UCD is Ireland’s largest University. Set on a 133 Hectare campus that was assembled though acquisition of some of Ireland’s finest period houses and estates, the university is know for its parkland setting although located close to the city centre.

The development of the sports facilities at UCD has occurred as land and resources have come available without an overall masterplan. This, as a model, is not atypical and the challenge was to intervene strategically in order to allow the facilities to remain in operation and unblock logjams to enable an enhanced experience of the facilities.

The masterplan allows the various geometries of the boundary to inform the masterplan - these are then allowed to be reconciled in the centre.

A crescent is introduced to structure 3 entrances onto the site and form an identifiable axis around the Water Tower, an iconic element of the South Dublin skyline.

The first phase of the masterplan was opened in 2022, the completion of an IAAF certified running track.