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University College Dublin

FUTURE CAMPUS

INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION Competition Conditions

© Malcolm Reading Consultants 2018

This document has been assembled by Malcolm Reading Consultants from research content and original content provided by University College Dublin. The combined content is intended for use only in the procurement process as described in this document. All material is provided in good faith but no warranty or representation is given as to its accuracy or completeness. Neither UCD nor its advisors shall be liable for any error, misstatement or omission in the material and no reliance shall be placed on it.

Malcolm Reading Consultants is an expert consultancy which specialises in managing design competitions to international standards and providing independent, strategic advice to clients with capital projects. With nearly twenty years’ experience of projects, we are enthusiastic advocates of the power of design to create new perceptions and act as an inspiration.

Images: © University College Dublin unless otherwise stated

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University College Dublin

FUTURE CAMPUS

INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION Competition Conditions

2 Future Campus – University College Dublin: Competition Conditions

Contents

PART ONE 3

Introduction 4

Aims and Objectives 5

The Site 7

Introduction 7

Entrance Precinct Masterplan 9

Centre for Creative Design 14

Commuting 17

Current Services Provision 21

The Brief 22

The Entrance Precinct Masterplan 24

Introduction 24

Outline Area Schedule (indicative only) 24

Outline Spatial Requirements 26

Outline Design and Technical Requirements 30

Introduction 39

Outline Area Schedule (indicative only) 39

Outline Spatial Requirements 40

Outline Design and Technical Requirements 48

Planning Context 53

Project Details 55

PART TWO 58

Competition Details 59

Anticipated Competition Programme 62

How to Enter 63

Submission Requirements 64

Evaluation Criteria 72

Appendices 75


PART ONE


Introduction

The Future Campus – University College Dublin International Design Competition

is seeking an outstanding multidisciplinary design team for University College

Dublin’s Entrance Precinct Masterplan and Centre for Creative Design project.

The project will create a strong urban design vision that foregrounds a highly-

visible and welcoming entrance precinct, one combining placemaking with a

stronger physical presence and identity for the University. The Centre for Creative

Design is conceived as a charismatic new building that expresses the University’s

creativity – a making and learning lab.

At this, Stage Two of the competition, shortlisted teams are required to devise a

concept design which encompasses both key elements of the project. Competitors

are required to respond to the requirements and issues as outlined in the first stage

document, the Search Statement, and this Competition Conditions document.

The competition Jury will assess each of the schemes, interview the teams and

recommend a winner. Following the competition, the winning team will be expected

to work with University College Dublin (UCD) to develop their concept design.

The emerging scheme will be tested vigorously with internal and external

stakeholders (both statutory and non-statutory) during this period.

Part One of this document focuses on the design, programmatic and functional

requirements for the Entrance Precinct Masterplan and the Centre for Creative

Design. Part Two includes all information necessary to submit your design

proposal. This document, the Competition Conditions, should be read in

conjunction with the Search Statement Part One – which still applies and is

relevant at this stage of the competition.

competitions.malcolmreading.com/universitycollegedublin/

https://competitions.malcolmreading.com/universitycollegedublin/

https://competitions.malcolmreading.com/universitycollegedublin/


Aims and Objectives

University College Dublin’s Future Campus project strategic objectives are:

Immediate physical presence

Give the University immediate physical presence and visibility as an

internationally-minded, dynamic and creative place of learning and

research, addressing the currently recessive and largely anonymous

arrival experience.

An enhanced campus

Enhance and enliven the campus by making a highly-attractive

environment (day and night, season to season) that promotes a strong

sense of community and sociability and inspires students and faculty,

visitors and local innovators to explore new ways of learning and thinking.

A future-proofed vision

Create a strong and flexible urban design vision for this 23.8 ha area of the

overall campus, informed by placemaking, accessibility and people flows;

this anticipates the potential for up to 335,000 sq m of new development

(representing a footprint of circa 67,000 sq m).

UCD’s creative identity

Make creativity, innovation and sustainability central to UCD’s identity

through exemplary design.

Sustainable values

Affirm holistic sustainable values – from design through to operations and

use – achieving a near zero energy target, making design choices

incorporating energy-saving, green technologies where possible, and

respecting the campus’ natural environment and biodiversity, notably the

200-year-old woodland walks.

A Dublin landmark

Make the University a landmark on the Dublin map – improving

connections with the city and the immediate community/vicinity.

UCD’s international reputation and image

Raise the profile of UCD nationally and internationally through the quality

of its campus and architecture to draw more diverse, high-performing

candidates and academics.


Physically, the Future Campus project will:

Create an Entrance Precinct Masterplan: a strong urban design vision that

foregrounds a highly-visible and welcoming entrance experience and,

overall, combines placemaking with a stronger physical presence and

identity for the University, while also strengthening links between the

campus and the surrounding city.

Create a charismatic yet well-integrated Centre for Creative Design that is a

living learning lab – using innovative materials and new technologies to

express its purpose as the University’s home of design studios and

laboratories, and maker, project and fabrication spaces.

Increase permeability of the campus boundary – and the quality of this –

including a possible new vehicular entrance and influence improvements to

the public realm within the liminal zone between city and campus, taking

advantage of planned public transportation connections and sustainable

transport innovations/modes.


The Site

Introduction

The Campus Development Plan promotes the development of three character

areas within UCD’s Belfield Campus: education, research and innovation;

residential; and sport and recreation – these areas are identified on the plan on

page 8. The Entrance Precinct Masterplan area is located within the main

education, research and innovation character area.

Located at the main entrance to UCD, off the R138 dual carriageway, the Entrance

Precinct Masterplan and Centre for Creative Design will represent the visitor’s first

impressions of the University and its campus. It will act as the nexus between the

city and the University, providing immediate physical presence for UCD through a

highly-visible entrance and acting as a welcome to visitors, faculty, staff and

students. It should define the campus’ edge in a clear and unambiguous way,

whilst improving and promoting wider connectivity and permeability for this part of

the city. The project should be benchmarked against best practice internationally,

supporting UCD’s ambition to be a world Top 100 university by 2020.

The Entrance Precinct Masterplan must remain true to the sylvan and picturesque

character of the overall campus setting, whilst at the same time improving and

updating it with the qualities of vibrant and urban placemaking for the 21st century.

The masterplan will enhance the education, research and innovation of the

University, whilst also ensuring permeability within, and integration with, other

areas on campus. The masterplan should be premised on a holistic and

sustainable approach, ensuring that the designs proposed respect and enhance

the campus’ bio-diversity and natural environment whilst presenting a long-term

development plan for the siting and massing of new buildings.

The Centre for Creative Design is the first building to be delivered within the

masterplan and will be a major contributor to the overall presence for the project. It

will be an exemplar of sustainability, functionality, performance and design quality

for the University. It will help to deliver on the University’s Strategic Campus

Development Plan 2016-2021-2026 and espouse its values of excellence in design

and engagement with its stakeholders.

https://www.ucd.ie/campusdevelopment/



Belfield Character Areas


Entrance Precinct Masterplan

The Entrance Precinct Masterplan boundary is in two parts, as illustrated on the

diagram on pages 13-14.

The area within the red line boundary, encompassing some circa 23.8 ha,

represents the core Entrance Precinct. The entirety of this land is in the ownership

of the University. The main spatial requirements of the Entrance Precinct

Masterplan, as noted on pages 13-14, must be included within the red line

boundary.

The area within the green line boundary, circa 5.35 ha, lies outside of the

ownership demise of the University and is owned by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown

County Council. Within this area competitors may consider interventions – and in

particular landscape, wayfinding and access interventions – that support the

University’s desire to increase its visibility along the R138, as well as supporting its

brief for the Entrance Precinct Masterplan. Competitors should also take into

account the physical implications of public transportation requirements and

sustainable modes of transport, including the proposed Bus Rapid Transit, and the

suggested route terminus at UCD in proximity to the entrance to campus. Further

information on this is provided on pages 19-20.

The blue line boundary on the diagram on pages 13-14 demarcates the extent of

the whole UCD Belfield Campus, and is provided for information only.

Although a red line boundary has been established to show the extent of the

design area for the Entrance Precinct Masterplan competitors should,

nevertheless, consider how their design integrates appropriately and seamlessly

into the wider campus, and the city beyond.

Competitors can also consider an alternative, or secondary, entrance into the

campus from the R138 should this be beneficial to their design concept. The recent

downgrading of the road (from a National to a Regional route) has meant that

greater possibilities exist for making new road junctions along its route.

When viewed from outside, along the R138, the campus is poorly defined by a wall

of dense foliage. This landscaped edge, although an important feature and natural

resource, obscures the campus from view. This limited physical presence,

combined with a disappointing sense of arrival, is a catalyst for this project. This is

further exacerbated by the elevated flyover crossing into campus, and the fact that

ground level within campus at this point is raised above street level.

The Entrance Precinct Masterplan site area encompasses the main (current)

vehicular route into the campus off the R138. At this point the road enters a cutting

with slip roads either side on raised embankments. A simple concrete road bridge

(A) then crosses the R138 to facilitate ingress to, and egress from, campus.

Once on the campus grounds, wayfinding is poor and confusing. On entering

campus, the road network immediately splits into a myriad of potential routes left,

right and straight ahead. Signage is often obscured by foliage or too detailed to

serve its wayfinding purpose.


Facing the entrance is the now redundant gatehouse reception building (B). A

small pavilion building, designed in the 1970s by Scott Tallon Walker, this building

is no longer staffed, providing only a telephone connection to the campus

information service.

Beyond the gatehouse is a collection of buildings fronted by the Centre for

Research into Infectious Diseases (CRID) (C). The building, housing a research

institute and laboratories, was completed in 2003 and designed by Irish architects

O’Donnell + Tuomey. With its prominent form concealing exhaust extracts at high

level and nestling within a wooded setting, the building sits sentinel-like close to the

campus entrance.

Behind, and co-located with the CRID, is the National Virus Reference Laboratory

(NVRL) and its extension (D). The extension, completed in 2003 by the Irish

architects McCullough Mulvin, is a timber clad three-storey pavilion of domestic

scale. The building sits on a wooded promontory overlooking Wejchert’s campus

lake (E), the focal point of the whole Belfield Campus.

To the south of CRID and NVRL are Ardmore House (F) and the Ardmore Annex

(G). Ardmore House is one of the original seven period houses that occupied the

Belfield Campus at the time of UCD’s original purchases of land in the 1930s;

plans are underway to further restore and extend Ardmore House (subject to

planning permission). Adjacent to Ardmore House to the west, outside of the

Entrance Precinct Masterplan area, is the Tierney Building (H), home to UCD’s

Registry, the current President’s Office and other UCD services such as UCD

Relations.

To the north of CRID, within the masterplan area, is a large surface car park,

accommodating 314 spaces. Between the car park and the campus lake sits

O’Reilly Hall (I), just outside the Entrance Precinct Masterplan area. O’Reilly Hall,

designed by Scott Tallon Walker and completed in 1994, is the focus for UCD’s

public engagement and major conferences and events. The Hall encompasses a

1,000 seat auditorium and the large and bright foyer overlooks the campus lake.

Adjacent to, and co-located with, O’Reilly Hall, there are plans for a University Club

(due to commence construction this year). The University Club will provide facilities

for faculty, staff and external parties to network in an appropriate and collaborative

setting.

Edging the masterplan area to the north is the Veterinary Sciences Centre and

UCD School of Veterinary Medicine (J). This sits within a wider Sciences and

Health Precinct, including the O’Brien Centre for Science (K), the Health Sciences

Centre and the Conway Institute (L). Beyond the O’Brien Centre for Science is the

Student and Sports Centre (M).

South of Ardmore House is a small pavilion building accommodating a branch of

Allied Irish Bank (AIB) (N). Adjacent and to the east is the Engineering and Material

Sciences Centre (O). Opened in 1989, it is a large, purely functional building

occupying a prominent position within campus. The building is efficient and also

contains some interesting artefacts, such as the original and working 1884 Steam

Beam Engine from the Jameson’s Distillery.


To the south-west of the Engineering and Material Sciences Centre is the second,

and later, campus lake (P) and beyond this the main pedestrian spine of the

University (Q), as conceived in the 1960s Wejchert masterplan. Also edging this

second lake is the forthcoming Confucius Institute for Ireland (R) by Robin Lee

Architects and opening in 2018, the Sutherland School of Law (S) and the

Lochlann Quinn School of Business (T). Running along the main pedestrian spine

is the main humanities building at UCD, the Newman Building (U), and the James

Joyce Library (V).

North of the Engineering and Material Sciences Centre are two further surface car

parks, one of which occupies a former running track. These car parks cater for a

total of 573 spaces. Between these two car parks is the William Jefferson Clinton

Auditorium (W).

Across one of the campus drives, south-east of the William Jefferson Clinton

Auditorium, is Belfield House (X). One of the original 19th-century period houses

on campus, Belfield House is home to the Clinton Centre for American Studies.

Belfield House’s stable block (Y), to the south-east of the house, has been

converted into UCD Estate Services.

Immediately beyond the stable block, and running north-east to south-west, is an

area of protected woodland beyond which lies a substation and playing fields, both

in the masterplan area. To the south and south-west, outside of the masterplan

area, lie many of the current 3,000 student residences on campus.

Marking the southern extremity of the Entrance Precinct Masterplan area is

Merville House (Z). Merville House, another of the period houses on campus, has

been substantially extended and renovated over the years and now houses

NovaUCD, the University’s innovation and research business incubator centre.

