3D Design Bureau

The main construction works have begun on a €10 million International Rugby Experience Museum in Limerick City, Ireland.

The new rugby experience, which will include state-of-the-art interactive exhibitions, will be housed across three buildings at 40-42 O’Connell Street and is set to open Summer 2021.

The 2,250m² development aims to become a ‘new cultural centre and visitor attraction’ for rugby fans international and will ‘reinvigorate the city centre, complement the existing local arts and heritage attractions and forge links with Munster rugby’.

The seven-storey brick-clad building will sit on a tight urban site on the edge of a conservation area within Limerick’s Georgian Quarter.

Former Ireland, Munster and Lions captain Paul O’Connell is head of the board that is leading the project, which will receive seed funding of €10m from JP McManus.

Paul O’Connell said this was a great new idea for Limerick based in a great location that would enhance the visitor experience in Limerick, and add to the city’s regeneration, creating employment and business.

He said it was an idea put to him by JP McManus during his playing days, but the idea has gained momentum since he retired, and he is delighted to be heading up the board that will see it come to fruition.

Economist Mark O’Connell, who works with Sport Consulting company W2, headed by another former Ireland and Munster captain Keith Wood, said they estimate the new rugby visitor centre has the potential to generate €17m in tourism revenue for Limerick city which sees 500,000 visitors annually.

CGI consultants, 3D Design Bureau liaised closely with Níall McLaughlin Architects to produce a series of verified view montages solely for planning purposes. The images were submitted as part of the planning application to Limerick City Council which was approved in February 2018.

Full project details:

Project name: Limerick’s €10 million International Rugby Experience Museum.

Site location: 40, 41, 42 O’Connell Street and 1 Cecil Street, Limerick.

Contract stage: On-site

Planning documents: Limerick City Council – An Bord Pleanála

Ref no: 171180

Floor area: 2110 m²

Site area: 0.05 hectares

Storeys: 7

Development team:

Developer: Rugby World Experience Limited are based in Lucan, Co. Dublin.

Architect: Niall McLaughlin Architects is a practice that designs high quality modern architecture. They are based in London.

Planning consultant: Town & Country Resource Limited are based in Limerick.

Mech & elec engineer: Metec Consulting Engineers have worked on many mixed-use commercial and residential developments across a wide range of engineering fields. They are based Bray, Wicklow, Ireland.

Consulting engineer: Punch Consulting Engineers is one of Ireland’s leading and most experienced civil & structural engineering consultancies.

Landscape consultant: Mitchell & Associates is a multidisciplinary design practice incorporating landscape architecture, urban design, arboriculture and environmental impact assessment. They are based in Dublin, Ireland and Shanghai, China.

Conservation engineer: Consarc Design Group is a specialist Grade 1 Accredited conservation department within Consarc Design Group. They are based in Dublin 2.

Interior designer: Event Communications Limited are based in London.

Main Contractor: Flynn Management & Contractors are a forward-thinking construction and fit-out company, attracting ambitious and innovative projects, both internationally and at home.

CGI consultants: 3D Design Bureau are specialists in Architectural Visualisation, BIM and VR – Delivering Quality Design Planning and Marketing Solutions. For this project, Team 3DDB created a series of verified view montages. All images were used for planning purposes. They are based in Dublin 4, Ireland.