Grimshaw and Newenham Mulligan chosen for £15m Dublin arena overhaul
by Katie Buckley | 04 Feb 2015
A consortium of architecture and design firms has been chosen to design a £15m (€20m, US$22m) redevelopment of the RDS Arena in Dublin, Ireland.
International architecture firm Grimshaw has been paired with local practice Newenham Mulligan to carry out the overhaul of the arena, following an international design competition run by the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI).
Situated south of Dublin city centre, the RDS arena it a multi purpose venue; used as the home grounds for Leinster Rugby, the stadium also hosts equestrian sports. With the new design plans, it is hoped that the venue will become even more multi-functional, with the notion of hosting music concerts and other professional sports events. It is expected that the redesigned stadium will be included in Ireland’s bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The increase in stadium size could bode well for Ireland's Rugby World Cup bid.
According to a statement from Michael Duffy, chief executive of the RDS, the Grimshaw and Newenham Mulligan proposal “stood out for their understanding of the multi-faceted nature of the development and their vision for the RDS Arena.”
The redevelopment would increase the existing capacity of the stadium from 18,500 to 25,000, aided by the creation of a new stand. Leinster Rugby will continue to play at the arena throughout the redevelopment.
Mick Dawson, chief executive of Leinster Rugby, said: “A newly developed RDS Arena certainly has the potential to significantly add to Ireland’s 2023 World Cup bid, and we hope to speak to the IRFU in due course.”
Immediate priorities for the project are securing funding and planning permission. If all this goes ahead, it is hoped work can start on site in 2016.
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A consortium of architecture and design firms has been chosen to design a £15m (€20m, US$22m) redevelopment of the RDS Arena in Dublin, Ireland. International architecture firm Grimshaw has been paired with local practice Newenham Mulligan to carry out the overhaul of the arena, following an international design competition run by the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI). Situated south of Dublin city centre, the RDS arena it a
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"Culture is the beating heart of this project"
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