Road Bridge

Gatehouse Reception Building

Centre for Research into Infectious Diseases

National Virus Reference Laboratory

Original Campus Lake

Ardmore House

Ardmore Annex

Tierney Building

O’Reilly Hall

Veterinary Science Centre

O’Brien Centre for Science

Health Sciences Centre and Conway Institute

Student and Sports Centre

Allied Irish Bank

Engineering and Material Sciences Centre

Campus Lake

Pedestrian Spine

Confucius Institute for Ireland

Sutherland School of Law

Lochlann Quinn School of Business

Newman Building

James Joyce Library

William Jefferson Clinton Auditorium

Belfield House

UCD Estates Services

Merville House

N 100m

Entrance Precinct Masterplan Area Boundary

Area for additional consideration (local authority owned)

Belfield Campus Boundary

Pedestrian Bridge

To South Dublin County and M50

To Dublin City Centre

Map data © 2018 Google


The exact siting for the Centre for Creative Design has not been prescribed in this

brief. Competitors may locate the building where they deem appropriate, but within

the overall red line boundary for the Entrance Precinct Masterplan. The siting

should be carefully considered, with a clear rationale. It should achieve maximum

visibility and prominence from outside the campus and on approach to the

University along the R138 whilst also ensuring appropriate adjacencies between it

and a future Engineering and Architecture Precinct, encompassing the current

Engineering and Material Sciences Centre.

Engineering and Architecture Precinct

The Campus Development Plan identifies a number of precincts within the

established character areas, one of which is the Engineering and Architecture

Precinct. The ambition is to locate all six schools of engineering and architecture,

currently dispersed across eleven buildings on campus, in a co-located area. The

area around the existing Engineering and Materials Sciences building has been

identified as the most appropriate location for the consolidated precinct.

The medium- to long-term objective is to establish a consolidated Engineering and

Architecture Precinct, providing state-of-the-art facilities for activities at a central

location which are future-proofed for growth. This will help to instil collaboration

across disciplines whilst improving operational efficiencies, decanting some

schools from buildings such as at Richview, which are old building stock, adapted

from other uses and increasingly deemed unfit-for-purpose.

It is anticipated that the total requirements for this precinct will be c. 22,000 sq m. It

is proposed the precinct will consist of:

The 8,000 sq m Centre for Creative Design

An extension, of up to 5,000 sq m, and refurbishments of the existing

Engineering and Materials Science Centre

New building(s) of around 9,000 sq m in total


Education, Research and Innovation Character Area - Priority Development Areas

1. Science Precinct 2. Newman Joyce Precinct 3. Health and Agriculture Precinct 4. Engineering and Architecture Precinct 5. Business and Law Precinct


Commuting

Commuting to and from campus, in particular the use of private motor vehicles,

places a huge strain on the physical infrastructure of the campus, as well as

pressure on both staff and students. Dublin’s continuing economic success has

priced most out of the housing market – both owner and renter occupied – resulting

in many having to travel long distances across Dublin and from surrounding areas.

Approximately 25% of journeys to and from campus are by private motor vehicle,

with 45% of those undertaking journeys of greater than 10 km to reach campus.

The average journey time commuting to the campus is 35 to 40 minutes.

Some 14% of the Belfield Campus’ surface area is taken up by parking and road

infrastructure. Conversely, there are currently only 3,000 on-campus student rooms

(although planning consent has been granted to grow this to over 5,000, including

supporting facilities, over the coming years).

The University acknowledges these issues. As a result it has prepared the UCD

Travel Plan 2016-2021-2026 entitled ‘Getting there the Sustainable Way’. The

travel plan is guided by three overarching principles:

- Promoting sustainable travel options;

- Encouraging activity, health and wellbeing; and

- Developing an accessible, attractive and welcoming campus.

Below some of the key existing and proposed public transport initiatives that impact

on commuting to and from the campus are highlighted. For further details please

see Appendix A – UCD Travel Plan 2016-2021-2026 –‘Getting there the

Sustainable Way’.


Travel Options and Services for UCD Belfield


Rail

UCD’s Belfield Campus is located equidistant from two of Dublin’s north-south rail

routes. To the west is one of Dublin’s light railway, or Luas, lines (from St

Stephen’s Green to the north to Brides Glen in the south). To the east is the Dublin

Area Rapid Transit, or DART, line running from Greystones in the south to the city

centre and beyond in the north.

The nearest stations on each, Windy Arbour and Milltown on the Luas and

Booterstown and Sydney Parade on the DART, are all approximately 20 minutes’

walk away (or an eight minute cycle). Perceptually, for many, this is seen as too

great a walking commute to be done regularly throughout all seasons.

Road

The campus is reasonably well-served by bus routes – particularly running north-

south along the R138. However, as a major commuter route into the city centre,

the R138 is often congested, hindering the frequency and reliability of the service.

Bus Connects, a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, is proposed by the National

Transport Authority (NTA) along three strategic transport corridors as a solution to

improving public bus transportation in Dublin. One of these is proposed to use the

R138, with its southern terminus located at the main entrance to UCD (although

the route may be extended further south in the future).

BRT is a high-quality bus system that looks to replicate the qualities of service of a

light rail system but at a fraction of the cost on conventional, albeit updated, road

infrastructure. The frequency of service is increased with optimally-spaced stops

and improved alighting and boarding times using modern, multi-accessed vehicles.

BRT vehicles use dedicated or shared public transport road lanes and are given

priority at traffic signals.

BRT is embedded in the NTA’s ‘Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area

2016-2035’. The BRT proposal went to initial public consultation in 2014. The

project is currently in planning and design work, with a further round of public

consultation planned once a final proposed scheme is confirmed.

Whilst the University’s desire is to reduce reliance on journeys to and from campus

using the private motor car, it accepts that this mode of transport will still need to

be an option for some in the future. Currently there are circa 3,600 parking spaces

on campus. At peak times availability is limited and, based on the sustainability

principles established within the travel plan, there are no plans to significantly

increase parking space numbers in the future. Currently the University has

implemented traffic calming cells which are imposed at peak times to restrict

vehicular permeability across campus (thereby negating potential rat runs),

enhancing safety and the pedestrian friendliness of the campus. Other solutions,

such as encouraging car sharing, flexible-use car pools and electric vehicle

charging points, are all embedded in the travel plan to help alleviate the burden on

commuting and car parking.

To the south of the Belfield Campus a proposed road route reservation has been

set aside as part of the Dublin Eastern Bypass. This route reservation starts in

https://www.busconnects.ie/about/


Booterstown to the east of the campus and, as it travels east and slightly south,

takes in a zone between NovaUCD and Foster’s Avenue, running alongside, and

within the curtilage of, the campus boundary. It connects to the M50 Motorway in

the west, adjacent to the Sandyford Industrial Estate.

Please see Appendix B – National Transport Authority: ‘Transport Strategy for the

Greater Dublin Area 2016-2035’ for more details.

Walking and cycling

Both walking and cycling are enshrined as healthy alternatives in the UCD Travel

Plan. Currently over 7,000 cycle journeys and 20,000 two-way pedestrian

movements are recorded in and out of campus each day, and there are 4,100

secure bike parking spaces on campus. Once on campus, large areas are either

pedestrian only, or pedestrian-friendly environments. A further eight km of

attractive woodland walks line the campus’ perimeter to support and promote

active lifestyles and wellbeing.

For these modes of transport to increase significantly in the future, issues such as

safety and security will need to be addressed, particularly on the R138 and at the

entrance junctions in campus. Once on campus, improved permeability and

minimising potential interfaces with vehicular traffic become equally important.


Current Services Provision

A purpose-designed, accessible services duct was provided for the campus at the

time of the original Wejchert masterplan development. This connects the Energy

Centre (also constructed at this time and located to the north-west of the Sports

Centre) with the services route running underneath the central pedestrian spine,

connecting all the buildings along this route and terminating at the Sutherland

School of Law. This duct houses a district heating system and non-potable

whitewater distribution (for cooling, toilet flushing and cleaning).

Natural gas is the main energy source for heating and hot water requirements on

campus. Heat is generated at the Energy Centre and localised at individual

buildings, where appropriate.

Electricity supply is a combination of an Electricity Supply Board (ESB) 10kv

connection and on-site production through combined heat and power (CHP)

engines.

Potable water is delivered to campus, to the pump house located close to the

Veterinary Hospital, through the Irish Water network. From here, it is pumped to

the water tower and distributed via gravity across the campus.

The campus is served by an extensive underground gravity -operating foul sewer

network. The main outfall to the network from campus is located within the

Entrance Precinct, about 200 m north-west of the main entrance off Stillorgan

Road. Surface water also uses a similar system and network to foul water, with the

main outfall to the network again close to the campus entrance.

Communications and IT infrastructure is primarily routed into campus from two

locations, the Greenfield Gate and Roebuck Castle entrances. The campus has

two main IT hubs, located in the Computer Centre and the Daedalus Building.

For further details on existing services, including drawings showing existing service

networks, please see Appendix C – Existing Services Information.

In the Brief section some specifics on services related to the Entrance Precinct

Masterplan and Centre for Creative Design are drawn out.


The Brief

The project is in two parts: an Entrance Precinct Masterplan and the Centre for

Creative Design building. This Competition Conditions brief describes both parts of

the project below.

It should be noted that the brief, and related outline area schedules and spatial,

design and technical requirements, are provided for guidance only. They are non-

prescriptive and non-exhaustive. The University is looking to your skills in

intellectual analysis to review the outline requirements presented in this document

and set out a vision for Future Campus: a masterplan that delivers the University a

flexible framework for future development and a building design that embodies

both high design quality and functionality.

Entrance Precinct Masterplan

The Entrance Precinct Masterplan covers an area of 23.8 ha, within which the

University believes that there is the potential to accommodate up to 335,000 sq m

of new development (representing a footprint of circa 67,000 sq m).

The masterplan should provide a strong urban design vision and framework that

foregrounds a highly-visible and welcoming entrance experience and, overall,

combines placemaking with a stronger physical presence and identity for the

University, while also strengthening links between the campus and the surrounding

city. It should be highly-visible, communicating the University’s intent as an

internationally-minded, dynamic and creative place of learning. It should provide a

highly-attractive environment (day and night, season to season) that promotes a

strong sense of community and sociability and inspires students and faculty,

visitors and local innovators to explore new ways of learning and thinking.

An inviting arrival experience is essential to showcase the expansive green

campus and this needs to reflect the University’s long-term ambition to concentrate

the core estate, ensuring an appropriate pedestrian proximity between key

academic buildings. Wayfinding and circulation on and off campus need to be both

intuitive and coordinated, embracing the ideals of Wejchert’s strong pedestrian

spine in a 21st-century form. The opportunity exists within this project to enhance

the quality of the arrival experience starting from outside the campus boundary,

ensuring strong integration with the local area and surrounding transport networks.

The Entrance Precinct is intended as a nexus connecting Dublin and the

University, the entrance and the campus core. Within the competition there is also

the potential to influence improvements to the public realm within the liminal zone

between city and campus, taking advantage of planned public transportation

connections and sustainable transport innovations/modes. To support the entry

and arrival experience, a further 5.35 ha of land owned by Dún Laoghaire-

Rathdown County Council adjoining the campus boundary is included within the

brief. It supports wider initiatives planned for the Greater Dublin Area.

The Strategic Campus Development Plan describes a number of character areas

within campus (see plan on page 8). The Entrance Precinct sits adjacent to, and

overlapping with, the education, research and innovation character area.



Within the character areas there is the potential for competitors to create sub-

areas, grouping uses that share a common theme together. This may include, for

example, an Innovation District and an Engineering and Architecture Precinct.

However, as with all successful places, the mix of uses and the interaction

between them has the potential to provide delight and a blended campus

environment.

The Centre for Creative Design

The first building to be delivered within the Entrance Precinct Masterplan is the

8,000 sq m Centre for Creative Design. With the creative knowledge economy

central to Ireland’s future economic competitiveness and attractiveness to inward

investment, the Centre for Creative Design is an important building for the

University. It should be charismatic yet well-integrated into the campus. The

building should be located within a prominent position, a landmark when viewed

from within and outside the campus, but also embedded in the fabric of the

campus.

The Centre for Creative Design is to be a living learning lab – using innovative

materials and new technologies to express its purpose as the University’s home of

design studios and laboratories, and maker, project and fabrication spaces. A

home for collaborative and creative experimentation and fabrication, the building

will contain a range of design studios, laboratories and maker spaces. Bringing

these creative workspaces together are formal and informal spaces for gathering

and engagement. The building is conceived as an exemplar of sustainability (with

an emphasis on inherently sustainable design over expensive technologies) and as

a living learning lab, a pedagogical resource as creative and experiential as the

functions it contains.

The Centre for Creative Design will represent a step-change in the quality of the

student learning experience, advanced interdisciplinary teaching and learning

methods, and engagement with professions and industry.

The Centre for Creative Design will include education, research and outreach

facilities, and will be home to the UCD Creative Skills Academy. The Academy will

bring together artists, designers, engineers, architects and technologists and

provide formal and informal opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, as well

as supporting strategic links through the creation of a Centre for the Internet of

Things.

For the spatial, design and technical requirements of the Centre for Creative

Design please see pages 48-52 of this document.


The Entrance Precinct Masterplan

Introduction

The indicative land-use area requirements for the Entrance Precinct Masterplan

are summarised in the table below, and described in the following spatial

requirements section. The table sets out the buildings and landscape features that

are to be retained, as well as those proposed as new which need to be

appropriately integrated with the existing. The areas shown are in Gross Internal

Areas (GIA).

Please note that the designations within the area schedule and associated spatial

requirements are provided for guidance only. These are not prescriptive

requirements. Shortlisted teams are asked for their creative responses to the

project’s outline requirements, taking the below as an indicative benchmark.

Outline Area Schedule (indicative only)

Building/space Footprint Total area (new build only)

NEW Buildings – new

Academic (with a focus on ‘wet’ facilities) 20,000 100,000

Academic (with a focus on ‘dry’ facilities) 15,000 75,000

Academic (with a focus on ‘chalk and talk’ facilities) 15,000 75,000

Innovation and outreach 9,000 45,000

Amenities/conference hall/welcome centre 5,000 25,000

Retail 2,000 10,000

Residential 1,000 5,000

SUB-TOTAL 67,000 335,000

Landscape – new

Green space – formal, designed landscape 50,000

n/a

Green space – informal, ‘natural’ landscape (e.g. woodland) 20,000

Hard landscaping (e.g. plazas, paths) 20,000

Infrastructure – new

Public transport infrastructure (e.g. stops, dedicated routes) TBC* Public transport interchange / Bus Connects

Pedestrian/cycle infrastructure

Vehicular movement

Car parking

Coach/bus parking

Electrical substation

New Additional Entrance

EXISTING Buildings – existing

Engineering & Material Sciences Building 4,462

n/a

NVRL & CRID Buildings 1,831

Ardmore House 489

Belfield House & Courtyard Buildings 1,115

Merville House (NOVA) 3,427

AIB Bank Building 315

Gatehouse / Reception 30

SUB-TOTAL 11,669

Landscaping – existing

Merville House public realm & gardens 9,615

Belfield House public realm & gardens 6,649

Ardmore House public realm & gardens 4,717

Belfield Woods 9,004

Merville Woods 2,689

Oak Woods 2,787

SUB-TOTAL 35,116


The existing buildings listed above in the outline area schedule are summarised

and located within the site section on pages 7-11 of this document.

