RIAI | Irish Architecture Awards

Citation

 The long awaited Cork School of Music is a wonderful project combining the rigorous needs of a college with the functional requirements of music recital. On a tight urban site, the landmark building by the Lee will provide inspiration for creativity and performance.

Architect's Comments:
Located on the banks of the Lee the new Cork School of Music provides a bespoke academic facility in a unique city centre setting. The 12000sqm ‘state of the art’ School provides 52No. music studios, 450 seat rehearsal hall, theatre space, music library, recording and dance studios, offices, classrooms and lecture theatres. Externally the palette of red sandstone, buff limestone, blue brick and animated glazing reinforces the design of a confident, civic, and contemporary set-piece by the river. The theatre, rehearsal hall and tuition studios are solid and geological in form while the curved limestone façade reflects the river bend. In contrast the top floor library and studios act as light boxes, benefit from stunning city views and are reflective of the sky. The main rehearsal hall, although a simple rectangular box, has great acoustic and performance flexibility. To achieve the rigorous acoustic performance criteria many of the spaces utilise ‘box within box’ construction with floating floors and ceilings, splayed walls and services isolated from the primary structure. The design process was further challenged through the PPP process which involves operating the building under a 25 year contract.

Client's Comments:
We at the CIT Cork School of Music appreciate what has been achieved on what was a sensitive and relatively constrained city centre site. The building has rightly won praise for its architecture and aesthetic appeal. It is also characterized by a high degree of functionality where great care was taken to ensure that the diverse spaces were “fit for purpose”. For example, the construction of two adjacent “demonstration studios” ensured that critical elements of fit out were rigorously tested. At the heart of the building is the Main Rehearsal Hall which is sufficiently flexible to meet a multiplicity of performer/audience configurations while preserving a high quality acoustic environment. The Library, with some of the best views in Cork, is an oasis of calm for students and staff. Uniquely in a third-level building staff offices are few; the teaching studios double as tuition/practice rooms and as staff offices. The building effortlessly combines the traditional and the modern in a seamless whole which users now take for granted. Finally, the Cork School of Music is a welcoming building, a fact acknowledged by the large number of people who visit if only for “a cup of coffee” in the elegant off-street Bistro.