Clockwise from top left: Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey © Amelia Stein / Steven Holl © Steven Holl Architects / Liz Diller and Ricardo Scofidio © Abelardo Morell, Benjamin Gilmartin © Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Charles Renfro © Alessio Boni / Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos © Inga Powilleit / Daniel Libeskind © Stefan Ruiz / John Ronan © Nathanael Filbert
University College Dublin and Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC) revealed today [19 April 2018] the six shortlisted teams in the Future Campus – University College Dublin International Design Competition.
The teams were the unanimous choice of a selection panel that was chaired by the competition jury chair Professor Andrew J. Deeks, President of University College Dublin. The shortlist was expanded from the expected five to six in recognition of the outstanding response from the international design community. The finalist teams won their places on the basis of submissions scored on relevant experience and team composition.
The six teams (in alphabetical order by lead consultant with full details in Notes below) are:
- Diller Scofidio + Renfro (US)
- John Ronan Architects (US)
- O’Donnell + Tuomey (Ireland)
- Steven Holl Architects (US)
- Studio Libeskind (US)
- UNStudio (Netherlands)
The first stage of the competition attracted 98 teams from 28 countries.
The finalist teams now have around 10 weeks before the competition’s second stage hand-in to draw up an urban design vision that foregrounds a highly-visible and welcoming entrance precinct and create a concept design for a charismatic yet integrated new 8,000 sqm building that expresses the University’s creativity: the circa €48m Centre for Creative Design. The Future Campus project is intended to create a stronger physical presence and identity for the University within Dublin. The jury will assess the final submissions and interview the teams in the summer.
Professor of Architecture at University College Dublin, Hugh Campbell, said:
‘It is unprecedented to have a field of such calibre; with major internationally-renowned figures in architecture on the shortlist.’
Professor Andrew J. Deeks, President of University College Dublin and competition jury chair, said:
‘We are interested in the outstanding.
‘In holding this competition, we are seeking a design that will become an icon for the University – representing our vision to create something extraordinary and brilliant.
‘The competition affords us a rare moment, to transform the campus in a way that promotes a strong sense of community and inspires students and faculty, visitors and local innovators to explore new ways of learning and thinking.’
Malcolm Reading, Competition Director, said:
‘The competition was very successful in drawing a global response, as well as one that was distinguished by high quality, thoughtful submissions.
‘We appreciate the effort that competitors made and it was a privilege to receive so many good submissions. What linked the teams that rose to the top of the list was their confidence with the scale of the project; they convinced us through their submissions that they had the flair to create something exceptional.
‘The leading universities now compete across national boundaries, and University College Dublin has shown great imagination and initiative in searching globally for an outstanding design team.
‘We look forward to seeing the teams’ masterplans and concept designs and will publish these online in the summer.’
A site visit for the finalists will take place later this month; each finalist team will receive an honorarium of €40,000 for their work and international teams are required to team up with a local executive team for the second stage.
Further members of the jury have also been announced. The full jury is: Professor Andrew J. Deeks, University College Dublin President (chair) with Malcolm Reading, Architect and Competition Director as the administrative chair; also, Sir David Adjaye, Principal, Adjaye Associates; Ann Beha, Principal, Ann Beha Architects and member, Harvard University Design Advisory Panel; acclaimed urban planner Joe Berridge, Partner, Urban Strategies, Inc.; Professor Hugh Campbell, Professor of Architecture, Head of Subject and Dean, School of Architecture, Planning & Environmental Policy, UCD; Dermot Desmond, Chairman, International Investment & Underwriting; Professor Orla Feely, Vice President, Research, Innovation and Impact and Professor of Electronic Engineering, UCD; Professor David FitzPatrick, Principal, College of Engineering and Architecture and Dean of Engineering, UCD and Provost, Beijing-Dublin International College; Professor Michael Monaghan, Vice President, Campus Development, UCD; Sean Mulryan, Founder and CEO, Ballymore Group; and Paul Thompson, Vice-Chancellor, Royal College of Art, London.
Known as Ireland’s Global University, University College Dublin (UCD) is the country’s largest and most internationally-engaged higher education body, the destination of choice for international students coming to Ireland. It is also the most popular choice for Irish students seeking a university place in their home country.
Founded as an independent university 160 years ago by the visionary John Henry Newman, UCD has been a vital and influential force in shaping modern Ireland, both politically and culturally. UCD’s ability to foster creativity and expressiveness is reflected by alumni including the 20th century’s outstanding author, James Joyce; film maker Gabriel Byrne; and comedian Dara Ó Briain; as well as many successful architects and designers.
The competition winner announcement is anticipated to be in August 2018.
The competition is run 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).
For further updates please visit the competition website.