*New infrastructure areas are dependent on the individual masterplans for each

competitor.

Note: the total area of the Entrance Precinct Masterplan is 238,000 sq m.


Outline Spatial Requirements

Academic

A large percentage of the potential building uses within the Entrance Precinct

Masterplan are suggested to be those that support the academic focus of the

University.

At least three types of academic buildings are anticipated within the Entrance

Precinct: those with ‘wet’ facilities, those with ‘dry’ facilities and those with ‘chalk

and talk’ facilities. Academic buildings with ‘wet’ facilities are ones which contain

service-intensive laboratories with significant piped (e.g. gas and fluid) services

and extract ventilation (e.g. fume cupboards). These types of academic buildings

are typically for chemical-based disciplines. Those with ‘dry’ facilities are those that

typically contain laboratories with containment/extract ventilation and less piped

services. These buildings are typically for engineering, electronic and/or physics

disciplines. Academic buildings with ‘chalk and talk’ facilities are those with

traditional teaching and academic office space and are typically associated with

humanities, social science and research based disciplines.

The Centre for Creative Design, at circa 8,000 sq m, is the only defined building

element of the brief (albeit its total area is provided for guidance only). Under

UCD’s definitions stated above, the Centre for Creative Design would constitute an

academic building with ‘dry’ facilities. The requirements of the potential

Engineering and Architecture Precinct may account for a total 22,000 sq m of

academic space with ‘dry’ facilities.

All the academic buildings should present themselves externally – to the wider city

– as well as connecting physically and visually with the wider University campus.

Innovation and Outreach

Dublin (and Ireland in general) has ambitions to be a leading player in the global

innovation economy. With a well-established economy in the creative, research

and innovation industries, and a young and well-educated workforce, Dublin is

well-placed to meet these ambitions, which may take the physical form of an

Innovation District, or Districts, in the city.

UCD is well placed to become a central catalyst to achieve these overarching civic

aims, and has placed innovation at the core of the Entrance Precinct Masterplan.

The outline concept is that UCD will become a global destination for the innovative

development of new ideas and concepts that enhance society and economic well-

being. The Entrance Precinct will become the location for its physical

manifestation, through a state-of-the-art innovation cluster – buildings, public realm

and infrastructure – that provides an appropriate environment for the University to

engage and collaborate with wider innovation communities.

UCD is continuing to develop its thinking in this area and it is the intention that the

competition outcomes will feed into this thinking.


Following the success of NovaUCD, located within Merville House (see site plan on

pages 13-14 for location), the Entrance Precinct Masterplan area includes space

for innovation and outreach. This will also include a focus on research, and in

particular within fields already successfully developed at the University.

These buildings are intended for third party users, both those companies that have

grown out of UCD and those that wish to establish closer connections with the

University. Facilities could include incubation space for start-ups, as well as

dedicated business centre space for more established organisations and for those

progressing from the University’s business incubator to its own space.

Innovation and outreach should be appropriately located within the Entrance

Precinct, bearing in mind NovaUCD’s location at Merville House and ensuring that

these facilities are fully integrated into the physical and community fabric of

campus life.

Amenities/Conference Hall/Welcome Centre

The University’s conferencing and welcome facilities are currently focused at the

centre of the core campus site at O’Reilly Hall, the University Club (once

completed) and the updated Ardmore House (the former two on the edge of the

Entrance Precinct boundary, the latter within).

As part of the Entrance Precinct there is the potential to expand the University’s

welcome facilities, an important component of the University’s commercial

aspirations. The requirements are not yet fully defined but could include amenities

such as a hotel, conference hall and welcome centre.

If a hotel is to be provided then it is intended to support the overall conference

business on campus, both within O’Reilly Hall and any additional facilities

proposed. For guidance, this may account for up to 75% of the total area assigned

to the overall amenities/conference hall/welcome centre in the schedule on page

24.

Competitors could also consider including one large and two smaller conference

halls, with associated front- and back-of-house facilities to accommodate halls that

can each cater for delegate numbers of up to 700 and 350 respectively.

The welcome centre will provide the first impression of, and interaction with, UCD

for many visitors. This could include reception and information space, indoor and

outdoor gallery/exhibition/events spaces supporting both temporary and permanent

shows, and a small retail space for UCD-focused memorabilia. There is also the

potential to display materials from UCD’s Archives and Special Collections on a

more permanent basis in a prominent location and facility on campus. The

welcome centre may account for circa 5% of the total 25,000 sq m area assigned.

These facilities should be located within close proximity to other welcome and

outreach facilities on campus, as and where appropriate.

It is important to note that the brief for amenities/conference hall/welcome centre

facilities has not been fully developed, and the University look to competitors in the

first instance to make suggestions of possible facilities that would be suitable and

https://www.ucd.ie/archives/


expected at a global Top 100 university. It is then anticipated that the winner will

help the University define and refine these requirements in the next stage.

Retail

Some limited retail, anticipated to largely serve the needs of the campus

community, could also be included as part of the Entrance Precinct. This could be

provided as standalone, pavilion type structures; as part of the ground floor level of

buildings with other predominant uses; or, perhaps ideally, a mixture of the two.

UCD operates a licencing model for retail. Although the functions of the retail units

are yet to be determined, competitors may consider the inclusion of a convenience

store within their mix of retail units. Companies with licences on campus today

include Starbucks, Costa Coffee and Chopped, and catering companies such as

Aramark. A branch of Allied Irish Bank is also located close to Ardmore House.

Retail units should have appropriate width and height for adequate shop frontages

and accommodating the technical needs of the units. Other design and technical

requirements, such as appropriateness of location and servicing the units, should

also be well-considered within the masterplan.

Residential

A small amount of residential area is included within the Entrance Precinct. This is

to be focused on student and staff accommodation, including student residences,

post-doctoral researcher accommodation and some new recruit faculty

accommodation.

Most of the (student) accommodation on campus is currently provided in its south-

western quadrant adjacent to, and accessed off, both Foster’s Avenue and

Roebuck Road. Competitors should consider the best location within the Entrance

Precinct for the residential component of the brief, as well as the appropriate

typological mix (for example en-suite study bedrooms aimed at undergraduates or

small family apartment units aimed at postgraduates and faculty, or a combination

of each).

As the focus for residential uses is located elsewhere on campus, it is anticipated

by the University that any residential uses proposed within the Entrance Precinct

Masterplan are secondary to other uses proposed, and should not conflict with the

desire to create a quality entrance and strong sense of arrival at campus.

These residential units will be owned and managed by the UCD Estate, leased to

staff and student tenants.

Landscape

At its Belfield Campus, UCD is universally acknowledged for the quality of its

landscape and woodland setting; its approach to integrating buildings, pedestrian

routes and public art in the landscape; its protection and promotion of specimen

trees; and its work in supporting and encouraging bio-diversity and ecology to

flourish within the campus.


Around 60% of the total Entrance Precinct Masterplan area is designated within

this outline masterplanning brief for public realm and landscape usage (including

roads and parking). Competitors should look to create a variety of (integrated)

landscapes within their masterplans. This could include, but is not limited to, areas

of high interest, amenity space for recreation and leisure, as well as areas

designated for bio-diversity and ecology. This includes a range of landscape types,

including both hard and soft landscaping (which also includes both

formal/designed, and informal/naturalised, landscapes). There are also some

landscape areas which need to be retained within the design (but could be

improved and updated, and even enlarged), and these are identified in the area

schedule on page 24.

Further design and technical requirements for the landscape design within the

Entrance Precinct are included on pages 32-33 below.

Infrastructure

A number of infrastructure elements are included within the Entrance Precinct,

largely supporting public and private transportation.

As part of the Entrance Precinct Masterplan, and to support improved access from

Stillorgan Road, an additional access point onto campus can be considered by

competitors. Although this will be subject to further consultation – and in particular

with statutory consultees the National Transport Authority and Dún Laoghaire-

Rathdown County Council – this opportunity is considered worth investigating by

the University in order to improve permeability onto and out of campus.

A new public transport interchange is proposed. This is focused on buses – and

should allow for the connection between city, regional, even national bus services.

It should also provide a smooth and seamless connection to the proposed BRT,

with its terminus proposed at the entrance of UCD (see pages 19-20 for more

details). Additional infrastructure is required for vehicles, cycles and pedestrian

movement within campus.

A large area within the masterplan is devoted to parking for both private vehicles

and coach/bus parking. Competitors should carefully consider how to

accommodate this, without impacting on the quality of the precinct’s public realm.

An existing electrical substation is located to the north-east of Belfield Woods.

Although this substation meets the current requirements of the campus, the

quantum of development proposed within the Entrance Precinct, and planned

elsewhere in campus (for example additional student residences to the south-east),

means that a new or enlarged substation is required.


Outline Design and Technical Requirements

The following outline design and technical requirements have been identified for

the Entrance Precinct Masterplan, and are presented to competitors as guidance

only.

Placemaking

The quality of placemaking is one of the critical overarching requirements for the

Entrance Precinct Masterplan. Currently arrival at campus is underwhelming –

there are few clues along the campus’ boundary of the institution that lies behind,

and a dense screen of foliage hides the campus from view.

The Entrance Precinct is most users’ (students, staff and visitors) first impression

and engagement with the UCD campus. As such its townscape – the buildings and

related public realm – should be of the highest urban design quality, be compact in

nature, be appropriately coordinated and feel seamlessly integrated within the

wider campus and landscape environment.

A number of important placemaking themes have been identified for the Entrance

Precinct Masterplan, and these are described below.

Presence

The Entrance Precinct Masterplan should have significant presence, when

viewed from within and outside campus. Competitors should propose new

buildings within the masterplan area, their design concepts taking on board an

appropriate range of urban design criteria, including development capacity,

density, massing, orientation, site layout, built form and building heights.

UCD’s Strategic Campus Development Plan notes that there is potential for

locating landmark buildings, some of which may have increased height, within

the campus generally and along the Stillorgan Road in particular (encapsulated

by the Entrance Precinct Masterplan boundary area). This includes in general

considering five to ten storeys for residential development, and up to six storeys

for educational buildings (and possibly higher where appropriate). It is

envisioned that the Centre for Creative Design should have a significant

presence within the Entrance Precinct Masterplan, being highly-visible from a

range of surrounding vantage points. Competitors should consider whether

other requirements of the brief should be equally visible within the campus.

Legibility

The Entrance Precinct should be strongly legible. At the urban design scale the

layout of the public realm – including streets, squares and green spaces –

should be intuitive and memorable, presenting the user and visitor with a strong

sense of place. For example the location of building entrances should be

appropriately sited and clearly expressed on its elevation, with clear ‘fronts’ and

‘backs’ to the blocks of new buildings proposed.


The masterplan area should not need to rely on complex wayfinding

mechanisms (see section on ‘wayfinding’ below). Landmarks – to give the

precinct presence – and edges and boundaries should be clearly expressed

and demarcated.

Permeability

The Entrance Precinct should provide multiple routes – both formal and

informal – through to the wider campus. These should take their cues from both

the original planning of the campus in the 1960s – as presented by the

Wejchert masterplan (largely still intact at the campus core) – as well as

considering visible desire lines within the existing site area and beyond.

However full permeability across the campus is unlikely to be desired, and

teams are encouraged to present a hierarchy, and typological mix, of routes

within their masterplans.

Permeability should also be improved from outside the campus, but with careful

consideration of safety and security issues to ensure that access points are

appropriately and securely sited, whilst maintaining a strong and clear

boundary edge.

Connectivity

Enhanced connectivity is an important aspect of the Entrance Precinct

Masterplan. This should be both within the campus itself, and in particular

making clear and distinct routes through to the campus’ pedestrian spine, as

well as providing improved connectivity from the campus to the surrounding

city. Competitors should consider the qualities of, and intent behind, the original

pedestrian spine, with its covered walkways protecting users from the vagaries

of the weather, when preparing their masterplans.

Connectivity should be considered as both physical (for example vehicular,

bicycle and pedestrian routes) and visual (for example between different

building, landscape and public realm elements). Physical routes should be well

designed, clearly defined, intuitively sited and provided with an appropriate

quality and specification of street furniture and infrastructure (for example

signage and lighting). Surrounding existing connections outside of campus, and

in particular to public transport networks, should be brought together,

highlighted and reinforced into an overall spatial network of walking and cycling

routes for this part of Dublin.

Access

Access in and out of campus is an important aspect of the Entrance Precinct.

Currently the main entrance into campus – for all transport modes – is provided at

the fly-over on the Stillorgan Road (R138). Today this entrance, whilst being poor

and underwhelming in qualitative terms, is also lacking in terms of safety and basic

functionality. Drivers arriving along the Stillorgan Road from the south, and wishing

to turn left into the campus, need to be acutely aware of cycle commuters carrying

straight on towards central Dublin. This conflict for different road users, which can

lead to indecision, has created the conditions for potential accidents to occur in this

location. Similarly those arriving on foot from the southbound carriageway (either


from the buses travelling south from the city centre or walking over from the DART

stations at either Sydney Parade or Booterstown) need to negotiate multiple road

crossings with long dwell times, and navigate a public realm designed for the car,

not the pedestrian.

