Sports Campus Ireland - 3D Model

Sports Campus Ireland

Master and Framework Competition Shortlisted

In January 2000, the Irish government established Campus and Stadium Ireland to oversee the development of a sports campus at Abbotstown, Dublin, to include a state-of-the-art 80,000 seater stadium.

Gilroy McMahon were shortlisted to compete in the competition along with the leading Stadia designers in the world.

The scheme focuses on two elements - location and landscape. By organising the major buildings in a centrally convex cluster, easy accessible and desirable connections at the pedestrian scale are created at the heart of the complex. The concept is reinforced three dimensionally by dramatic re-manipulation of the landscape, and by embedding the major buildings, a unique microclimate and shelter from prevailing winds is created. The central concept of the project is concerned with reducing the impact of a large footprint on a delicate stratum. The means employed to minimise this impact include manipulation of topography, rigorous selectivity of the material palette, minimisation of waste generated, careful massing and siting of infrastructure and facilities, together with utilization of the most robust receiving environments and orientations.