UCC's €100m Tyndall expansion moves to construction

UCC to demolish the former Irish Distilleries bottling plant to build a new 16,135sq m facility with a mix of research laboratories, seminar rooms, offices, exhibition space and a cafe

The Irish Distillers bottling plant was designed in 1964 by leading Cork architect Frank Murphy. 

Long-term plans to redevelop the Distillery Fields on Cork City's North Mall have taken a significant step forward with the project moving to the construction and delivery phase.

UCC and the Tyndall Institute were granted planning permission in 2023 for the €100m redevelopment of the site into a new purpose-built research facility.

The proposed development will ultimately cater for 250 postgraduate students and 750 staff. The university said the planned research centre would allow Tyndall to rapidly transition from research into prototyping and manufacturing of various technologies.

The buildings will range in height from four to six storeys and will include laboratories, offices, catering and stores.

There are also plans to build a pedestrian and cycle bridge connecting the existing Tyndall campus on Dyke Parade to the new development, with a planning application for the bridge expected to be lodged separately.

A commencement notice for the development was lodged with Cork City Council, flagging work to begin next week.

UCC plans to demolish the former Irish Distilleries bottling plant to build a new 16,135sq m facility, from four storeys at the east to six storeys at the west. This will comprise a mix of research laboratories, seminar rooms, offices, exhibition space and a cafe.

The planned demolition of the bottling plant had met with significant opposition. It is widely regarded as an example of classic 1960s' architecture, designed in 1964 by leading Cork architect Frank Murphy. 

UCC modified the plans to retain and integrate part of the southern façade, including the chimney and loading bay canopies, of the former bottling plant, but the main processing hall will be demolished.

The expansion plans were approved by ministers at a cabinet meeting in January.

The Tyndall expansion is based on the express requirement of Government to upgrade and expand the institute’s world-leading capabilities and expertise in state-of-the-art research. It is explicitly referenced in the Government's Project 2040 and the National Development Plan 2018-2027.

The Tyndall National Institute is a partnership between UCC, the Science Foundation of Ireland, and the Department of Enterprise.

Its areas of research include compound semiconductors, wafer-scale and chip technologies, health and wellbeing, communications, packaging and integration, environmental sensing and energy, and compound semiconductors.