As well as making improvements to the main access off the Stillorgan Road,

competitors may consider the potential of a second entrance into campus from this

road. This may be an alternative vehicular entrance (either in addition to the

current entrance or by splitting access needs across two entrances) or an entrance

to support other forms of commuting only (for example cycles and pedestrians). It

could also provide the main vehicular entrance into the site, with the current flyover

dedicated to public transport, cycles and pedestrians only, for example.

Note: Although an additional entrance off the Stillorgan Road onto campus can be

included within your design concept this will need to be discussed further – in both

principle and detail – with the National Transport Authority and Dún Laoghaire-

Rathdown County Council, as well as the Dublin Fire Brigade, following the

competition.

Circulation

Once on site, navigation throughout and within the campus should be clear and

intuitive. A clear delineation and separation of routes across the precinct should

provide safe circulation, regardless of mode of transport. Crossings of circulation

types should be minimised, but where needed should be clearly demarcated, with

right of way given to the slower modes of circulation (walking, bicycles, road

vehicles in that order) a priority. A hierarchy of routes should be provided, with

direct routes complemented by more meandering connections that fit with the

campus’ sylvan setting.

Wayfinding

Circulation and orientation on site, aligned with an enhanced sense of arrival,

should be supported and enhanced by a clearly UCD-branded and coherent

wayfinding strategy and infrastructure. Signage should be appropriately located

and sized, to ensure optimum functionality. The design, location and number of

wayfinding devices should be rationalised and coordinated to minimise the

potential for a multiplicity of signage needs, which leads to the potential of visual

clutter and a lack of clarity within the public realm.

Public Realm and Landscape design

The public realm and landscape within the Entrance Precinct should be of the

highest design quality. The materiality of landscape elements should be of its

place, fitting in with the heritage and landscape setting of the site whilst also

reflecting its campus function. Landscape features, such as trees, should be

carefully specified and appropriately sited within the masterplan.

Choice of materials and finishes, street furniture and lighting should be high quality

and coordinated, whilst also considering future maintenance and flexibility. Within

the landscape and public realm, some areas should be provided for purely


landscape amenity, whilst other spaces could include appropriately sited amenities

to support active leisure, recreational and communal uses.

A number of existing woodland areas exist within the masterplan area. These

areas are to be protected and enhanced within the masterplan design. Competitors

should also consider the potential for reinforcing (even extending) and seamlessly

incorporating the much-used woodland walk that circumambulates the campus’

perimeter into the campus’ overall landscape. Screening within the landscape

design could be considered, to provide protected areas, where appropriate. This

includes maintaining some element of screening to the campus boundary along the

Stillorgan Road as well as more localised screened areas to protect users from the

weather and noise.

Additionally the Entrance Precinct contains a number of protected trees – either

within the woodlands or as individual specimens – that are statutorily protected,

and competitors should incorporate these within their design concepts.

Please see Appendix D – Schedule of Protected Trees for further details.

Technical Design Guidelines

The UCD Estates Department has prepared a document entitled ‘Technical

Guidelines for Designers and Specifiers (V1.8)’ which sets out general guidelines

for, amongst others, building fabric elements, floor specifications and mechanical

and electrical installations. Competitors should familiarise themselves with this

briefing document in the preparation of their Entrance Precinct Masterplan.

Please see Appendix E – Technical Guidelines for Designers and Specifiers (V1.8)

for further details.

Services

Current services capacity and infrastructure is deemed appropriate for supporting

campus operations today, and the projected new academic and residential

developments currently proposed or under construction across campus. However it

is anticipated that, with the potential quantum of development suggested within the

Entrance Precinct Masterplan, there will be little or no capacity left in the existing

network. As such, a detailed and independent strategy and plan for services will be

required within this area.

Competitors should consider the Services Section on page 21, and related

appended information, when developing their masterplan designs.

The University places great emphasis on physical infrastructure supporting

proposed development. The ring main approach the University has taken in the

past provides essential resilience in the future sustainable operations of the

campus.

The University envisages that the Entrance Precinct Masterplan will make use of

logically grouped and routed services infrastructure corridors, conceived in such a

way as to not impede future development and making appropriate use of existing

service as and where needed. The choice of materials, systems and technologies


should be carefully considered, including for lifecycle costs, on-going maintenance

and lifetime durability.

Where possible, competitors should consider the use of passive and alternative

technologies within the Entrance Precinct Masterplan.

Sustainability and energy

Sustainability and sustainable development are at the core of the UCD Strategic

Campus Development Plan. The University is committed to promoting the campus

as an exemplar of sustainable development. The buildings within the Entrance

Precinct should be designed to microclimatic conditions, be passively designed

where appropriate, be well-insulated, use sustainably-sourced materials and

integrate sustainable design elements. Additionally, they must be responsive to the

needs of the individual user and the requirements of a modern university.

The focus on sustainable development frames a number of urban design criteria,

including land-use, density, orientation and building form. It also includes the

importance of other design and specification criteria, including choice and use of

ecologically responsible materials and innovative building systems and

technologies, whilst considering the life-span of materials and low-maintenance

requirements. University buildings typically require structural frames which last in

excess of 60 years, with the building life-span also contributing to the buildings

sustainability credentials.

As well as being sustainable in design and construction, buildings on campus must

also be sustainable in their use. Buildings must look to maximise efficiencies and

minimise energy use and wastage, as well as considering future updating,

flexibility, adaptability and maintenance, even at this early masterplanning stage. A

reliance on good sustainable design should be prioritised over expensive and

elaborate technological solutions.

Buildings and their landscape setting should provide a demonstration of holistic

sustainability and, where appropriate, building envelopes should provide for smart

innovative materials and energy technologies to act as a ‘living learning lab’ – a

teaching and research resource.

Localised and alternative forms of energy could be considered, taking advantage

of, for example, large expanses of grounds, large areas of roof, high levels of

rainfall and prevailing winds to support sustainable energy solutions. Passive

solutions and technologies could also be considered, taking advantage of building

location and/or siting to support, amongst other things, maximum daylight

penetration to the lower levels of buildings as well as ventilation and cooling

strategies.

Sustainability should be as equally carefully-considered within the landscape and

public realm. The location and types of planting should be carefully selected and

sited to support a microclimate within the Entrance Precinct, conducive for use and

occupation of its public realm and landscaped spaces, as well as having minimal

impact on resources, such as water and those that assist in purifying the air.


Passive solutions, such as rainwater run-off drainage and retention systems, could

be employed to re-use rainwater, either for operational or aesthetic purposes.

Furthermore, passive energy solutions could be considered, for example in the

lighting within the public realm. All of this should be done ensuring minimal impact

on the campus’ rich and diverse flora and fauna.

The masterplan must take on board the document produced by the Department of

the Environment, Community and Local Government entitled ‘Towards Nearly Zero

Energy Buildings in Ireland: Planning for 2020 and beyond’ (2012), referred to as

the NZEB plan. UCD, as a public body, is required to design all new buildings to

NZEB requirements.

For further details, please see Appendix F – Towards Nearly Zero Energy Buildings

in Ireland: Planning for 2020 and beyond (2012).

Biodiversity

The Belfield Campus, with its sylvan setting and rural origins, has a rich

biodiversity. The Strategic Campus Development Plan acknowledges this and sees

its setting as both unique and a major asset to the University.

The Entrance Precinct Masterplan project should aim to both protect and enrich

this, integrating built and natural environments into a holistic and organic whole.

For example, large expanses of roofscape could be greened to support wildlife

habitats. Potential severance caused by transport infrastructure should be

minimised, ensuring that habitats are not unduly truncated. Choice of planting

should be carefully made, considering location. The selection of hardy indigenous

species could be a starting point for a planting strategy on site.

Parking

There are around 3,600 parking spaces on campus. Some of these are within the

red line boundary to the Entrance Precinct. These spaces can be retained, or

reallocated, within the Entrance Precinct as part of its total allocation (noted

below).

Parking spaces, for around 950 cars in total, should be provided within the

masterplan area. These can be concentrated in a small number of areas, or

dispersed widely as required depending on the needs of your proposed

masterplan. Crucially, parking spaces should be designed so that they do not

dominate the public realm of the campus. As a result, competitors could consider

the potential of locating a proportion of spaces under buildings or landscape

features, making use of the topography of the site as and where appropriate.

Additionally, 500 bicycle and 50 motorcycle secure parking spaces should be

provided within the masterplan area.

Note: All new developments must allow for parking numbers in accordance with

the County Development Guidelines.

http://www.dlrcoco.ie/en/planning/county-development-plan/county-development-plan-2016-2022


Servicing

Operations and logistics within the Entrance Precinct Masterplan are vital to its

smooth operations. Competitors should carefully consider their servicing strategy in

the development of their masterplans, ensuring that disruption is minimised and

that the servicing requirements do not impact on the quality of the public realm.

Buildings that require intensive servicing should have clear service areas, including

covered or enclosed loading bays, as and where appropriate. Full lifecycle

servicing requirements, including maintenance and cleaning, should also be

carefully considered, even at this early stage of the project.

Emergency vehicle and fire tender access to the campus is also currently provided

through the main entrance off the Stillorgan Road. Competitors should ensure that

appropriate emergency vehicle and fire tender access routes, and firefighting

positions, are provided within their masterplans for the Entrance Precinct and that

access to other areas within campus are not affected. There is also a requirement

to have 24-hour access to the emergency entrance to the Veterinary Hospital,

which currently cuts through the area covered by the Entrance Precinct.

Ground and Environmental Conditions

Ireland has a typical maritime climate, with relatively mild and moist winters and

cool, cloudy summers. The prevailing winds are south-westerly in direction. The

climate is influenced by warm maritime air associated with the Gulf Stream, which

has the effect of moderating the climate, and results in high average annual

humidity across the country. Most of the eastern half of the country, including

Dublin, gets between 750 and 1000 (mm) of rainfall per year. The average number

of wet days (days 1mm or more of rain) ranges from about 150 days a year along

the east and south-east coasts, to about 225 days a year in parts of the west.1

The annual mean temperature for different areas in Ireland varies between

mountainous regions, lowlands and the coast. Mean daily maximum temperatures

are typically between 8.1 to 19.5°C and mean daily minimum temperatures are

typically between 2.3 to 11.7°C for the closest weather station to the UCD at Dublin

Airport (approximately 13 km north of the site).

The east of Ireland, which is sheltered from Atlantic frontal systems, is sunnier than

the west. The sunniest months are May and June. The mean daily duration

recording of sunshine for the area around Dublin Airport is 3.9 hours. December is

the dullest month, with 1.7 hours of mean daily duration. May is the sunniest

month, with 6.2 hours of mean daily duration, explained largely by its long days

and finer weather.

Within the Entrance Precinct Masterplan area, the following is known:

The general soil classification is of made ground with the exception of the

south-east corner that is composed of deep basic mineral soils with poor

drainage characteristics.

1 http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/rainfall.asp

http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/rainfall.asp


The majority of the site area is composed of limestone bedrock, more than

a depth of 10 m below ground. Just to the north of the entrance flyover,

running approximately north-east to south-west, is a band of marine beach

sands, potentially following the line of an extant river.

Transport

A reasonable proportion of the Entrance Precinct area is devoted to arriving at or

leaving campus. Competitors should carefully balance the need for public transport

infrastructure, and associated movement requirements, with the quality and

legibility of the public realm and landscape design.

Transport infrastructure, such as bus shelters, should be appropriately designed

and sited, bearing in mind their use throughout all seasons and to minimise the

potential for abuse and anti-social behaviour.

Opportunities within the Green Zone

Adjacent to the campus boundary, shown in green on the site plan on pages 13-14,

is a liminal zone of some 5.35 ha. Located within Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County

Council and owned by the Council, this area is framed by the Stillorgan Road and

its landscape and public realm curtilage.

As noted within the Commuting section on pages 17-20 of this document, the

Stillorgan Road is proposed to have a BRT system running from the city centre and

terminating at the entrance to the UCD campus (although this should not preclude

the potential to extend this beyond and southwards in the future).

Competitors should consider the design of this terminus, and how it connects to the

interchange proposed within the Entrance Precinct. Similarly, competitors are free

to propose design concepts that explore the use and aesthetics of the existing

vehicular and pedestrian flyover, and how this would improve both its visual

presence as well as its functionality. Please also see the section on ‘Access’ above


Other design interventions – including landscape, public realm, wayfinding and

commuting infrastructure improvements – may be proposed by competitors within

the green zone.

Note: Although competitors may propose interventions within the green zone,

these will be subject to further consultation and negotiation with the respective

authorities. At this stage they can only be considered as design concepts, to help

influence the authorities’ thinking and which may or may not be realised in the

future.

Phasing

Phasing is an important component of the Entrance Precinct Masterplan, as the

quantum of development proposed is such that the project is unlikely to be

delivered in a single phase.


Competitors should carefully consider the most appropriate phasing strategy for

their concept, ensuring that initial phases meet and align with the core tenets of the

brief and are highly-impactful and deliverable.

It is important to note that the Centre for Creative Design is to be delivered as part

of an early phase of the masterplan delivery, and competitors should illustrate and

present this in their phasing strategy.


Centre for Creative Design

Introduction

The outline area breakdown for the 8,000 sq m Centre for Creative Design is

summarised in the table below, and the spaces described in the following spatial

requirements section. The areas shown are in Gross Internal Areas (GIA).

As with the outline area schedule for the Entrance Precinct Masterplan, the

designations within the outline area schedule and associated spatial requirements

are provided for guidance only. These are not prescriptive requirements.

Shortlisted teams are asked for their creative responses to the project’s outline

requirements, taking the below as a benchmark.

