You are here About Us > Our Services > Estates Policy, Capital Projects & Planning > Completed Projects

The Rubrics

Built between 1699 and 1705, the Rubrics is the oldest building on campus and Ireland's oldest surviving purpose-built residential building. It's design has been attributed to Thomas Burgh who designed the Old Library.

It took 4 years to restore and conserve this magnificent and historical building. Fronting onto Library Square and with New Sqaure to the rear, the Rubrics Building is at the heart of our historic campus.

Over the last 320 years, this building has gone through a number of transformations. The Rubrics formed part of the original quadrangle of red – bricked residential buildings around Library Square, which included the Old Library to the south. After the 1850s, the other buildings of the quadrangle were gradually demolished to leave the free-standing Rubrics Buildings. The 3rd floor was added in 1894.

As Ireland's oldest surviving purpose-built residential building, it has continually been used as residential accommodation for the University. With the conservation efforts of all involved it will continue to do so far into the future. The building will now be home to new staff while they ‘find their feet’ in Dublin, as well as short-term accommodation for visiting scholars, student accommodation and a new reading room with facilities to enable retired academic colleagues to continue to participate in academic projects.

Both the Rubrics and Chief Steward’s House have been substantially completed on time and within budget.

Conservation

The retrofit need was driven by the University's brief to achieve modern performance standards in a historical building while respecting the heritage and continuing its use as accommodation. Working with Passive Building Energy Consultants, a series of in situ, lab-based and desk-based measurements and analyses were undertaken to obtain a thorough understanding of the existing building physics before work began. The project will be a pathfinder for future projects involving our heritage estates as The Rubrics demonstrates the opportunities around the adaptability of our heritage assets when traditional building crafts are married up with innovative and sustainable technologies.

More information on the conservation efforts of the project can be found on the below factsheet provided by Carrig Conservation International Limited.

Conservation Factsheet

Energy and Sustainability

The Rubrics project included critical structural works and the installation of ground-source heat pumps which are now servicing 100% of the heating and 80% of the hot water requirements of this 320-year-old building. 21 170m deep boreholes were dug over an area of 2300m². There is 40% improvement in the buildings fabric thermal performance. It is predicted that there will be a 75% reduction in primary energy use and CO2 emissions for the building. It is a fantastic sustainability success.

For further reading on energy and sustainability of the building, please see the factsheet provided by AECOM below.

Energy and Sustainability Factsheet

The Rubrics has been featured in the summer 2023 edition of Trinity Today. Read Trinity Today Summer 2023 Edition here

Awards

At the AUDE Awards 2023, the Rubrics was Commended in the category "The University Impact Initiative of the Year".

The Rubrics was the winner in the "Retrofit of a Building" award at the Towards Net Zero Awards 2023 held in the RDS on November 10th 2023.

At the 2023 KPMG Property Industry Excellence Awards, the Rubrics was a finalist in the Built Heritage and Conservation Awards.

On March 8th 2024, at the Irish Building and Design Awards 2024, the Rubrics was the winner in two categories, Retrofitting / Renovation Project of the Year and Heritage / Conservation Project of the Year (under €10m).

April 12th 2024, saw the Rubrics pick the award for Building Refurbishment for a Single Building or Development at the Building and Architect of the Year Awards 2024. At the same awards, it was a finalist in the Conservation Award for a Single Building or Development and Sustainability Award for a Single Building or Development categories.

Left As backdrop to the Campanile, the Rubrics is a familiar sight to those who frequenty walk through Front Gate.

Centre Winner of the Clancy Construction Recycled Christmas Tree Competition 2022. It is made from old doorframe, original strips of floorboard (unusable due to decay), surplus electrical cables, ironmongery from the windows and doors secured with nails salvaged from the building, and a roof slate shaped into a star.

Right Work being done on the roof. Having reached the end of its life, the natural slate was removed from the roof. An exemplar approach was taken to insulating the roof at rafter level. Woodfibre sarking board was laid outside the rafters to minimise thermal bridging and vapour permeable insulation was friction fit between the rafters. Following the application of insulation, new handcut Irish slates from Valentia were installed.

Built Environment Project Manager: Patrick Griffin

Programme Manager: Stephen Walsh

Project Sponsor: Prof. Kevin O'Kelly

Main Contractor: Clancy Construction

Architects: Pascal + Watson Architects

Conservation Consultants: Carrig Conservation

Mechanical Electrical and Structural Engineer: AECOM

Consultant Project Manager and Quantity Surveyors: WH Stephens