The complex consists of nine five-storey buildings constructed around a common courtyard. The buildings are generally arranged in banks of three blocks with each block housing approximately 20 self-contained apartments.

– The apartments are generally five bedrooms each en-suite with a lounge kitchen. The complex extends to approximately 2770 sq metres.

– Six of the blocks are designed purely as student residences and comply with guidelines on Residential Development for 3rd. level students (Section 50 Finance Act 1999).

– However three of the buildings will be used as a Hotel during the summer months and again the design of these buildings complies with Section 50 guidelines

– In all of the apartments the shower WC room was delivered as a pre built Pod and the services were merely connected to the unit. The pods were constructed in Denmark and came fully finished including all tiling and fixtures & fittings.

– Another feature of the complex is an underground car park located beneath the common courtyard, which is accessible to all buildings via the basement.

Mechanical Services:

Each block of three buildings has a central gas boiler located in the basement. From this central boiler house heating and hot water services are distributed through a series of rising mains serving the apartments. Each boiler house has a Building Management System (BMS) control panel, which is linked back to a central monitoring point elsewhere in the complex. The exiting external gas and mains water services were extended to serve this installation and in each case a ring main arrangement was completed. A traditional heating system of radiators provides heating within the apartments. These radiators are served via plastic flexible pipework cast within the concrete floor. Pipework for the bathroom pod and underfloor pipework is located in riser cupboards accessed from the corridor.

Electrical Services

Each apartment has a simple mains operated combined smoke detector and sounder located outside the kitchen to minimise nuisance alarms. Also within each apartment is a smoke detector linked to a central fire alarm panel. The apartments have voice & data outlets in all rooms with television outlets in dining rooms. The voice, data, security and fire alarms services are linked to remote central stations via fibre optic cabling. The existing high voltage ring main was extended to serve this complex and a dedicated sub-station was constructed.

Client: DCU
Status: Complete