Outline Area Schedule (indicative only)

Space type (including breakdown where applicable)

Area (of one unit)

Number of units

Area (GIA sq m)

Capacity (people)

FOYER

Foyer, social and interaction spaces n/a n/a 750 n/a

LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT SPACES

Architecture Studios – large 270 3 810 270

Architecture Studios – small 150 2 300 100

Engineering Laboratories 300 4 1,200 200

‘Future Spaces’ – Active Learning Environments

200 2 400 100

Design, Exhibition and Demonstration Space

300 1 300 150

Public Engagement Lecture Theatre 400 1 400 320

Lecture Theatre 180 1 180 120

Flexible Seminar Rooms 50 4 200 100

Collaborative Project Rooms 20 5 100 40

PROGRAMME, FACULTY, RESEARCH & ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF SPACES

Individual Offices 25 14 350 25

Shared Offices 30 3 90 12

Open Plan Offices 100 7 700 100

Meeting Rooms 25 4 100 48

BALANCE AREAS

Including general circulation, plant and building facilities

n/a n/a 2,120 n/a

TOTALS 8,000

PUBLIC REALM

Including entrance, outdoor amenity space and landscaped setting

n/a n/a 1,000 n/a

Note: For clarity, and to allow a full spatial description of the space to follow, we

have extracted the foyer space from the balance area.


Outline Spatial Requirements

Foyer

The main entrance and associated foyer will be most building users’ first

experience of, and engagement with, the Centre. It is the main entry, orientation

and security point. However, it should also provide space to pause, reflect and

relax within.

From the outside, the entrance should announce itself through the clarity of its

architecture, rather than relying on complex wayfinding. Once inside, the user

should find the entrance hall bright, inviting and impactful, with a generosity of

scale and space. Natural light and a visual connection to the outside and other

internal spaces are essential. Again, there should be minimal reliance on

wayfinding devices, with a clear and intuitive hierarchy of routes to adjoining

spaces.

The foyer should be designed as a concourse and gathering place for interaction,

both formal and informal. It should also be seamlessly integrated with the main

functional spaces of the building. The foyer should be flexibly designed and

planned so that it is easily able to be transformed into usable space to support a

number of the building’s core functions. These include but are not limited to: break-

out space from lectures; exhibition, events and presentation space; and even

informal teaching space.

To support these flexible functions, other front-of-house facilities should be

provided within, or in close proximity to, the foyer. These include restroom facilities,

a first aid room and building storage for furniture and equipment. A temporary

cloakroom facility should also be capable of set-up within, or adjacent to, the foyer

to support larger public events and exhibitions taking place within the foyer or

elsewhere within the building.

The main reception, including security, should be located within the foyer adjacent

to the entrance. This should have clear sightlines to the entrance, as well as to the

more public-facing functions of the building (for example the lecture theatres). The

location and extent of the security point for the building should be defined, but

should not be overbearing or feel threatening within the space.

The foyer, as well as feeling awe-inspiring, should also contain more intimate

scaled spaces for gathering, social learning and socialising. A coffee shop, with

internal seating for up to 60, should also be incorporated within the foyer, with its

support spaces (preparation kitchens and stores) located within close proximity.

Learning and Engagement

Spaces for learning and engagement are a key focus throughout the Centre for

Creative Design. These spaces should support deep creativity and innovation, for

teaching, testing, production, invention, dissemination and dialogue. These are

described below.


Architecture Studios

Two sizes of design studio are suggested for the Centre for Creative Design, to

support both the undergraduate and graduate programmes in Architecture. The

studios should be optimally-shaped for spatial and functional efficiency. They

should be formed of high-quality yet hard-wearing finishes and surfaces. The

studios should equally support private individual working, as well as group work

and staff-student interaction.

The spatial orientation of the studios should be considered, including the desire

to bring in north light from above to mounting height (desk-top level). Natural

light and visual amenity are essential, but competitors should consider ways

that natural light can be appropriately modulated. Artificial lighting is equally

important, with a strong focus on task lighting. Environmental control of the

space – including lighting, ventilation, heating and cooling – should be

controllable by the individual within the space so that occupant comfort is

adjustable by, not only provided for, the user.

Co-location of the groups of studios may provide good spatial adjacencies and

efficiencies. Competitors should also consider the location of design, exhibition

and demonstration spaces in the context of the design studios, to support

interim presentations.

Engineering Laboratories

Four engineering laboratories, each of equal size, are proposed within the

Centre for Creative Design. Synergies exist between these labs and the design

studios described above. The labs should be optimally-shaped for spatial and

functional efficiency. They should be formed of high-quality yet hard-wearing

finishes and surfaces. The labs should equally support private individual

working, as well as group work and staff-student interaction.

Natural light and visual amenity are essential, and competitors should consider

ways that natural light can be appropriately modulated. Artificial lighting is

equally important, with a strong focus on task lighting.

Unlike the design studios a greater degree of servicing is required to the labs,

both generally and task servicing. For example, extraction from lab work

surfaces is important to the functioning and environmental comfort of these

spaces. Technician preparation spaces, with related stores, should be co-

located with the lab spaces for functional efficiency.

As with the design studios there may be operational benefits to co-locating the

engineering laboratories together.

‘Future Spaces’ – Active Learning Environment Spaces

In addition to its more familiar studio, workshop and exhibition spaces, the

Centre will provide a set of ‘Future Spaces’. These facilities will allow for more

experimental/cutting-edge work at a variety of scales, from details, materials

and spaces to cities and regions. These facilities will use digital technologies in


developing creative and innovative solutions to the complex issues of

sustainable urbanism and development.

There will be spaces for research and teaching in visualisation and digital

modelling. This will include experiments with VR modelling in studio and CAVE

settings, work suites for building information modelling, 3D surveying and a

workshop exploring links between digital modelling and fabrication.

An environmental performance simulation suite will serve for both research and

teaching, allowing for materials, components, models and full-scale mock-ups

to be tested in terms of their environmental performance – this will include

‘artificial sky’ and a wind-tunnel, as well as digital simulations.

Making use of seminar and collaborative project rooms the centre will host

research-led teaching in the area of Smart Cities and Regions, using analytical

and predictive tools to produce creative policy and planning as well as

developing new ideas and technologies for participatory urbanism. Spaces will

allow for group consultation and workshops.

These ‘Future Spaces’ should facilitate experimentation and collaboration

between disciplines dealing with the designed and lived environment from the

scale of a detail to buildings, landscapes and even cities. This could be a

‘factory-like’ environment, allowing for group work and for easy movement

between IT and fabrication. There will be scope too for collaboration with

industry and public partners, and an emphasis on sharing new ideas through a

programme of exhibition and display.

A core focus of the Centre for Creative Design, spaces for making,

experimenting and prototyping should be provided.

These may contain a number of environments, ranging from clean to dirty, and

“wet” to “dry” type spaces. Appropriate delineations should be provided, to

minimise cross-overs. The types of spaces that need to be accommodated

include, but are not limited to, the following:

Metal, wood and plastics workshops

3-D printing and laser cutting

Spaces for casting and mould forming (for example with metals or concrete)

These spaces should be appropriately-designed and located within the building,

with a clear link to the loading bay, associated stores and technician spaces.

These spaces should be composed of hard-wearing surfaces, with appropriate

distances between equipment and workspaces, and consideration should be

made to provide good floor-to-ceiling heights and floor loading capacities where

needed and appropriate. Natural light and visual amenity are desired, but not

essential – although a large opening connecting directly to the outside may be

advantageous for operational needs.

These are high-security and highly-serviced and controlled environments within

the building, managed and supervised by appropriate technical staff. These


workshops should be appropriately-designed with adequate servicing, including

task and general extraction and ventilation.

Design, Exhibition and Demonstration Spaces

These spaces support both the pedagogical focus of the building, as well as

providing a draw to visit the building.

A range of design, exhibition and demonstration spaces should be provided,

formal and informal, some open to public spaces in the building as well as

those that can be closed off and acoustically controlled. A number of exhibition

and demonstration formats are likely to be applicable in the building, ranging

from mid-project crits and charrettes to end-of-year shows. Links to trade and

business may also be appropriate, to showcase products and technologies.

Access to these spaces should be off, or within close proximity to, the entrance

foyer (and competitors may consider locating some of these requirements

within an enlarged foyer space itself). Design, exhibition and demonstration

spaces should be finished in high-quality yet hard-wearing surfaces, which

require minimal maintenance or redecoration every time an exhibition is taken

down.

Competitors should consider providing good floor-to-ceiling heights and floor

loading capacity in some of these spaces, to accommodate large and heavy

displays. These spaces should be appropriately-serviced, with good lighting

and power. Flexibility in service provision is also important. These spaces can

be dispersed or centralised throughout the building.

Lecture Theatres

Two lecture theatres are to be provided within the Centre for Creative Design.

These are technically complex spaces. A large 320-seat theatre and a smaller

120-seat space should be provided. Acoustic quality should be high, to support

a range of lecture, performance and event media and arrangements.

The physical design of the spaces should be equally high, with a spatial impact

and ‘wow-factor’ that provides a significant experience for the audience in its

own right. The experience of being in the audience should be personal, as well

as a collective social experience. The form of the space should create a unique

character, and competitors should consider the best way to space plan, both

horizontally and vertically, the seats/workstations, and the technical

requirements of the lecture theatres (for example the control room) to support a

quality of environment combined with a high degree of flexibility.

The lecture theatres should be designed for audience comfort, including good

sightlines to the front from all audience positions. The stage and surrounding

surfaces shall be primarily designed for optimum acoustical quality,

incorporating flexible technologies to enable the widest variety of formats to be

accommodated. The lecture theatres should have a services infrastructure

capable of accepting multiple requirements for, amongst others, lighting, video

and sound amplification.


These theatres should appropriately cater for a wide variety of users,

regardless of ability. Supporting facilities, such as AV/projector/control room

and equipment store should be provided.

Competitors should consider a high degree of flexibility within the design of

either or both of the proposed lecture theatres. This could include, but is not

limited to, supporting group engagement to facilitate collaborative learning so

that groups of four to eight can form easily through layout and furniture design.

Seminar Rooms

Seminar rooms should be provided in the Centre for Creative Design to support

the building’s pedagogical requirements. These rooms should be efficiently

sized, shaped and orientated for functional efficiency, with no physical or visual

obstructions within the space (such as columns). Natural daylight and visual

amenity is highly-desired. The space should be designed to facilitate multiple

layouts and configurations, including multiple small group tables, boardroom or

horseshoe type arrangements. Furniture and equipment should be equally

flexible, and storage should be provided for equipment and furniture within

close proximity.

These spaces should be provided with good sightlines and acoustic qualities

and the occupants should be able to control the internal environment locally.

They are highly-serviced spaces in regards to data, Wi-Fi, power and AV

connectivity. Surfaces should be high-quality and hard-wearing, with wall

surfaces also used to mount project work, as and when required.

Collaborative Project Rooms

A number of smaller collaborative project rooms should be provided, to support

group engagement and learning. These should have a similar specification to

the seminar rooms described above, but with less emphasis on teaching needs.

Both the seminar rooms and collaborative project rooms should be highly-

flexible spaces to support different physical layouts and pedagogical

requirements. This may include the potential to combine two spaces together

through acoustic-quality, movable screens.

Programme, Faculty, Research and Administrative Staff Spaces

The Centre for Creative Design will also contain a range of office-type spaces to

support researchers, as well as programme, faculty and administrative staff.

These spaces should be carefully sited, located within relatively close proximity to

the main functional spaces of the building. The design and environment of these

spaces should be contemporary and comfortable. Natural daylight is required, and

views desired, from every workspace. Appropriate environmental conditions should

be provided for user comfort, employing passive design techniques where

possible. A high degree of flexibility and efficiency in the layout and design is

desired.


Short-term storage should be dispersed amongst the provided workspaces, with

long-term archive storage provided in a dedicated room (if required). Other

supporting facilities should also be provided, incorporating meeting facilities

(including four large meeting rooms); resource rooms; and tea points/kitchenettes.

These spaces can be centralised or dispersed as appropriate within the design. A

high degree of flexibility should be considered in these spaces to support spatial

efficiencies and modern ways of working (for example hot desking), where

appropriate.

Balance Areas

In academic buildings, balance areas are those floor areas planned as part of the

Gross Internal Area to enable the building to function and operate. For the Centre

for Creative Design the following balance spaces have been identified at this early

stage:

General circulation

Plant

Rest rooms

Showers

Changing rooms

Lockers

First aid room

Technicians’ rooms (associated with engineering laboratories and Active

Learning Environment Spaces)

AV/projector/control room

Tea points/kitchenettes

Resource/print rooms

Small meeting rooms

Server/IT rooms

Café kitchens and related stores

Service entrance and service bay

Storage (including equipment, furniture and supplies stores)

Refuse and recycling areas


Cleaners' cupboards

The above list is not exhaustive. Competitors should consider any additional

facilities that they believe are required to support the smooth operation of their

design.

The arrangement of balance spaces, to service and support building operations, is

as important as the more high-profile foyer and core functional spaces of the

building.

A loading bay should be provided, representing the service entrance to the

building. This should cater for exhibition and events requirements (for example set-

up and take-down) on occasion, but more typically for the day-to-day service

requirements for the building (for example food and beverage and office

deliveries). The loading bay should be covered, with adequate delivery and service

vehicle swing space and be located behind the building’s security line. Well-

designed and appropriately-sized store rooms (for example for materials for the

Active Learning Environment Spaces) and refuse and recycling storage rooms

should be provided, located in close proximity to the loading bay.

Building facilities, such as rest rooms, shower rooms, changing rooms and lockers

should be provided within the building. These facilities should be designed

appropriately to cater for building users, including separate provisions for disabled

users and baby changing. These facilities can be centralised or dispersed as

appropriate.

Technicians’ rooms, for lab preparation for the engineering laboratories and for the

workshop staff in the Active Learning Environment Spaces, should be provided.

These should not be considered as back-of-house functions – natural light is

desired. Appropriate storage space – for both wet and dry materials – should be

co-located with these rooms.

A number of balance spaces have been identified to support the office-based

requirements of the Centre. These include, but are not limited to, tea

points/kitchenettes, resource rooms (for locating printers and scanners), small

meeting rooms (for up to four person meetings) and appropriate office-based

storage space. These spaces should be appropriately-located to support the

smooth operations of the office-based environment in the building.

Adequate service space for plant and service rooms and equipment, and vertical

risers and ducts should be provided, and sited in efficient locations to service the

building.

Service spaces represent a high-security environment within the building, and

should be specified with appropriate levels of fire suppression and environmental

condition.

For guidance, space allocated to both plant needs and additional circulation

(outside of that associated with the foyer) should equate to around 10% each of the

total building area.


