Minister Donohoe Opens €220m TU Dublin Campus Development in Grangegorman
Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe T.D unveiled two major campus buildings costing €220m in Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) today.
The newly opened East Quad and Central Quad on the University’s campus in Grangegorman are now home to over 10,000 students and 1,200 staff representing a range of disciplines in the Arts, Humanities, and STEM subjects. The investment, the largest in Irish Higher Education in over a century, will see the University consolidate all of its Dublin City activities on a purpose-built, state-of-the-art campus.
Welcoming attendees to the unveiling of the East Quad and Central Quad, the President of TU Dublin, Professor David FitzPatrick, said, “Today’s official opening in Grangegorman represents a significant landmark in our ambition to deliver a world-leading University campus in the heart of Dublin City. Today, we celebrate the wonderful progress that we have made, yet we are less than halfway through the construction planned for this transformative investment for the University.”
Signalling potential challenges to the completion of the Grangegorman Campus, Professor David FitzPatrick continued, “The University generated much of the funding for the Grangegorman Campus by selling former campus buildings in Dublin City; however, uncertainty in the commercial property market, coupled with a substantial increase in construction costs, are hampering plans for the development. We look forward to working with Minister Donohoe and his colleagues to find alternative funding solutions to progress our campus development plans and build on-campus accommodation, providing future TU Dublin students, including those sitting Leaving Certificate examinations next week, with a world-class University experience.”
Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform Paschal Donohoe T.D., said, “The Government is strongly committed to supporting students in pursuit of their education, and will invest approximately €4.1bn in total in 2023 to the Higher Education, Further Education and Training (FET) and Research and Innovation sectors. Within this substantial investment, the Technological University (TU) agenda over the last several years has represented a significant reform in the Higher Education landscape and in ensuring the delivery of a highly skilled and versatile workforce for Ireland, capable of meeting current as well as future economic and societal challenges brought about at national and regional level in response to global trends.
“Such transformation and adaptation is key in safeguarding our future, underpinning our economic and social wellbeing for years to come. This investment in TU Dublin and the Grangegorman campus represents one of the most significant capital investments in Irish Higher Education over the last century and will now support over 10,000 students and 1,200 staff across a range of academic areas. Such investment, in addition to the other significant Exchequer and National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) resources provided to date, further highlights the Government’s support for the development and delivery of the Government’s TU agenda."
The National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), part of the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), acting on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Science as Approving Authority, managed the procurement of this PPP project with the Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA) acting as Sponsoring Agency.
Andrew O ‘Flanagan, Director of the NDFA, notes that “the completion of this large and complex project is great news for the students and staff of TU Dublin and for the wider community in the Grangegorman area and marks a significant milestone in the development of this new campus. The delivery of these state-of-the-art buildings on the TU Dublin Grangegorman is the result of a successful collaboration over many years between the NDFA, TU Dublin, the Grangegorman Development Agency and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Science in partnership with PPP Co. Eriugena, Sisk, FCC and their supply chain partners. The NDFA is delighted to have played a part in delivering the facilities and would like to thank all stakeholders for their cooperation and support along the way.”
The PPP contract was awarded to the Eriugena consortium in March 2018. The Eriugena consortium was led by Macquarie Capital Group Ltd., with construction undertaken by a joint venture between John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Ltd and FCC Ireland Ltd. Facilities management services are provided by Sodexo Ireland Ltd. The construction phase of the project was funded by the European Investment Bank, MUFG, Sun Life Investment Managers and Talanx Asset Management.
The East Quad, which accommodates almost 4,000 students, is the Cultural Hub Grangegorman campus and a new multidisciplinary arts space for Dublin, featuring a 340-seat Concert Hall, an 80-seat Black Box Theatre, an 80-seat Recital Hall and a range of exhibition spaces. Located beside the Green Luas Broadstone University stop and just 16 minutes from St. Stephen’s Green, the building is an exciting new addition to the cultural life of the capital. The Central Quad, catering for approximately 6,000 students studying Science, Health, Culinary Arts, Tourism, Hospitality, Computer Science and Engineering, is at the heart of the Grangegorman campus. Facilities include highly specialised laboratories, state-of-the-art kitchens and hospitality training areas, and large lecture halls, including the 250-seater Intel Auditorium.
In addition to a milestone event attended by Minister Donohoe, students, staff, industry and community partners, TU Dublin and the Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA) are hosting Revealing Grangegorman, an exciting programme of events for the community to enjoy and see the extensive transformation the University is bringing to Dublin 7. Highlights include a bespoke tour hosted by the School of Culinary and Food Technology of its state-of-the-art facilities and a chance to experience samples of the student’s work.
TU Dublin’s Art, Design and Media Graduate Exhibition will launch later today, presenting the work of over 200 graduating students from creative disciplines located in the East Quad and will run daily from 10am to 5pm until Saturday, 10 June. The history of the Grangegorman campus will also be brought to life by drama students of TU Dublin Conservatoire in a performance of ‘The Asylum Workshop, written by Colin Murphy, based on fragments from the archive of the institution once known as the “Lunatic Asylum”, Grangegorman. This play, supported by Grangegorman Histories, was a sell-out at its limited run in December, and tickets are available here.
The full programme of events is available on TU Dublin’s website.