This project involved the construction of an extension to the existing Arts Millennium Building located in the heart of the campus of NUIG. The extension has a total gross floor area of 2852 sqm and the accommodation provided consists of third-level educational facilities including specialist research laboratories, classrooms, offices, and associated services constructed over a combination of two and three storeys; all are located above ground. A vertical extension in the form of constructing an additional storey on top of an existing two-storey building was also provided.

• The ground conditions encountered on this site were unusual and the site investigations carried out revealed the presence of large cavernous voids within both the boulder clay and rock formation.
• The footprint of the building above ground level was stepped back at the First Floor level on the two-storey block and at Second Floor Level on the three-storey block to address issues relating to overlooking the adjoining private residential properties.
• A lightweight steel structure was constructed to form the roof over both first and second-floor levels. The external walls consisted of a mixture of insulated render supported by a metal stud system and stone cladding supported by masonry block walls.
• Following a detailed analysis of the existing structure, the form of construction used for the vertical extension over the existing two storey building consisted of steel columns and beams that support a lightweight roof with insulated render fixed back to a specialist metal stud system.