Harriet Wheelock / Monday 21 July 2014 How Would You Design the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland? New Competition for Architecture Students Architecture students are invited to design a new Royal College of Physicians of Ireland based on an original design brief from 1860 150 years ago, in July 1864, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland held its first meeting in its newly built home at No.6 Kildare Street. To mark this anniversary, we are inviting architecture students to imagine a new design for the College, based on the original brief from 1860. A home for the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland A permanent home for the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland was a long time coming: between its foundation in 1654 and its first meeting in No.6 Kildare Street in July 1864, the College led a somewhat nomadic existence, meeting in Trinity College, the houses of the College’s Presidents, and Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital on Grand Canal Street. In 1860 the College bought a building that stood on the site of 6 Kildare Street from the Kildare Street Club. However before the College could move in, the building was completely destroyed by fire. The College held a competition, inviting architects to design a new building for the site on Kildare Street, and chose a design submitted by William Murray Junior. After nearly four years of work, and not without several hiccups along the way, the College moved into its magnificent new home in July 1864. The design brief This is the design brief: The conditions on the site at 6 Kildare Street are the same as they were in 1860. The previous street-facing building has been destroyed by fire and cleared to street level, but the cellars remain. The original competition brief specified the following: The building was to be two storeys high, over the basement level. Designs were to include; a grand hall (60x30 feet); a library; a museum room; a registrar’s office; a Beadle’s room/office; and a reading room The front elevation to be of cut stone, either limestone, granite or a mix of the two. The building was to ‘be in any style but Gothic’. At the back of the site there is a separate building housing a large racquet court and two smaller rooms (a kitchen and billiard room) - these have not been damaged by the fire. The College hasn't indicated whether this building should be removed or incorporated into the new design, and so you can decide what to do with it. Since 1860 a number of additions have been made to the building to meet the developing needs of the College. To reflect this, your design will need to include: A second grand hall A lecture theatre to accommodate 60 people A seminar room which can accommodate 80 people Office accommodation for 10 members of staff Wheelchair access Professional kitchens Drawing by McCurdy and Mitchell of the rear premises (RCPI/9/4/2) How to Enter You need to submit a single A1 presentation board of your design, with an accompanying short narrative (500 words) explaining your design intentions. Full details of the competition, including the design brief and site plans are available here. The competition is open to all architectural students attending college in Ireland, including those who will graduate with Part 2 qualifications in 2014. Bond between James Beardwood, constructor, and others for the construction of 6 Kildare Street Applications should be sent to Harriet Wheelock, Keeper of Collections, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. The closing date for entries is 5.00pm on Monday 6 October 2014. Entries will be viewed and assessed by a judging panel in early October, and will be displayed to the public from Monday 13 October 2014. The winner will be announced at an afternoon reception on Tuesday 14 October 2014. The winner, as selected by the judging panel, will receive a prize of €350. All enquiries are to be addressed to Harriet Wheelock at harrietwheelock@rcpi.ie or on 01 6698817.