casey, GDA CEO said, “We had a strong response to the design competition and the high quality of submissions has been great to see. We are thrilled to welcome Carr Cotter Naessens Architects to the Grangegorman Project, and to work with the team to deliver an enduring and environmentally responsible building for TU Dublin.

The FOCAS Research Institute represents a step change for how the Agency procures its projects. The approach to the competition has shown the value and the role of design in responding to the climate emergency, and this is something that will continue to be developed for future projects at Grangegorman.”

Dr Brendan Jennings, Vice President for Research and Innovation at TU Dublin, said: “Positioned at the heart of the Grangegorman Campus, this cutting-edge Research and Innovation facility will further improve the University’s reputation as a globally engaged, comprehensive, research-informed institution. The facility will embody the ethos of the FOCAS Institute of supporting researchers from across science, technology and engineering disciplines, enabling TU Dublin to grow and enhance our research capacity and to create more knowledge transfer opportunities with innovators and entrepreneurs located in the adjacent Greenway Hub. We look forward to Carr Cotter Naessens Architects realising our vision to develop an enduring and environmentally responsible building that will serve the needs of TU Dublin researchers for many generations to come.”

Louise Cotter, of Carr Cotter Naessens Architects said: We are delighted to be appointed for this prestigious commission following the two stage design contest for the FOCAS Research Institute. We recognise the ambitions of TU Dublin and the GDA for a truly sustainable building that knits into the campus Masterplan strategy and we look forward to developing a rigorous and innovative design concept for the building.”

The Design Team has now begun preliminary design stage of the project.

The FOCAS Research Institute is to be relocated to Grangegorman from its present location across the Liffey in Dublin’s south inner city. It advances the full development of the Grangegorman site as envisioned in the award winning Grangegorman Masterplan (2008).

This c.4,500m2 facility – adjacent to students and researchers in the sciences and health, and in engineering disciplines – will further consolidate an emerging Research and Innovation Hub centrally within the Grangegorman Campus.

The GDA is a statutory agency established in 2006 by the Irish Government under the Grangegorman Development Agency Act 2005 to redevelop the 30 ha (73 acre) former St. Brendan’s Hospital grounds in Dublin’s North Inner City.

The GDA’s mission is to transform Grangegorman into a vibrant community that encompasses a world class, integrated and inclusive education, health, and community campus. This will be achieved by delivering a built environment that is in keeping with the Grangegorman Masterplan Vision.

In doing so, the Agency’s vision is to be locally and internationally recognised as an exemplar of community urban regeneration, focused on education and health.