Public Realm

The setting and landscape for the project are equally important to the design of the

building. The exact site location for the building is to be determined by the

competitor. In considering its location competitors should consider the building’s

landmark presence from both within and outside the campus boundary.

A new public forecourt should be provided to facilitate access to the building. This

should be appropriate in scale for this function, as well as being able to support

outdoor events and displays, as and when required (a services infrastructure

should be provided to support this).

The forecourt should act as the main external orientation and welcome space for

the building. This space should be predominantly hard landscaping, with well-

designed street furniture, lighting and wayfinding integrated. Appropriate soft

landscaping, including tree planting, should also be considered to soften this area

and the wider setting of the building so it sits harmoniously into the wider Belfield

Campus.

Engineering and Architecture Precinct

Competitors should be aware that the University is considering developing an

Engineering and Architecture Precinct on campus. The co-location of disciplines

will help to foster interdisciplinary teaching and research partnerships, as well as,

on a practical level, improving operational and logistical efficiencies. This precinct

is likely to be located within reasonable proximity to, and include, the Engineering

and Material Sciences Centre, located within the Entrance Precinct boundary. This

will include, over time, the relocation of all the related built environment Schools

currently located in the Richview and Newstead buildings (to the north-western

extremity of the Belfield Campus) and the School of Biosystems and Food

Engineering currently located in Agricultural and Food Science Centre. This is

likely to include around 22,000 sq m of additional built space, as well as an update

to the Engineering and Material Sciences Centre.

The Centre for Creative Design will be the primary landmark within the precinct.

Competitors should consider connectivity – visual and/or physical – between the

Centre for Creative Design and the Engineering and Material Sciences Centre

within their design proposals. Physically this could be achieved either through

connecting the buildings with a link, or through a public realm connection.


Outline Design and Technical Requirements

The following outline design and technical requirements have been identified for

the Centre for Creative Design, and are presented to competitors as guidance

only. Competitors should also consider the below requirements in relation to those

presented on pages 30-38 for the wider Entrance Precinct Masterplan.

Space Planning, Operational Logistics and Functional Adjacencies

Creative responses should be developed in determining an appropriate space

planning rationale for the building and associated landscape spaces. Movement

through, and orientation within, the building should be natural and intuitive, without

the need to rely on excessive signage and wayfinding devices. The building should

enable ease-of-use, access, movement and orientation, with minimal cross-overs

and obstacles and impediments to visual and physical connections throughout.

Living Learning Lab

The Centre is conceived as a learning lab, and the pedagogical experience should

commence in the foyer, if not on the approach to the building. The façade, and in

particular the building’s ‘shopfront’, should act as a showcase for what lies beyond.

This could purely be exhibitory in nature, but competitors could also consider

locating some of the building’s more engaging and creative spaces to the fore.

Construction methods, material build-up, building services and innovative

technologies could be on show in the foyer and throughout the building, presenting

an engaging, hands-on and intuitive learning experience for the building user and

visitor.

Digital Technologies

The Centre will incorporate and make use of state-of-the-art digital technologies

throughout. This will allow studios and workshops to facilitate digital modelling and

fabrication, both increasingly central to creative design processes. These

technologies should be well-integrated into the fabric of the building, whilst also

being easy to maintain and replace in order to future-proof the facility in the light of

ever evolving changes in technology.

Servicing

It is anticipated that the Centre for Creative Design will be serviced from an access

route established within the Entrance Precinct Masterplan. Clear delineation should

be made between front- and back-of-house, including between servicing access,

routes and entry and the main visitor and user entrance of the building.

Servicing, including day-to-day deliveries, should be considered both vertically and

horizontally within the building. External marshalling areas, to provide space for

delivery vehicles and their associated swing spaces, should also be carefully

considered, if appropriate and required.


Accessibility

The design of the building and associated landscape should comply with, and even

exceed, the Republic of Ireland’s requirements on accessibility and universal

access, as laid out in the Disability Act 2005 and in the Building Regulations

Technical Guidance Document Part M ‘Access and Use’.

The project should look to promote inclusivity throughout, including the use of

universal design principles. The design should start from the premise that the

experience of visiting should be equal for all, regardless of age or level of ability.

Full accessibility should be provided to all floor levels in the building, and within the

associated landscape.

Flexibility and Efficiency

Flexibility (the ability for spaces to adapt their use over time) and efficiency (the

ability of a single space to perform multiple functions) should be built into the

design in order to ensure that the facility is appropriately future-proofed.

A flexible approach should be taken with the whole Centre for Creative Design

project, and in particular those areas highlighted in the programmatic requirements

section above. Similarly, spaces such as the café should be designed to cater for

potential future changes in cultural habits or user demographics.

Efficiency will help to reduce the capital burden of providing facilities within the

project. Competitors should consider how other spaces, as yet unidentified, could

provide two separate yet compatible uses.

Maintenance and Cleaning

The building and associated landscape should be designed with ease of use,

cleaning and maintenance in mind.

It should be designed to minimise whole life costs, thereby providing lifetime value.

The design should take into account, even at this conceptual stage, issues relating

to maintenance and cleaning, including:

• Finishes that are robust, stain-resistant and easily cleaned;

• Finishes that deter pigeons and other vermin;

• Fittings that have a long life expectancy, but are easily replaceable and with

minimal variation across the building and landscape;

• Design that works well in a variety of weather, such as heavy rain, snow

and sunshine; and

• Adequate space to facilitate service equipment maintenance and future

replacement.

The ease, safety and cost of future maintenance must be carefully considered

within the design.


Floor-to-Ceiling Heights

Generous proportions and height should be provided to the main foyer and public-

facing spaces within the building, with appropriate floor-to-ceiling heights provided

throughout all spaces in the building, related to the specifics of its function. Where

appropriate, these spaces should have unobstructed, clear heights to minimise

potential conflicts with building services, such as lighting.

Floor Loadings

The floor loading capacity of some spaces within the building, for example the

engineering laboratories and some of the active learning environments (such as

maker and workshop spaces) will require a heightened loading capacity to

accommodate the weight of equipment, materials and work produced.

Competitors should also look to build in flexibility within their design to support the

production and display of heavy objects, or those with significant point load, within

the main foyer and design, exhibition and demonstration spaces.

Competitors should also consider the impact these requirements have on the

access routes and vertical circulation.

Technical Design Guidelines

The UCD Estates Department has prepared a document entitled ‘Technical

Guidelines for Designers and Specifiers (V1.8)’ which sets out general guidelines

for, amongst others, building fabric elements, floor specifications and mechanical

and electrical installations. Competitors should familiarise themselves with this

briefing document in the preparation of their concept design for the Centre for

Creative Design.

Please see Appendix E – Technical Guidelines for Designers and Specifiers (V1.8)


Building and Incoming Services

Information on existing services within the campus is provided on page 21 and in

Appendix C – Existing Services Information.

Competitors should carefully consider the needs of the building, and the networks

of existing and proposed services infrastructure, when laying out plant space and

assessing service provision. The building has relatively high service requirements,

and in particular to the laboratories and Active Learning Environment Spaces.

Where possible competitors should consider the use of passive and alternative

technologies within the Centre for Creative Design.

Sustainability and Energy Performance

The project should be an innovative exemplar of sustainable design, construction

and practices. The University has a commitment to low-energy and alternative


energy strategies, and this should be expressed within the Centre for Creative

Design.

Where possible, the design should aim to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, as

a minimum. Therefore the design should aim to reduce the environmental and

health impact of the project by:

• Minimising waste in both construction and building use and maximising

recycling;

• Maximising energy efficiency and minimising running costs;

• Minimising the energy demand for cooling, heating and lighting;

• Maximising use of renewables and alternative forms of energy;

• Saving water for indoor use and irrigation;

• Careful sourcing and use of materials;

• Supporting bio-diversity;

• Preventing light and noise pollution; and

• Employing passive solutions where possible.

As with the Entrance Precinct Masterplan, the Centre for Creative Design should

take on board the NZEB requirements (2012).

The building, and its landscape setting should provide a demonstration of holistic

sustainability, with the building envelope providing the opportunity to showcase

smart and innovative materials and energy technologies to act as a ‘living learning

lab’ – a important teaching and research resource for the University.

As part of the focus of the building is to act as a living lab for students and staff

actively involved in the sustainable development of the built environment, the

project will seek to maximise opportunities for recycling, re-use and reduction of

waste and waste water, and building and other materials will be sourced from

sustainable sources. Resilience against climate change impact should be built in to

the design, as well as incorporating low and zero carbon technologies, with

exemplary energy and water management.

Health and Safety

The design shall meet the requirements of all relevant health and safety legislation

provided by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and ensure that the building

and landscape provide a safe environment during construction and maintenance

as well as for students, staff and visitors during use.


Security

Security provision should be high, yet discreet and unobtrusive. Discouraging

graffiti, sabotage or climbing should be intrinsic to the design.

Security is likely to be a mix of both human presence and technology. A discreet

and appropriate CCTV system should be provided, with good coverage of all the

key high-security spaces.

Ventilation and Extraction

The Centre for Creative Design should be naturally ventilated, where possible,

Extraction, and in particular task extraction, is an important technical component to

a number of spaces within the Centre for Creative Design, namely the laboratories

and Active Learning Environment Spaces. This technical requirement should be

appropriately-considered in the design, even at this early stage of the project.

Acoustics and Vibrations

An appropriately-designed and specified internal acoustic environment is important

to the successful use, enjoyment and operation of the building and in particular for

the lecture theatres and teaching spaces. The University is keen to design in noise

and vibration control measures significantly in excess of regulatory standards. This

is particularly relevant to noise and vibration generated from external sources,

internal services plant and equipment and occupation sources.

Lighting

Within the spatial requirements section above, the areas or spaces where daylight

is either essential or desired have been specifically noted. The design should look

to articulate and make use of daylight, in some cases modulated, wherever

possible and appropriate. Within the design, the specification of artificial lighting

should be appropriate to the space and/or task being considered.


Planning Context

National Planning Policy

The Irish government’s Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government is

developing a new National Planning Framework (NPF) to succeed the current

National Spatial Strategy (NSS). The focus of the NPF will be on economic

development and investment in housing and infrastructure. The draft NPF, entitled

‘Ireland 2040 – Our Plan’, is out to public consultation. Current policy, as set out in

the NSS, can be viewed using this link.

Regional Planning Policy

UCD’s Belfield Campus is within the regional district of the Greater Dublin Area

(GDA). Each region in the Republic of Ireland prepares regional planning policy –

to help plan and guide growth at the regional level – presented in the form of

Regional Planning Guidelines (RPG).

The current RPG for the GDA, entitled ‘Regional Planning Guidelines for the

Greater Dublin Area 2010-2022’ presents a regional vision to guide sustainable

development and balanced growth in an integrated manner.

The RPG identifies the education and skills sector (including connections between

firms and higher education institutes) as important factors of competitiveness in the

Greater Dublin Area. UCD sits within what is known as the Dublin Gateway, for

which the RPG presents a policy to ‘...develop the GDA as regional leader in the

‘Smart Economy’ and the Dublin Gateway as a ‘SMART City’. UCD’s plans for its

Entrance Precinct Masterplan support this policy direction.

Local Planning Policy

The majority of UCD’s Belfield Campus sits within Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown

County Council. Policy is set out in the ’Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County

Development Plan 2016-2022’ (CDP). This document, and its related appendices,

sets out the County Council’s policies for ensuring continuing sustainable

development within its spatial boundaries.

The County Development Plan identifies UCD as a centre of education and

academic excellence but also recognises its potential as a future economic growth

and employment hub in terms of academic expansion and ‘Campus Company’

enterprise.

The Planning and Development Act (2000) introduced the concept of Local Area

Plans (LAPs). Set within their national, regional and local policy context, LAPs are

intended to provide more detailed policies for areas where significant development

and change is anticipated. Under Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s CDP,

Specific Local Objective SLO146 notes that it is the local authority’s intention to

prepare a LAP for the Clonskeagh/UCD area, within which the Entrance Precinct

Masterplan, and much of the wider Belfield Campus, sits.

http://www.ireland2040.ie/

http://www.housing.gov.ie/planning/national-spatial-strategy/national-spatial-strategy-scope-delivery

http://emra.ie/dubh/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Greater-Dublin-Area-Regional-Planning-Guidelines-2010-2022-Volume-I.pdf

http://emra.ie/dubh/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Greater-Dublin-Area-Regional-Planning-Guidelines-2010-2022-Volume-I.pdf




Note: At date of launch of competition no LAP has been prepared by the County

for the area covering UCD.

For further information on planning context please Appendix G – UCD Strategic

Campus Development Plan 2016-2021-2026.

Protected Structures

There are ten protected structures on the UCD campus recorded by Dún

Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. These are listed in the table below.

# Structure Type

1 University Lodge Greenfield Park, Donnybrook, Dublin

4

House

2 Richview (UCD) University College Dublin, Belfield,

Clonskeagh Road, Dublin 4

House, Main House,

Memorial Hall, Old Infirmary

and Library

3 Woodview House University College Dublin, Stillorgan

Road, Belfield, Dublin 4

House

4 Ardmore House University College Dublin, Stillorgan


House

5 Belfield House UCD Clinton House for American

Studies University College Dublin, Stillorgan Road,

Belfield, Dublin 4

House, Out Offices and

Stable Yard

6 Magnetical Observatory / UCD O’Kane Centre for Film

Studies University College Dublin, Stillorgan Road,

Belfield, Dublin 4

Magnetic Observatory

(Former) and Pool

7 Merville House University College Dublin, Foster’s

Avenue, Dublin 4

House, Stable Yard, Entrance

Gate and Piers

8 Roebuck Castle University College Dublin, Stillorgan


Castle

9 Roebuck Glebe University College Dublin, Stillorgan


Cottage

10 Water Tower University College Dublin, Belfield, Co.

Dublin

Water Tower


Project Details

Scope of Services

UCD is seeking creative teams organised under a lead consultant and including

expertise in architecture, masterplanning, urban design, landscape, sustainability,

engineering and transport planning. It is anticipated that the lead consultant will be

either an architect or a masterplanner.

