Kilkenny Limestone, Irish Blue Limestone, Kilkenny Blue Grey Limestone, Kilkenny Black Fossil Limestone
Kilkenny Limestone, Irish Blue Limestone, Kilkenny Blue Grey Limestone, Kilkenny Black Fossil Limestone
"Limestone is used to represent the 'formal' central medical school, making reference to the limestone territory of County Clare in which this side of the campus is located."
Grafton Architects
Location: University of Limerick, Ireland
Architects: Grafton Architects
Irish Blue Limestone: Sanded and bush-hammered finish
As the River Shannon widens on its slow approach to the sea, it splits the expansive campus at University of Limerick, demarcating the boundary between counties Limerick and Clare. An area of natural beauty, this spot was chosen as the location of the new University Medical School. Nestled in the environs of a newly landscaped garden and communal piazza, the school boasts state-of-the-art clinical practice labs, seminar rooms, lecture and office spaces, as well as a cafeteria. Due to the school's position on the Co. Clare side of the campus, Grafton Architects saw it as fitting to select Irish Blue Limestone, a native material, as a key feature for the project.
Factors such as exposure to the elements, orientation and human activity were central to the profiling and layering of the Medical School's stone façade. Large limestone cills communicate a subtle connection between the school and student housing, with the same theme carried through to the piazza to create functional seating along the low walls, and detailed insetting throughout the space.
Kilkenny Limestone produced a range of Irish Blue Limestone features for this project, including: