The RIAI has announced the winner of the open, one-stage competition for a New Main Entrance at Dublin City University. The winning entry is by Pol Gallagher, Zohra Chiheb, John DeMaio, and Donnchadha Gallagher of ZaP Architecture, an Irish practice based in London. Second place went to de Blacam and Meagher Architects and third place to Maguire McBrien.

The objective of the competition was to the reinvigorate the appearance and functionality of the campus as well bring DCU’s vision and brand expression of Ireland’s University of Enterprise to life. The judges praised the winning entry as a scheme that had “fulfilled all the aspirations of the design brief, creating an exciting, memorable and timeless new main entrance for the University. The design focuses on the threshold between Collins Avenue and the University with an assembly of multiple glulam masts of varying height, on both sides of the entrance, like copses of stripped back trees. This loose arrangement of verticals is visually distinctive, and symbolises the students, staff and graduates that constitute the University.”

Commended entries were
David Flynn Architects
Taka Architects (Cian Deegan with Alice Casey and Hugo Lamont)
Andrzej Toborek Architect.

The Competition Jury included:
Prof Brian MacCraith, DCU President
Dr Declan Raftery, DCU CEO
Ms Teresa Murray, DCU head of Communications and Marketing
Michael Kelly DCU, Director, Estates Office
Tony Reddy FRIAI, DCU masterplanning architect
Steve Larkin MRIAI
Seán Harrington MRIAI (Chair)