It is not easy to create good architecture on an incredibly tight budget and previous architectural experiments on the Limerick Campus have produced mixed results. However, Grafton Architects have taken an ordinary programme for the student housing and made two muscular buildings that despite their modest size, convey a sense of scale and weight in creating a point of entry to the campus.
Facing the housing accommodation is the medical school, which is cool grey and monolithic, another relatively modest building with a strong presence. The central space of the medical school soars above the entry, rich in timber detailing set against massive concrete expanses, with views up to a study area overlooking the atrium, and further still to bridges and windows on higher levels.
This building feels like it punches well above its weight. It transforms simple teaching and study spaces into rich, theatrical spaces, with a generosity that verges on the heroic.
Location details
The University of Limerick is situated roughly five miles to the east of Limerick City Centre in mid-west Ireland, nestled north and south of the River Shannon.
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