Notes to editors
Finalist teams in full (with Team Profiles supplied by teams)
Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Sasaki, Scott Tallon Walker Architects, GROSS. MAX., Atelier Ten, Arup, IN2 Engineering Design Partnership and Linesight
Founded in 1981, Diller Scofidio + Renfro is a New York-based design studio whose work spans architecture, urban design, multimedia art, and performance. DS+R completed two of the largest architecture and planning initiatives in NYC’s recent history: the adaptive reuse of obsolete rail infrastructure into the High Line, a 1.5 mile-long park; and the transformation of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ half-century-old campus. DS+R has completed academic buildings for institutions including Columbia University, Brown University, and the University of California, Berkeley; and is working on buildings for the University of Sydney, University of Chicago, and University of Toronto. Current projects include The Shed and the expansion of MoMA, both in New York. DS+R will design the Centre for Music, a permanent home for the London Symphony Orchestra. For the Entrance Precinct Masterplan and Centre for Creative Design at UCD, DS+R will collaborate with Sasaki and Ireland-based Scott Tallon Walker.
John Ronan Architects with Arup, CLUAA, Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture and Transsolar
John Ronan Architects is an internationally-recognised architecture firm committed to design excellence whose work is marked by conceptual innovation, exploration of materiality and a rigorous attention to detail. The studio’s working method is research-based, interdisciplinary and collaborative. Led by Principal John Ronan, the firm pursues an iterative design methodology to explore and test a wide range of design responses in order to find the appropriate response that feels intuitively correct for each individual situation, based on its client, site, program and context – cultural, historical, economic and social.
The firm’s noteworthy honours include being named one of seven finalist firms for the Obama Presidential Library (2016), ranked #4 in Architect magazine’s Best Design Firms in America (2017), and the winner of multiple AIA Institute National Honor Awards. For each project the office undertakes an exploratory investigation of space and materiality, issues of sustainability and the performance of the building over time.
O’Donnell + Tuomey with Allies and Morrison, Arup, Hargreaves Associates, Superposition, Plattenbau Studio, Phil Jones Associates, Max Fordham and MLM Group
Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey have been in partnership since 1988 and are Practice Professors at UCD Architecture. Their buildings include the UCC Glucksman Gallery, the Central European University Budapest, the LSE Student Centre London and the Lyric Theatre Belfast. The practice has received more than 100 national and international awards and been seven times winners of the AAI Downes Medal; seven times finalists for the Mies Van der Rohe Award; and five times shortlisted for the Stirling Prize. In 2015 John Tuomey and Sheila O’Donnell received the RIBA Gold Medal, the world’s most prestigious architecture award. Their work has been widely published and exhibited in Europe, America and Asia.
O’Donnell + Tuomey are a Dublin-based studio with an international reputation for engagement with complex urban situations and sensitive landscapes. At UCD they will collaborate with masterplan/urban design consultants Allies and Morrison (London). New York-based Hargreaves landscape architects and emerging practices Superposition and Plattenbau complete the architectural team.
Steven Holl Architects with Brightspot Strategy, Arup, HarrisonStevens and Transsolar
Steven Holl Architects is an award-winning architecture and urban design office based in New York and Beijing. Founded in 1977, the firm has extensive international experience in the arts, campus and educational facilities, and complex urban projects. With each project the firm explores new ways to integrate an organising idea with the programmatic and functional essence of a building. Rather than imposing a style upon different sites and climates, the unique character of a program and site become the starting point for an architectural idea. Past campus projects include the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Expansion and Glassell School, the Lewis Arts Complex at Princeton University, and the Reid Building at Glasgow School of Art.
SHA has assembled an internationally acclaimed team with industry leading engineers Arup; innovative strategists Brightspot Strategy; award winning climate engineering firm Transsolar; and creative, sustainable landscape architects HarrisonStevens.
Studio Libeskind with BDP, !melk, NRB and Dcon
Studio Libeskind (New York) is an international architecture practice that was established in 1989 by Daniel Libeskind in Berlin, Germany. The Studio is involved in realising a diverse array of award-winning urban, cultural and commercial projects worldwide including the Jewish Museum Berlin, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Denver Art Museum, and the master plan for the World Trade Center site. Mr. Libeskind speaks widely on the art of architecture. His built work and ideas have been the subject of many articles, publications, and exhibitions, influencing the field of architecture and the development of cities and culture.
UNStudio with Arup and REDscape Landscape & Urbanism
UNStudio, founded in 1988 by Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos, is a Dutch studio specialising in architecture, interiors, product design, urban development and infrastructural projects.
Throughout 30 years of international project experience, UNStudio expanded its capabilities through prolonged collaboration with renowned international consultants, partners, and advisors. This network, combined with centrally located offices in Amsterdam, Shanghai and Hong Kong, enables UNStudio to work efficiently anywhere in the world. With 120 built projects globally, the studio continues to expand its presence with recent commissions in China, South Korea, India and Germany.
Current projects include Doha’s Metro Network in Qatar, the EuropaCity Cultural Center in Paris and the Gothenburg Cable-Car in Sweden. Pivotal realised projects include the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Arnhem Central Station, Raffles City Hangzhou in China, the Mobius House and the Erasmus Bridge in the Netherlands. For UCD UNStudio has formed an international team with Arup and REDscape.
