Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) officially opened a €14.7m teaching, research and recreation facility on the University’s Tallaght Campus today. Opening just in time for the new academic year, the Sports, Science, Health, and Recreation provides an extra 3,282 m2 of space and includes classrooms, laboratories and one of the largest multi-purpose sports halls in Dublin 24. The new facility is just one new development planned for the University’s Tallaght campus, with a 5,200 m2 multi-disciplinary building currently under construction, adding a total of 8,482 m² of additional student space since the establishment of TU Dublin in 2019.
Speaking at a celebration to launch the new building, the President of TU Dublin, Professor David FitzPatrick, said, “The activities this new Sports, Science, Health, and Recreation building cater for, perfectly encapsulates the full student experience at TU Dublin. State-of-the-art teaching spaces will cater for formal studies, while laboratories equipped with the latest technologies will also support research and teaching in Sports Science. In addition, the recreation and fitness facilities on offer will be available to all students, whether they are Elite Athlete Scholars or simply trying out a new hobby with one of our many clubs and societies. And the final stop in a student’s academic journey is their graduation ceremony, with many across our campus network due to celebrate their achievements with their family and friends when we host our Autumn Conferring Ceremonies in this fantastic new building later this year.”
Continuing, Professor FitzPatrick said, “I want to take this opportunity to thank the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for their support of this project. In the coming months and years, we look forward to working with our colleagues in DFHERIS and the HEA on progressing projects, such as the Indoor Sports Centre in Grangegorman, which will provide generations of our students with a world-class University experience.”
The new Sports, Science, Health, and Recreation building on TU Dublin’s Tallaght Campus was completed in February 2023 by ABM Construction and is now ready to welcome students when classes commence later this month. In keeping with the University’s commitment to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, the facility is classified as a Nearly Zero-Energy Building (NZEB). It is energy efficient, using renewable sources, including a photovoltaic power-generating unit that produces electricity for the building. The space is also connected to the Tallaght District Heating Scheme, which recovers waste heat from a nearby data centre.
A second building, currently under construction on the University’s Tallaght Campus, is a 5,200 m2 multi-disciplinary building, which will accommodate teaching and research in hospitality, culinary arts, engineering and apprenticeship activities. Funded by the Higher Education Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme and due for completion in 2024, the development will consist of theatres, a training restaurant, design studios, and research facilities.
