Rice College Planning green light

Our design for the Rice College campus has now received planning approval!

Rice College Riverside Campus

This project incorporates the demolition of existing buildings on site and the construction of a new two storey/part three-storey extension totalling 52,000sq.ft to the existing Rice College secondary school campus at New Road, Ennis

The design has sought to re-address the current river Fergus aspect where the present campus has generally been orientated towards the north/main road and essentially turned its back to the river. This is addressed through the detailed consideration of the river elevation and the creation of a new walkway together with south facing courtyard to the river with proposed landscaping/hardscaping and outdoor play area’s. The building connects back to the existing buildings and improves both the circulation and pedestrianisation of the site

Proposed accommodation includes mainstream classrooms, a variety of speciality classrooms, special education accommodation, a new PE hall and related admin/service spaces

Sustainability & low carbon design are key considerations with an expectation to exceed present nZEB (near zero energy building) standards

The approach includes emphasis on building orientation to the south to maximize passive solar gain, a ‘fabric first’ approach through high performance building envelope & levels of airtightness, mitigation of heat island effect through high solar reflective index materials, greenscaping /permeable hardscaping to minimise surface water discharge to the public system, heat pump technology, photo voltaic roof panels as well as the consideration of future modes of transport through the development of a school mobility management plan

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Cronin Architects is an Architects practice originally established in 2004 and has earned a reputation for high-quality design and client satisfaction. Read more here