National Gallery of Ireland Reopens

The National Gallery of Ireland reopens to the public today after a three year period of refurbishment.

BDP was building services engineer for the project which is a national cultural institution devoted to the collection and care of fine art. This extensive holding includes masterpieces by many of the most celebrated figures in the history of western European art.

The key objectives of the Gallery’s master development plan is the refurbishment and upgrading of the Dargan (1864) and Milltown (1903) wings together with the provision of new, purpose-built accommodation for the collector, staff and gallery operators.

The work involved the introduction of new air conditioning systems into the historic wings to maintain the required environmental conditions. One of the challenges of the project was integrating the new ductwork and terminals into the historic structure of the building whilst protecting the integrity of the building.

This was a complex, three dimensional task and our engineers applied BIM in order to fully define the intended services installation to the project team and ensure that all elements would fit into the limited space available.

The project also provided the opportunity to rationalise the systems serving the Gallery and to significantly reduce its carbon footprint.

BDP worked closely with Heneghan Peng who was architect for the €20m scheme.