Approaching the south-facing hill to the north-west of Dublin, on which the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB) stands, it is immediately evident that the landscape has been a key influence on this emerging campus. As you approach at the base of the hill site, ABK's masterplan has taken the higher, flatter part with views to the Wicklow Hills, the finger-ends of the teaching blocks (now and in future phases) beckoning towards you. The vehicle route skirts the hill as it climbs, taking you to set-down points and the car park to the north of the buildings. From here the impression changes radically, from the angular teaching blocks to the sculptural object that is the prosaically named multi-purpose building, with its dramatically sweeping roof. It acts both as gateway - a central axis runs straight through it - and as one of the elements enclosing the central courtyard, the locus of the campus. This building's sweep in plan is echoed by the sweep of the existing and planned teaching blocks, themselves linked by a curved first-floor walkway.
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