Explore Trinity College Dublin at Open House Dublin! Tours of TRIARC and Provost’s House are available through lottery, while there are heaps of tours for all ages throughout the campus and its buildings. This year also offers a special opportunity to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Paul Koralek’s striking Berkeley Library.
THE DOUGLAS HYDE GALLERY
Housed in the university’s Arts Building, The Douglas Hyde Gallery was designed by Paul Koralek of ABK Architects and is ideally located at the meeting point between the city and the campus. The building contains two main exhibition spaces; the cavernous, double height Gallery 1, which is approached down a cantilevered staircase, and the more intimate Gallery 2, which was designed by McCullough Mulvin Architects, and opened in 2001. Make sure to visit on Saturday 14 October from 11.00am – 5.00pm.
PARSONS BUILDING
The 19th Century Parsons Building has been home to the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering since 1981, sitting elevated at an angle to the grain of the campus. Grafton Architects’ first addition to the building in 1996 addressed the campus, accommodating workshops, laboratories and offices between the new podium and the bold basalt-clad cube on top. The second extension spans to Lincoln Place with a new podium and additional accommodation, an elegant granite-clad form that achieves sophisticated negotiation of particularly challenging site conditions. Open Saturday 14 October from 11.00am – 5.00pm and Sunday 15 October from 12.00pm – 5.00pm.
BERKELEY LIBRARY
Widely regarded as Ireland’s finest modernist building and beloved by many architects, the Berkeley is a brutalist gem that looks as good now as when it opened 50 years ago. The elders of Trinity wanted a building that spoke to the 20th century to sit between the 18th century Old Library and the 19th century Museum Building – and speak to the 20th century it certainly does. Designed by Paul Koralek at the tender age of 28 without setting foot in Ireland, it was the first building he created, built in situ by master builders G. & T. Crampton using concrete poured into Douglas fir formwork, and fitted out by legions of artisans. Now part of a larger complex of three linked library buildings, it remains one of the most stunning buildings in Dublin and provokes a love/hate reaction in all who see it. Prebook your place today and don’t miss out on this rare opportunity to join Trinity College Dublin on Saturday 14 October in celebrating 50 years of the Berkeley Library.
PERFORMANCE WALKING TOUR OF TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
Discover Trinity College as a stage for our city’s colourful performers. Let characters from Trinity’s past and present take you on a theatrical guide to the city’s historic campus bringing its architecture to life. Tours start at 11:00am and 1:00pm on Saturday 14 October and suitable for ages 4+.
Open House Dublin (OHD) invites Dublin’s citizens to explore their city as when buildings not usually accessible to the public and buildings of architectural merit open their doors over the weekend of October 13th – 15th
All architectural tours are provided by expert guides, with free admission. For full details check out openhousedublin.com The weekend is organised by Irish Architecture Foundation.
