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Home > Journal > Issue Nine > The CRID Building: The Centre for Research into Infectious Diseases The CRID Building: The Centre for Research into Infectious Diseases - Robert Payne O'Donnell and Tuomey Architects are well known for their ability to generate memorable forms and their new building at University College Dublin, called 'CRID', is no exception. For the first time, the campus at Belfield has a landmark visible from its main entrance on Stillorgan Road. The boot-like form of the new building, visible above a stand of mature trees, creates a striking silhouette, which not only signals the presence of the University but also draws together many of its disparate architectural themes. The prescription of the 1960's master plan, which envisaged the new faculties as a series of pavilions linked by a cranked pedestrian route and informal landscaping, has been greatly diluted over the years. The plan has probably failed because the 18th century model from which it derives has not been followed in full. The need to cater for future expansion has been accommodated by an open-ended circulation system without nodal points where views could converge and be understood. Also, unlike other campus universities of the period, which often employed the same architect to develop a coherent family of buildings over many years, too many hands have been at work here. Before the construction of the CRID Building, the only part of the campus visible from the city was the water tower. The faculty buildings appear to suffer from the self-effacement inherent in the 1960's master plan. Many of the larger ones exhibit an unresolved struggle between monumental form and picturesque looseness. Evidence of this dilemma exists in confusion about materials. Concrete finishes are ubiquitous on the earlier buildings but few match in either texture or colour. The later buildings attempt to communicate a lack of monumentality with a gabble of contrasting materials: brick and concrete, gaudily coloured render and curved timber. As a result, while there are a number of fine buildings, such as the restaurant and the library, the overall effect is one of formal uncertainty and lack of confidence.
Architectural Association of Ireland |