Architects
: Grimshaw Architects Location: 10,500 m two Year: 2019 Photography: Matt Browne
Associate Architect: Newenham Mulligan & Associates (NMA)
Specialist: John Sisk and Child
Structural Engineering: AECOM
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: AECOM
Exterior Engineering: AECOM
Quantity Property Surveyor: AECOM
Landscape Architect: Dermot Foley
Gain Access To Consultant: OHAC
Transport: Momentum
Task Management: Lafferty
Client: Curragh Racecourse Ltd
Location: Kildare
Nation: Ireland
The redevelopment of The Curragh Racecourse introduces a contemporary grandstand and supporting facilities that redefines among Ireland’s most popular sporting places. Designed by Grimshaw Architects, the project accommodates 6,000 viewers within a larger masterplan efficient in hosting up to 30,000 visitors. The new grandstand integrates hospitality, viewing, and circulation into a merged architectural structure, offering restaurants, bars, and corporate suites together with tiered seeing balconies. Its style responds to the surrounding plains through a restrained material scheme and a distinctive cantilevered roof that establishes a strong visual identity. Ecological methods, consisting of natural ventilation, effective product use, and water management systems, are ingrained throughout the plan. Completed in 2019, the project enhances both the functional efficiency and worldwide profile of the racecourse.
Placed within the open landscape of County Kildare, the task engages with the legacy of Irish flat racing while redefining the spatial and experiential qualities of the venue. The intervention thinks about the racecourse not just as a site for occasions however as a cultural landscape, where architecture frames cumulative routines and seasonal gatherings. This viewpoint notifies a design method that balances monumentality with level of sensitivity to context.
The grandstand is developed as a structure of 3 primary components unified by a significant horizontal roofing system structure. Its cantilevered kind stretches throughout the website, developing a powerful visual marker that contrasts with the natural wavinesses of the surrounding plains. The roofing system’s sculptural existence establishes a sense of arrival while preserving a low, extended profile that protects key sightlines throughout the landscape.
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The Curragh Racecourse/ Grimshaw Architects 24 Material choice strengthens this dialogue with the environment. Using aluminium sinusoidal panels in a copper-toned surface referrals the shades of local farming structures and the wider rural vernacular. This option permits the structure to sit easily within its setting while maintaining a modern architectural language that identifies it as a civic landmark. The Curragh Racecourse/ Grimshaw Architects 25 The Curragh Racecourse/ Grimshaw Architects 26 Internally, the spatial company is anchored by the Champions Hall, a double-height volume that acts as the social core of the building. Developed as an extension of the general public realm, it assists in visual and physical connections between essential areas such as the parade ring and trackside. The openness of this space encourages fluid movement and continuous engagement, particularly throughout race events when the structure runs at peak capacity.
Blood circulation and connection are main to the total preparation method, ensuring intuitive motion across the complex. A network of interconnected routes links hospitality locations, viewing terraces, and public amenities, extending into the broader grounds to incorporate the structure within the masterplan. Environmental factors to consider underpin the style, with passive techniques such as natural ventilation, daytime optimization, and thermal mass matched by water management systems, contributing to a sustainable and resistant architectural service.
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The Curragh Racecourse/ Grimshaw Architects 33 The Curragh Racecourse/ Grimshaw Architects 34 Project Place Address: Kildare, Ireland The place defined is planned for basic recommendation and might denote a city or country, but it does not determine an accurate address.