Trinity College Dublin Begins Construction on Martin Naughton E3 Learning Foundry

Trinity College Dublin began construction in September of 2021 on the Martin Naughton E3 Learning Foundry in Ireland. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to promote collaboration and innovation, the six-story, 78,577-sf building will be shared by the schools of engineering, natural sciences, and computer science and statistics. Enabling a dynamic pedagogy of project-based learning, the $71 million interdisciplinary facility will offer maker spaces, studios, and interactive classrooms to support Trinity's Engineering, Environment and Emerging Technologies initiative. The complex will include a laboratory block called the Nucleus providing long-span, heavily serviced research environments. The Wing, a teaching block with extensive internal and external glazing, will be complemented by the Lantern, an elevated, transparent element that will transmit light into a central atrium. 

Slated to attain both WELL and BREAM Excellent certification, the near zero-energy building (NZEB) will feature a thermally active building system (TABS) that uses the structure's concrete mass to provide radiant heating and cooling. JJ Rhatigan is the construction manager for the flagship facility, which will create 1,600 new places for STEM students. The project team includes Coady Architects, structural engineer Arup, planning consultant MDB, and Allegro Acoustics. Occupancy is expected in October of 2023.