At this second stage, teams are invited to propose additional consultancy including,

but not limited to, planning, lighting design, wayfinding and accessibility. In

addition, competitors should propose an executive team that will be based in

Ireland for the duration of the contract. These additional consultants will be

assessed at Stage Two, for quality and integration into the design team, including

the requirement to pass minimum qualification standards.

The appointed team will also need to include a Project Supervisor Design Process

(PSDP) and Designer as identified under the Republic of Ireland’s Construction

Regulations (Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) 2013 and the

Safety, Health and Welfare and Work Act 2005. The successful team will be

required to complete forms MF_2.4 and MF_2.5 contained within Appendix H –

Tender Information prior to contract award.

It should be noted that it is intended to procure separately the remaining skills

(excluding those listed above) necessary to complete the full design and executive

team. This includes project management and cost consultancy.

UCD will require the winning team to provide full design team services as outlined

in this brief, and the Scope of Services. Please refer to Appendix H – Tender

Information for more details.

UCD reserves the right to amend these Competition Conditions at any time.

Amendments to these Competition Conditions will be published on the competition

website during Stage One of the competition. During Stage Two, any necessary

amends will be circulated to shortlisted competitors.

The intention is for UCD to enter into a single contract with the lead consultant who

will then subcontract with the multidisciplinary design team (including the executive

team) for the combined elements of the project. UCD will require an industry

standard collateral warranties with all sub-consultants within the multidisciplinary

design team.

In summary the scope of services is in three parts:

• Immediately following the competition the team will be contracted to

develop a feasibility stage masterplan report for the Entrance Precinct

Masterplan and a brief development and preliminary design stage report

for the Centre for Creative Design project. These works are anticipated to

take between six to nine months.


• The team will then provide a full Scope of Services for the Centre for

Creative Design building and related landscape and public realm works. A

budget of €48 million (inclusive of VAT and professional fees) has been

identified for these works.

• The team will also develop the masterplan design report (and urban design

guidelines report) for the Entrance Precinct Masterplan, in association with

UCD and their stakeholders (namely Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County

Council and the National Transport Authority).

The lead consultant will lead the design team and coordinate and manage the work

of all other consultants.

Please note: UCD reserves the right to determine the final composition of the

design team appointed to undertake the project. Although UCD anticipates using

the winning team, it is not bound to use all specialists proposed by the winning

team. For the avoidance of doubt, this is to ensure the correct mix of skills and

expertise and will not be imposed unreasonably.

Form of Contract

The contract between the parties shall be in terms of the Form of Agreement in

Appendix H – Tender Information (the Standard Conditions of Engagement for

Consultancy Services [Technical] as published by the Office of Government

Procurement with UCD amendments), completed in accordance with the

Competition Conditions and the Tender Submission.

When completing the Pricing Matrix, tenderers should allow for all design services,

aligned with the Scope of Services. Please refer to Appendix H – Tender

Information for more details.

For the Centre for Creative Design the preliminary design stage should be provided

as a lump sum, with all remaining stages as a percentage fee. The Entrance

Precinct Masterplan is set out in two stages: the initial feasibility stage masterplan

report followed by the masterplan design report (and urban design guidelines

report). These should both be provided as lump sum fees.

Note: UCD will expect all sub-consultants to enter in an industry standard collateral

warranty with the University.

Project Programme

An Integrated Project Programme will be fully discussed and agreed with the

Project Team shortly after UCD has carefully considered and chosen the winning

team and design concept, and when parameters/logistics have been identified for

the design.

Competitors should anticipate a contract commencement date of Q4 2018, and a

contract completion date of Q3 2021.


The feasibility stage masterplan report for the Entrance Precinct Masterplan and

the brief development phase (including completion of the concept design phase)

for the Centre for Creative Design is anticipated to take between six and nine

months.

Budget

The total project value for the Centre for Creative Design (and related landscape

and public realm works) is estimated to be €48 million (inclusive of VAT and

professional fees).


PART TWO


Competition Details

Competition Details

This competition is being run under the Restricted Procedure in accordance with

EU procurement rules and the Republic of Ireland’s S.I. No. 284/2016 European

Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016. This competition

has been advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).

This competition is being managed on behalf of UCD by Malcolm Reading

Consultants.

All costs incurred by competitors in the competition must be borne by the

competitors. UCD accepts no liability for any costs incurred irrespective of the

outcome of the competition or if the competition is postponed or cancelled.

Deadline for Submissions

Tender submissions will be received up to 14:00 BST on Wednesday 20 June

2018.

Please ensure that your response is submitted no later than the appointed time.

UCD may not consider your submission if it is received after the deadline.

Queries and Correspondence

All enquiries relating to the competition should be addressed to Malcolm Reading

Consultants (MRC), the independent competition organisers appointed to manage

the process. During the competition, no contact should be made with UCD, Dún

Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, the National Transport Authority or members

of the competition Jury. Failure to comply with this restriction may compromise

your position within the competition.

Questions should be emailed to: [email protected].

A question and answer log will be circulated to the designated team contact on a

weekly basis. All questions raised before 14:00 BST on a Wednesday will be

answered in the Q&A log issued on a Friday.

Please note that telephone enquiries will not be accepted, and the latest date for

submitting enquiries is 14:00 BST Wednesday 6 June 2018.

Financial data

Any financial data provided must be submitted in, or converted into, Euros. Where

official documents include financial data in a foreign currency, a Euro equivalent

must be provided.

Language

The official language of the competition is English. All entries should be in English.

mailto:[email protected]


Insurance

UCD and MRC will take reasonable steps to protect and care for entries but neither

organisation will insure the proposals at any time.

Competitors are urged to maintain a full record of their entire entry and to be able

to make this available at any time should adverse circumstances require this.

Deviations

Only submissions that meet the mandatory requirements as outlined in this

document will be considered. Additional information or supplementary material,

unless specifically called for in subsequent communication, will not be considered

by the assessors.

Competition Conditions Clarifications

UCD may, at any time prior to the submission date, clarify the Competition

Conditions; MRC shall notify all competitors of any such clarifications. If MRC

issues any circular letters to competitors during the Tender Period, including the

weekly Q&A to clarify the interpretation to be placed on part of the documents or to

make minor changes to them, such circular letters will form part of the Competition

Conditions. Accordingly, all competitors will be deemed to have taken account of

these in preparing their submission.

Site visits, photos and drawings

A formal site visit is scheduled for late April 2018. Further notice and details of the

agenda will be given to each competitor in due course.

Mid-competition charrette

A mid-competition charrette may be held (at the discretion of UCD) in early to mid-

May 2018 (date to be confirmed). This would provide an opportunity for

engagement between UCD (and their advisers) and the competitors during the

competition process and would focus on the masterplanning element of the

competition only.

Note: no formal feedback would be provided to the teams as part of the charrette.

Return of competition materials

All material which is submitted as part of your stage two response will be retained

by UCD and will not be returned to participants.

Honorarium

An honorarium of €40,000 will be provided to each competitor who submits a bona

fide entry and attends an interview. No other payment of any kind will be made in

respect of any costs associated with, or incurred in, the preparation and

submission of any tender returns or as part of the tendering process.


Copyright of Competition Entries and Intellectual Property of Entries

The ownership of copyright will be in accordance with the Copyright and Related

Rights Act 2000 – 2007 (as amended). UCD, as promoter, and MRC, as

competition organiser, reserve the right to exhibit or publish all entries without cost.

Any use will be properly credited to the competitor, and the competitor warrants

that the submission comprises solely its own work or that of any team member

submitting a response.

By submitting a tender the competitors hereby grant an irrevocable, non-exclusive,

royalty free licence to UCD and MRC to publish, copy and use the tender

submission or any part thereof (including, without prejudice to the foregoing, any

submission materials) for any purpose except seeking consents and construction.

For the avoidance of doubt, the licence shall survive the competitors’ exit from the

tendering process.

Competition Publicity

Competitors should note that any or all of the submission materials may be used

for publicity purposes. This includes, but is not limited to, a public exhibition of the

shortlisted teams’ design concepts, an online gallery of the shortlisted teams’

designs, and media releases relating to the competition or project in a more

general sense.

Competition Documentation

None of the information in the Search Statement or in these Competition

Conditions shall, pending formal execution of a contract, constitute a contract or

part of a contract between UCD and any competitor. No legal relationship or other

obligation shall arise between any competitor and UCD unless and until a contract

has been formally executed in writing by UCD and the winning competitor and any

conditions precedent to the effectiveness of such documents have been fulfilled.


Anticipated Competition Programme

All dates 2018

Tender stage launched Early to Mid-April

Shortlist announced Early to Mid-April

Site visit Late April (TBC)

Mid-Competition Charrette Early to Mid-May (TBC)

Deadline for Questions 14:00 BST Wednesday 6 June

Final submissions by shortlisted teams 14:00 BST Wednesday 20 June

Jury day Early to Mid-July (TBC)

Winner announced Early August (earliest)


How to Enter

Submissions should be made both digitally and physically. Details are outlined

below.

Digital Submission

All parts of the submission must be submitted digitally. Please submit by email to:

[email protected], including a link to a file-transfer

website.

Digital files must be received on or before 14:00 BST Wednesday 20 June 2018.

Physical Submission

The A1 design boards, narrative booklet and appendices, and physical model

should also be submitted physically.

Physical submissions must be delivered by hand, post or courier to UCD,

postmarked no later than 14:00 BST Wednesday 20 June, and must arrive in

Dublin no later than 17:00 BST Tuesday 26 June. No alternative arrangements

will be accepted. The delivery address will be supplied to the shortlisted

competitors at the appropriate time.

The sender, including the company, should be clearly identified on the package.

Competitors are responsible for ensuring their submission package clears customs

and arrives on time. If sending internationally, competitors are advised to assign a

low monetary value to their submission to ensure it clears customs in a timely

manner. It will not be possible for MRC or UCD to pay to release items in customs.

mailto:[email protected]


Submission Requirements

We want to engage your creativity, thinking and skill for design, analysis and

explanation.

To channel your thinking and to help make the selection fair and rigorous, each

competitor is required to make their submission in a series of presentation boards

and an accompanying narrative booklet and appendices.

The boards should ‘tell the story’ and present the key ideas behind the submission.

The booklet should provide analytical and narrative detail to support and expand

on the information on the presentation boards.

Each competitor is required to address the questions below and overleaf in their

response. Please answer all the questions and provide all the supplementary

details required. Responses should be submitted in the format identified below. No

other form of submission will be acceptable. Any or all of the submission materials

may be used for publicity purposes.

Details regarding how to submit can be found on page 63.

Please refer to the Evaluation Criteria section of this document for how the

submissions will be evaluated and the scoring approach to be used.

Where a competitor departs from the requirements or is ambiguous, UCD may, at

its discretion seek clarification and/or further information from a competitor in

relation to its submission; and/or reject a submission due to a failure to provide

sufficient detail or adequate explanation.

Part A: Presentation Boards

2 x printed copies

1 x digital copy

All six presentation boards should be submitted in A1 landscape format mounted

on 5mm foam-board (or equivalent). Each of the six boards should be given the

specific titles noted below, and cover the information requested. Boards 1-3 focus

on the Entrance Precinct Masterplan, boards 4-6 on the Centre for Creative

Design.

1. Entrance Precinct Masterplan – Placemaking and Architectural and

Landscape Quality

Set out your analysis and response to setting and context. Highlight your

understanding of the University’s vision, ambitions and objectives for the Entrance

Precinct Masterplan. Present your approach to placemaking and identity.

Illustrate your masterplan for UCD’s Entrance Precinct and the liminal zone that

sits adjacent to campus (the areas shown in red and green respectively on the plan

on pages 13-14) and how your masterplan sits within its campus context and as a

nexus to its urban context. How does the masterplan incorporate planned


improvements to the public transport networks running along the R138, improving

the experience of commuting to and beyond the project area?

Your masterplan should be illustrated in its envisioned final form, set against the

spatial requirements provided as guidance on page 24 of this document.

The exact composition of Board 1 is at the discretion of the competitor. A selection

of images is provided in Appendix I for competitors’ use.

Your response to the wider context, sense of place, and the institutional and

landscape value of the site and its immediate and wider surroundings. Your

masterplan for the Entrance Precinct.

2. Entrance Precinct Masterplan – Usability and Performance

The entry, circulation and landscape design of your masterplan. What is the

experience and quality of arriving at campus within your design? Please set out

your approach to entry and access to the campus, and circulation once on campus.

This should include different modes of access, as well as operational and logistical

issues, such as deliveries and parking. Illustrate your landscape design within the

Entrance Precinct Masterplan, including signage and wayfinding, and lighting and

street furniture.

Should you include a second entrance into campus off the Stillorgan Road, this

should be clearly presented on Board 2, illustrating how it positively impacts entry,

access and circulation.

The detail and mechanics of your masterplan, including landscape design.

3. Entrance Precinct Masterplan – Feasibility

The flexibility and phasing of your masterplan. Set out your approach to the

Entrance Precinct Masterplan as a flexible framework to guide future development.

How can the masterplan seamlessly accommodate future change? Present your

suggested phasing for the masterplan, highlighting the impact this will have on the

campus.

Your response to the masterplan as a flexible framework to guide future

development. Your suggested masterplan phasing.

4. Centre for Creative Design – Placemaking and Architectural and

Landscape Quality

Highlight your understanding of the University’s vision, ambitions and objectives for

the Centre for Creative Design. Use this Board to describe the quality, both

internally and externally, of your architectural response to the brief for the Centre

for Creative Design. Set out your design proposal for the building, how this is

experienced and used and how it sits within the Entrance Precinct Masterplan, the

Engineering and Architecture Precinct, its immediate landscape and public realm

environment.


Present the following on this Board:

- The view of the building from an appropriate vantage point along the R138;

- The visual and arrival experience of the building from on campus –

including inside/outside connectivity and the relationship with the existing

Engineering and Material Sciences Centre and other buildings proposed

as part of the Engineering and Architecture Precinct within the Entrance

Precinct Masterplan;

- The entrance and informal gathering space(s) within the building, including

the social amenity focus of the building (e.g. café);

- The ‘Future Spaces’ – makerspaces and studios.

