Kingspan donates €500k to TU Dublin extension
Work on the development of the cutting-edge facility, including the Kingspan Lab, begins in the third quarter of 2021.
Cavan headquartered Kingspan, a global leader in advanced insulation and building envelope solutions, has announced a five-year partnership with Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) to support the development of the University’s new innovative Design and Construct Centre.
The Centre, located at Broombridge close to the University’s Grangegorman Campus, aims to enhance the competitiveness of Irish construction, engineering and architectural companies in the global marketplace.
The new centre will offer a collaborative learning experience and capacity-building for students from apprenticeship to PhD level, and a testbed for developing innovative and transformative solutions for industry.
Work on the development of the cutting-edge facility, including the Kingspan Lab, begins in the third quarter of 2021.
TU Dublin is Ireland's largest education and skills development provider in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector, with over 7,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students, 1,000 trade apprentices and 120 doctoral students in the University.
The €22 million Design and Construct Centre is the University’s response to current critical skills shortages in the sector, but it also addresses the potential for developing innovative and sustainable solutions to construction challenges globally. TU Dublin purchased the 3.25-hectare site at Broombridge in 2011 to complement facilities being developed on its flagship Grangegorman campus.
Optimistic about the collaboration, Kingspan’s Group Head of Innovation, Mike Stenson, said: “TU Dublin’s objectives for their new Design and Construction Innovation Centre in Broombridge, Dublin aligns well with what we do at our IKON Innovation Centre. This alignment is in areas such as showing what is possible in modern building design through a combination of technology, sensors and advanced materials and new products.”
The Kingspan chief said that being able to partner with the University gives the unrivalled opportunity to work with TU Dublin students collaboratively during the course of their studies. This learning period, they say, is the ideal timeframe for Kingspan and the students to build a shared understanding, knowledge and curiosity in innovation, digitalisation and sustainability for a better future built environment. “The partnership and the Kingspan Lab also enable the opportunity to collaborate in extensive research in each of these areas, offering students exciting, future-focused and comprehensive learning opportunities that will benefit TU Dublin, Kingspan and the wider construction sector.”