Campus development
Report by Michael McGrail, Director of Corporate Strategy
118 St Stephen’s Green
RCSI’s city centre campus development reached a significant milestone as 118 St Stephen’s Green was handed over from Bennett Construction Ltd following completion of the build. The focus now shifts to preparing for the move of staff into the building in autumn 2025.
This €99 million expansion will enrich the student experience and provide vital infrastructure for pioneering health sciences education, research and innovation. It reinforces RCSI’s historic connection with St Stephen’s Green, establishing a new ‘front door’ of the campus and incorporating RCSI’s first purpose-built public exhibition space.
With the building complete, its distinctive architectural features are now visible from St Stephen’s Green. While the buildings along three sides of the Green are aligned parallel to the park, the west side – where RCSI sits – presents varied, indented building lines. This gave architects, Henry J Lyons, the opportunity to introduce a vibrant geometry for the main façade and roofscape, complementing the Unitarian Church next door. The recessed ground floor entrance provides a wider pavement, enhancing the public realm and creating a welcoming space.
A key design element is the building’s physical link to RCSI’s award-winning education building at 26 York Street, significantly expanding the space available for the 3,000 students and staff who visit the campus daily. A newly designed quadrangle garden at ground level will provide a recreational space for students.
118 St Stephen’s Green will be home to the RCSI School of Population Health, the Graduate School of Healthcare Management and a 50 sqm virtual reality surgical training space for the National Surgical Training Centre. It will also include a new Student Centre; Student Union space; collaboration spaces; a Clinical Skills and Peer Learning Suite; and a Mindfulness and Quiet Zone. The development supports RCSI’s expanding research and innovation activities with up to two floors of state-of-the-art laboratories, write-up areas and support facilities.
This was a complex construction project, incorporating multiple uses on a restricted city centre site, adjacent to listed and historic buildings. To achieve the magnificent building we see today required creativity, professionalism, long hours and, above all, strong collaboration.
RCSI extends our thanks to all involved in delivering this development, in particularly Henry J Lyons, Bennett Construction and the full internal and external design teams. Special thanks are due to the Project Coordinator Paula Wilson, and to Jean O’Neill, Colm Murray, Collette Power, Ruth Meredith and Kevin Brew, whose commitment and problem-solving skills were key to bringing the project to completion. 118 St Stephen’s Green will open its doors to our students, staff and members of the public during the 2025/2026 academic year.
Connolly Education and Research Centre
The €32m RCSI Connolly Education and Research Centre (ERC) opened its doors to students and staff in September 2024. This transformational project was completed on time and on budget.
Since the building’s opening, feedback from students, staff and hospital colleagues has been outstanding, and the facility has quickly become a vibrant hub on the Connolly Campus. The building accommodates new state-of-the-art hospital pathology laboratories, which are now fully operational. In addition, RCSI has commenced research activities and clinical simulation in the new ERC.
A hugely significant development for RCSI, the ERC at Connolly Hospital represents the largest capital investment by RCSI in a hospital campus in recent years, signalling our commitment to investing in clinical sites.
RCSI is grateful for the ongoing support from Connolly Hospital, the HSE and HSE Estates Department, without whom the delivery of these transformational projects would not be possible.
Sandyford Dental Education Centre
The development of RCSI’s new Dental Education Centre at Sandyford, Dublin, began in July 2024 and was completed on time. Contractor JSD led the construction works, with Henry Schein Ireland appointed for the supply and installation of the specialist dental equipment.
The new facility will provide clinical, educational and simulation spaces for the first cohort of students on RCSI’s new Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme. Representing a €12m investment by RCSI, the Sandyford DEC includes internal reconfiguration to the layout of the existing building together with external alterations and extensions. The immersive learning environment will accommodate first- and second-year dentistry students and staff and includes 55 dental manikin simulators for early clinical skills training, a dental laboratory and a 12-chair community clinic where students will treat patients under supervision.
The Sandyford DEC will open its doors to its first dentistry students in September 2025, with preparations all on track to meet this deadline.
Connolly Dental Education Centre
The €33m RCSI Connolly Dental Education Centre (DEC) broke ground in January 2025, with construction progressing well.
Scheduled to open for the 2027/28 academic year, it will be the largest of the planned DECs, occupying two floors and providing cutting-edge dental education and training facilities, including 42 dental chairs, intra-oral X-ray suites and supporting services.
Building on a strong partnership with the HSE, the building, spanning four floors and 4,000 sqm, will also house two floors of clinical space for Connolly Hospital, providing outpatient day services in a modern facility, further enhancing clinical infrastructure for West Dublin and beyond.
The RCSI Dental Education Centre at Connolly Hospital is being developed by building contractors Felix O’Hare and Co Ltd, with MDO as architects.