College has completed its two-year, €4 million renovation of the Arts Block as part of its €230 million Estates Strategy, which is intended to modernize and expand on-and-off campus facilities.
Speaking to Trinity News, College Bursar Veronica Campbell stated that this summer’s renovations included general upgrades to the third floor men’s toilets, replanting and overall improvement for accessibility to the fifth floor garden, improvements to the concourse-level entrance, the addition of way-finding signage, and the installation of lockers.
Overall, the upgrades placed an emphasis on livening up the building, with the improvement of light, both natural and artificial, underscoring many of the new changes.
During the summer, several classrooms were refurbished in a process which included new furniture and acoustic treatments. In some cases, concrete walls were replaced with glazed wall in a move to improve lighting, in addition to the installation of energy-efficient lighting was in corridors and break-out spaces. Acoustic panels have also been added in break-out spaces.
Upgrades to the building, as outlined by Campbell in reports to Trinity News, include last summer’s additions of seating “pods” and carpeting. Lecture theaters were not involved in the upgrades as they were not considered to be of bad condition, with efforts focused on the concourse and upper levels of the building.
In 1970, the Arts Block was designed to accommodate 3,700 students and has since been regularly occupied by a surplus of 800 students.
The upgrades to the Arts Block are part of the larger “Estates Strategy,” in which College intends to better utilize, refurbish, replace, and add to the existing spaces at Trinity. Moving forward, Trinity plans to add 300 beds to Trinity Hall, expand on the School of Law, and work towards properly conserving historical buildings, with a particular focus on the Old Library.