The exact composition of Board 4 is at the discretion of the competitor. A selection

of images is provided in Appendix I for competitors’ use.

Your proposal for the design of the Centre for Creative Design and how it is

experienced: appearance, scale and vision.

5. Centre for Creative Design – Usability

Your spatial layout, and related adjacencies, for the Centre for Creative Design.

Your analysis of, and response to, the operational and logistical requirements of

the project. This includes, but is not limited to, access, circulation flows, servicing

and deliveries, security and maintenance.

Your proposal for how the building is laid out, its spatial adjacencies and how it

would operate and function.

6. Centre for Creative Design – Performance and Feasibility

Your proposed construction methodology for the Centre for Creative Design.

Illustrate the materiality and the finishes proposed. Describe your approach to

sustainability, in design, construction and use, and highlight the anticipated

environmental and energy performance of the proposal. Your approach to phasing,

including the additional buildings required to create an Engineering and

Architecture precinct, with the Centre for Creative Design as its focus.

The mechanics of the Centre for Creative Design. Your approach to how the

design would be constructed, and how it would perform once in operation. Your

response to future phasing to create an Engineering and Architecture precinct.

Part B: Narrative Booklet

12 x printed copies

1 x digital copy

A Narrative Booklet in A3 (landscape) format should be submitted. The Narrative

Booklet should go into greater narrative detail to support and supplement the


information contained on Boards 1 to 6. Your responses within the Narrative

Booklet should cover the Entrance Precinct Masterplan and the Centre for Creative

Design equally, where appropriate, but focus on the masterplan first and the

building design second. The Narrative Booklet should be limited to 30 sides and

should be divided into five sections as follows (and responding to the specific

questions set out, where appropriate):

1. Placemaking

2. Architecture/Landscape Quality

3. Usability

4. Performance

You should cover the following questions within your response to this

section:

1) Set out your approach to sustainability, including bio-diversity,

environmental control and performance. How will the project be an

exemplar of sustainability, in its architectural and landscape design,

construction and use? How will your design look to maximise energy

performance and minimise running costs?

2) Outline your approach to construction and project delivery, including

construction logistics and phasing given the particular constraints of the

site and its context.

3) Describe your philosophy towards materiality and finishes.

4) Explain the feasibility of your design and how you have considered

designing to budget within the preparation of your design concept.

5. Feasibility

You should cover the following questions within your response to this

section:

5) Please provide a project organogram, highlighting the key individuals and

organisations within each discipline proposed. Highlight the lead

consultancy, and whether the relationships within the team (and to the

client) change at any stage within the project (including how the executive

team is integral to, and fully integrated into, the team and process). Please

note where roles and responsibilities may change as the project proceeds.

Under this question also set out, in narrative, how the Design Team’s input

to the project will be managed and delivered throughout all the project

stages. Please illustrate an outline project programme from inception

through to completion, highlighting the project stages, as part of your

answer to this question.


Describe how you will ensure that communications within the team, and

with the client and its stakeholders and other consultants, will be effectively

managed throughout the project.

Please confirm that the individuals as noted in your response to this

question will be committed to the project from inception through to

completion, as illustrated in your organogram above.

Note: This tender is for the procurement of multidisciplinary design

services, inclusive of those provided by an executive team which must be

based in Ireland for the duration of the contract (with exceptions noted

below). Please include all consultants deemed necessary for your delivery

of these services.

It is anticipated that project management and cost consultancy will be

procured separately by the University, under a separate tender process.

The team specified within your response to Question 5 should be

committed to the project should you be successful in this competition.

6) Describe how the executive team is fully integrated into your team and the

process, from inception through to completion. Explain the role that the

executive team will perform to ensure that quality – of design and

professional service – is maintained throughout the project.

Please include CVs of the key individuals within the executive team.

Note: UCD are particularly interested in the quality of the executive team,

and the scoring under ‘Feasibility’ will reflect this importance.

7) Set out how you propose to use modern design practices and processes,

such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), throughout the whole project

lifecycle.

8) Describe your approach to statutory applications, including consultation

with local planning authorities and other statutory bodies and engagement

with other key project stakeholders.

9) Cost control is essential to the success of the project. Describe how you

will work to ensure that the evolving and completed design is affordable

and within the available budget. What processes and procedures will you

adopt to ensure that project costs are continually monitored and managed?

10) From your understanding of the brief please highlight five key risks and

explain how you plan to manage and mitigate the effect of these risks

throughout the design and construction process.

Sections 1 to 3 should cover the first twelve pages of the narrative booklet;

Sections 4 and 5 the final eighteen pages.

For the evaluation criteria please see pages 72-74.


Part C: Appendices to the Booklet

1 x digital copy only (individual files should not exceed 2 MB in size)

An appendix to the Narrative Booklet should be provided, including the following:

1) Completed area schedules for both the Entrance Precinct Masterplan and

Centre for Creative Design (in A4 format) using the schedules included on

pages 24 and 38 as guidance for format.

2) A3 drawings of the following at recognisable (and noted) scales:

- Entrance Precinct Masterplan, including landscape design, in its final

envisioned form.

- Key plans, sections and elevations of the Centre for Creative Design.

These drawings should include summary annotation of key notes, dimensions and

a schedule of the materials and finishes proposed, where applicable.

Part D: Physical Model

The model should be at 1:1,000 scale and should show your design for the

Entrance Precinct Masterplan in its final envisioned form (the areas shown in blue

and green respectively on the plan on pages 13-14). It should be freestanding and

will not be dropped into a wider site model.

The model should show the mass and form of the existing and proposed buildings

only, including your design for the Centre for Creative Design (highlighting those

that are existing and those that are proposed). It should show the landscape and

public realm design for the Entrance Precinct Masterplan at an appropriate level of

detail that the scale dictates, highlighting materiality and texture.

Please note there will be no Perspex cover provided by the University for the

model. The model will be exhibited, and used for a wide range of consultation

purposes, so you should provide a perspex cover. No power will be made available

to the model.

Please see Appendix J – Model Parameters Diagram for more information.

Part E: Video Presentation

1 x digital copy

A short video presentation should be provided.

The recording should focus on your design team, design concept, approach to the

project and thoughts on the project in general. The focus of the video should be

predominantly on the Entrance Precinct Masterplan, but include how the Centre for

Creative Design integrates into the masterplan.


The video should be up to two minutes in length, submitted in .mp4 or .mov format,

and be a maximum of 75 MB. It will be shown on a continuous loop for the

purposes of the exhibition. This should be a simple video recording (e.g. recorded

on a mobile device) without extensive design editing, graphics, images or

flythrough animation.

Note: Part E of the submission requirements is not evaluated, and is for media

purposes only, including for the public exhibition.

Part F: Jury Presentation

1 x digital copy

Presentations should be compatible with a Windows laptop.

Please provide both a high-res and low-res (max 15 MB) version.

Please prepare a 20-minute presentation (limited to 25 slides) demonstrating your

approach to the project and resultant design concept. Your presentation should

focus on your response and approach to the quality aspects of the submission, as

set out on the presentation boards and in the Narrative Booklet.

This presentation will be used during your interview. No new information should be

presented during the interviews, which are for the purposes of clarifying your

design and working approach.

The presentation will be pre-loaded onto a Windows laptop for the Jury Interviews.

Your presentation may follow the rest of your submitted materials. A deadline for

submission will be given after the competition deadline.

Part G: Media Summary and Images

1 x digital copy

Please provide a 150-word summary of your design concept proposal that can be

used for press purposes. This should focus on the key aspects of your design

concept and not your practice.

This should be included as an appendix to your bound report. This summary will be

used for both media purposes and to introduce your design proposal in the public

exhibition.

Please also include four landscape .jpeg images at 300dpi, 1600px wide by

1200px high that best exemplify your design proposal. Other images may also be

extracted from the presentation boards for media purposes, if required.

Please note that the summary may be edited, and the images cropped, for media

purposes without the prior agreement of the competitor. To clarify, this will be done

for editorial purposes only.


Part H: Fee Proposal

1 x digital copy

Pricing Matrix: Please complete the Pricing Matrix template as included in

Appendix H – Tender Information.

Form of Tender: Please complete the provided Form of Tender template, as

included in Appendix H – Tender Information.

Part I: ESPD for Additional Team Members

Competitors are required to complete the attached ESPD form for all team

members who have been added to the team during the second stage.

Please refer to Appendix K – ESPD for Additional Team Members for details.


Evaluation Criteria

Tender submissions will be assessed by the Jury, with advice taken from the Peer

Review Panel. Details of these two groups are outlined below.

Peer Review Panel

At this stage of the competition the Jury will be advised by the Peer Review Panel.

The Panel will be comprised of internal and external stakeholders and advisers to

UCD. The Panel will conduct a technical and peer review of the stage two

submissions, encapsulated in the Peer Review Panel Report.

The purpose of the Panel is to review each of the submissions and provide a

comparative analysis of the potential of each scheme to be developed into a

realisable project.

Note: The Peer Review Panel Report is not a public document. Its circulation is

limited to members of the Jury only.

Jury

The Jury will assess the stage two submissions. The Jury will receive the

competitors’ submissions covering the requirements outlined on pages 64-71, as

well as this Competition Conditions document and the Peer Review Panel Report

in their Jury Packs.

The Jury will assess the submissions based on the criteria set out under

‘Assessment Breakdown’ below. The Jury will make a recommendation to UCD,

who will ratify the decision.

MRC will act as the competition secretariat.

Assessment Breakdown

Tender submissions will be assessed on the Most Economically Advantageous

Tender (MEAT) basis, which accounts for both quality and cost criteria as defined

below.

The Jury interviews will be used to present the design concepts and to clarify

aspects of the submission. There is no score assigned to performance at interview.

Please see the Quality Breakdown assessment matrix below.

Fee submission (20%)

The cost submission will be assessed on the basis of the Form of Tender and the

Pricing Matrix (see Appendix H – Tender Information for details).

The fee will be assessed comparatively using the following formula:

Lowest price (divided by) price tendered (multiplied by) weighting.


As noted above the fee proposal is apportioned 20% of the overall weighting.

Quality submission (80%)

The quality submission will be assessed under the following five headings:

1) Placemaking (25%)

2) Architecture/Landscape Quality (20%)

3) Usability (10%)

4) Performance (10%)

5) Feasibility (15%)

Each of these headings will be assessed taking into account the competitors’

understanding, their approach and methodology and the resultant design proposal.

The Jury will collegiately score each heading out of ten marks on the balanced Jury

Scorecard (see page 74 for the scoring approach). Marks will then be computed on

a scorecard to a weighted score, as noted in the quality breakdown below.

As noted above the quality submission is apportioned 80% of the overall weighting.

Quality Breakdown

SUBMISSION SCORE

AVAILABLE*

WEIGHTING (%)

Placemaking (Boards 1 & 4, Narrative

Booklet pages 1-4 and physical model)

10 25%

Architecture/Landscape Quality (Boards 1 &

4, Narrative Booklet pages 5-8 and physical

model)

10 20%

Usability (Boards 2 & 5 and Narrative

Booklet pages 9-12)

10 10%

Performance (Boards 2 & 6 and Narrative

Booklet pages 13-21)

10 10%

Feasibility (Boards 3 & 6, Narrative Booklet

pages 22-30)

10 15%

QUALITY TOTAL 50 80%

*Scored in accordance with the Scoring Approach on page 74.


Scoring Approach

Score Classification of response Reason for classification

0 Unacceptable response in whole or part

The Jury had major concerns that the proposal represented an unacceptable and too high a level of risk in this category that the proposal can be developed into a realisable scheme Very significant gaps or lack of justification/evidence in response where required; responses given are very generic and not relevant in whole or part; fails to demonstrate considerable understanding of the question or context.

1-2 Poor and below requirements

The Jury had significant concerns over the level of risk in this category that the proposal can be developed into a realisable scheme A lack of content or explanation in one or more aspects of the question; significant gaps or lack of justification/evidence in response where required; responses given are generic and not relevant in whole or part; a degree of a failure to demonstrate understanding of the question or context.

3-4 Satisfactory response but does not meet all requirements

The Jury had minor concerns over the level of risk in this category that the proposal can be developed into a realisable scheme The question is answered satisfactorily overall but some key aspects lack sufficient detail or explanation.

5 Satisfactory response that meets most requirements

The Jury was more confident than not over the level of risk in this category that the proposal can be developed into a realisable scheme. However some concerns do exist over the level of risk in this category. The question is answered satisfactorily for the most part, but some aspects lack sufficient detail.

6-7 A strong response that is very satisfactory in all areas and exceeds expectations in some areas

The Jury was more confident than not over the level of risk in this category that the proposal can be developed into a realisable scheme. However some minor concerns do exist over the level of risk in this category. The question is answered very well for the most part and in areas is particularly clear and justified.

8-9 Outstanding quality response

The Jury was confident, for this category, that the proposal represented minimal risk and can be developed into a realisable scheme The question is answered in an outstanding way throughout, meets all requirements and in all areas is extremely clear and justified.

10 Exceptional response that exceeds UCD’s requirements

The Jury was confident, for this category, that the proposal represented no risk and can be developed into a realisable scheme The answer demonstrates an outstanding response that meets all requirements and is exceptional in that it exceeds the level of quality required in some key areas.


Appendices

A. UCD Travel Plan 2016-2021-2026 –‘Getting there the Sustainable Way’

B. National Transport Authority: ‘Transport Strategy for the Greater Dublin

Area 2016-2035’

C. Existing Services Information

D. Schedule of Protected Trees

E. Technical Guidelines for Designers and Specifiers (V1.8)

F. Towards Nearly Zero Energy Buildings in Ireland: Planning for 2020 and

beyond (2012)

G. UCD Strategic Campus Development Plan 2016-2021-2026

H. Tender Information

I. Selection of Images

J. Model Parameters Diagram

K. ESPD for Additional Team Members

L. CAD Plans

M. Campus Map

N. UCD Strategies

O. Site Investigation and Boreholes Information

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