Open House Dublin Festival Unlocks Doors to Trinity’s Architectural Gems

Oct 07, 2011

The general public will have a chance to explore some of Trinity College’s most famous and historic buildings along with some of the College’s state-of-the-art research facilities during the Open House Dublin festival which takes place this weekend, October 7th to 9th.  Hailed as the biggest celebration of architecture in Ireland and organised by the Irish Architecture Foundation, the Open House festival is a free event that aims to celebrate the architecture of Dublin by allowing its citizens to explore the buildings of their city, opening up their surroundings, challenging them to view it in a different light and to examine what makes these everyday structures award-winning pieces of architecture.

Trinity Long Room Hub and the Old Library, Fellows Square.

With the theme ‘The Architecture of Change’, this year’s festivities will examine new architecture that has emerged in recent times and how architecture can act as a catalyst for positive change.  This year over 120 events are planned as part of the festival, from unique building visits to walking, cycling and boat tours.  Throughout the course of the weekend staff and students from Trinity’s Department of History of Art and Architecture will host tours of the College’s most famous and historic buildings such as the Senior Common Room and Loos Bar, the Old Library and the Long Room Hub to name but a few.  In addition to this some of the College’s newest building projects including the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute and The Lir, National Academy for the Dramatic Arts on Pearse Street, will also be open to the public.

Open House Junior meanwhile, will be welcoming students of the future to explore the campus and take a behind the scenes look at life at Trinity.  Some tours require pre-booking, which can be done through the Open House website but most tours will be run on a first-come, first-served basis on the day. 

Details of the tours are as follows:

Provost's House: Friday October 7th, 12pm.

One of the principal highlights of the Trinity festivities each year, the Provost's House dates from 1759 and retains many of its original features.  The building’s exterior is based on the solid principles of Palladian design and is still home to the Provost of the College and his family. *This event is booked out.

Masterpieces of Trinity College Dublin (Walking Tour): Friday October 7th, 7.30pm

Take an atmospheric walk through Trinity College’s campus where architectural masterpieces, both historic and modern, will be highlighted and brought to life by architectural commentary from a number of TCD students.

Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute: Saturday October 8th, 10am-1pm

One of Trinity College’s most ambitious projects to date, this state-of-the-art research and education facility brings together over 700 researchers from a range of different areas.  The building creates a corridor of academic activity and public interaction along Pearse Street in Dublin’s city centre. It also provides new social spaces, commercial areas and improved access to public transport for the local community.  Tours will run on a regular basis during the scheduled opening hours, with the last tour leaving at 12.30pm.

Children’s Tour of the TCD Campus: Saturday October 8th, 11am

In a special tour, the ‘students of the future’ can explore the beautiful campus of Trinity College. Children will experience some of the key buildings of Trinity College, and see how each is used by students every day from the Exam Hall, to the libraries, lecture theatres and the Museum Building. Each participant will get their own Trinity College Open House ‘graduation certificate’. The tour is designed for children aged 5-12 years of age and lasts approximately 90 minutes.  Pre-booking is essential.

Front Square and Libraries: Saturday October 8th, 1pm

This tour will include the historic architecture of TCD’s Front Square including the Dining Hall, Exam Hall, Front Gate and Campanile, as well as a guided tour of Trinity’s landmark library buildings including the listed Berkeley Library, the award-winning Ussher and the Long Room.

Senior Common Room & Loos Bar: Saturday October 8th, 2pm

Originally designed by Richard Castle, this fine iconic stone building was rebuilt in the 1760s.  The award-winning restoration in the 1980s following extensive fire damage includes the clever replica of the famous American Bar by Adolf Loos, in Karntner Strasse, Vienna. The tour will be led by Dr Edward McParland.

The Lir, National Academy for the Dramatic Art: Sunday October 9th, 11am-3pm

One of Trinity College’s newest additions, The Lir, National Academy of Dramatic Art is housed in a brand new, purpose-built facility situated beside Grand Canal Dock and close to the exciting new cultural quarter of Dublin around the Grand Canal Theatre.

Trinity Long Room Hub: Sunday October 9th, 2-5pm

The Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College’s research institute for the arts and the humanities, was the winner of the Educational Category at this year’s Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) architecture awards.  Perched at the end of the Arts Building, it closes Fellows Square and frames the view from Front Square over the roof of the 1937 Reading Room.  The new building boasts large roof lights that form canons of light and create dramatic tall spaces for work and research.

Details of these and other Open House events are available online at www.openhousedublin.com.