GrantedApartmentsDecided 18 December 2020

Rubrics Building, Trinity College, Dublin 2

Refurbishment and partial change of use of the historic Rubrics Building at Trinity College to provide 22 residential units and 12 study bedrooms.

3654/20 · Dublin City Council · Lodged 29 October 2020

Reference: 3654/20
Authority: Dublin City Council
Register status: Decided
Type: Permission
Received: 29 October 2020

Summary

AI-generated

The proposed development involves the refurbishment of the entire Rubrics Building, which is a Protected Structure dating from circa 1699. It will provide 22 studio/one-bed residential units, 12 study bedrooms with communal facilities, and 204 sq m of research accommodation. Works also include a new underground plant room and boreholes for sustainable heating.

Apartmentsheritagerefurbishmentstudent housing

Residential units: 22
Floor area: 1,715 m²

Generated from the description above by an AI model and may contain mistakes. The council’s description is the authoritative record.

Official record

Development description

Protected structure: the provost, fellows, foundation scholars and the other members of the board of the college of the holy and undivided trinity of queen elizabeth near dublin. The proposed development consists of permission for development of the rubrics building (a protected structure ref. 2004 and recorded monument, ref. Du018-020419), trinity college, dublin
The rubrics building located in the historic campus, construction dates from circa 1699, has an area of 1715 sq m, and entails the refurbishment of the entire structure and the change of use of some rooms within the building (the area of change of use is 667 sq m or 31% of total floor area). External works are a new underground plant room of 43 sq m and a number of boreholes to provide sustainable heating, located to the east of the rubrics; paving, site connections and landscaping works. The development will consist of the following works: the refurbishment of the existing structure to provide the following accommodation: 22 no. Studio/one bed residential units. 12 no study bedrooms with communal living/dining/kitchen facilities 204 sq m of research/study accommodation change of use of the following units from office to residential: 22.0. 01a, 22.2. 01, 23.1. 02, 24.1. 02, 25.1. 01, 25.2. 02, 25.3. 01, 25.3. 02, 25.3. 03, 25.3. 04, 26.0. 01, 26.1. 01, 26.3. 01, 26.3. 02 (totaling 499 sq m) change of use of the following unit from communication equipment room to residential: 22.0. 01b (10 sq m) change of use of the following units from office to study/research accommodation: 23.0. 01, 24.0. 01, 24.0. 02, 25.0. 02 (158 sq m) ground floor: removal of non-historic partitions, forming 5 no. New door openings in historic fabric, removal of non-historic concrete paving flags in entrance halls and replacement with cut-stone york stone flagstones; construction of new partitions to form new accommodation, replacement of 5no. House entrance doors, replacement of 2 no. Passageway doors. Thermal insulation layer to be installed on the substrate below the suspended floors. Historic floor vents to be repaired. Floors 1-3: removal of non-historic partitions and construction of new partitions to form new accommodation. Form 14 no. Door opes in walls at second & third floor levels. Form communication equipment room on the third floor. Attic: installation of new fire break partitions, new replacement access hatches and timber walkways. Remedial works to roof truss bearing pads at chimneys. Roof: removal the existing friable slates, nails and battens; provision of insulation, a membrane, battens and counter battens, new natural slates, existing ridge tiles, new insulation batts between rafters and a semi-permeable membrane lining to the underside of the rafters; existing rainwater goods, which were installed c. 2008/9, will be repositioned to ensure that they sit below the eaves slates appropriately. Renewal of valley leadwork and flashings. Installation of new vent cowls. West elevation: removal of cement rendered plinth course and renewal in lime render; localised repointing as necessary with lime mortar. Obsolete vents to be removed; lead flashing to be installed to top of passageway openings; installation of card access reader to two new passageway doors. East elevation: removal of mid-20th century pebbledash; application of a new coat of insulating cork lime render and finishing layer. Painted with a breathable mineral paint; localised repointing to 3rd floor brickwork; obsolete vents to be removed, new air vents to be installed. North and south elevations: new air vents to be installed. Stairs: previously painted surfaces will be re-painted. Historic layers of paint will be retained underneath but the top coat will receive a light sanding so that the new paintwork can adhere. Floors: removal of non-historic coverings and flooring material. Lath and plaster ceilings to be tied up with stainless steel wires and straps. Historic joists, pugging, floorboards and skirting boards to be retained/re-used. Repairs to original and early historic flooring including floorboards, strut supports, joists, pugging and down stand beams. Damaged or rotten timber floorboards and other members will be replaced. Previous plywood infill will be replaced with timber floorboards. Upgrading to achieve required fire rating including insulation to be installed between floor joists, plywood layer to be installed over joists to halt smoke penetration. Remedial structural works to mid span floor beams where required. Doors: the extant battened doors and panelled inner entrance doors to each apartment and panelled doors to kitchens or side rooms within apartments will be retained and upgraded to provide appropriate fire rating. Windows: removal of sash and casement windows to facilitate repair or replacement of decayed rails and other timbers as necessary. Renewal of staff and parting beads, sash cords and weights where necessary. Draught-proofing with “ventrolla-style” system to sash windows, reinstallation of existing glazing with appropriate putty. Localised repair/replacement of window lintels as required. Joinery: window joinery including architraves, window-backs, elbows, shutters and soffits retained and repaired or eased to facilitate use, plywood, mdf board replaced with timber where appropriate; early extant skirting’s and dado rails repaired and repainted; removal of inappropriate skirting’s and dado rails. Ceilings: lath and plaster ceilings repaired as necessary and repainted. Plasterboard ceilings repaired as necessary and repainted. Retention of run-in-situ cornices retained as down stands following removal of partitions. Wall plasterwork: retention and repair as necessary with appropriate materials of historic lime plaster. Non-original non-breathable paint to be removed and replaced with breathable paint. Fireplaces: paintwork to be cleaned from historic fireplaces following trials; 1960’s brick fireplaces to be removed. Replacement of existing services. Provision of new heating, power, lighting, emergency lighting, fire alarm and it systems. Historic cobbles to be re-bedded, generally to match existing on campus. Adjustment to ground level and drainage at northern end of east side of building. New french drain to be installed. Adjustment to the existing concrete swale running along the east elevation. New french drain to be installed. A new underground plant room of 43 sq m containing heat pumps and electrical switch room to the east of the rubrics building in an open space, connected to the rubrics building via underground connections, including access hatch and stairs with surrounding railing. New foul and storm water drainage system connections. Existing downpipes to west elevation to connect directly to the drainage system. New slot drains to north & south elevations. Associated site developments and landscaping

Land-use zoning

What this land is zoned for

Z8: Georgian Conservation Areas

“To protect the existing architectural and civic design character, and to allow only for limited expansion consistent with the conservation objective.”

National zoning type: General

Objective set by the Development Plan 2022-2028 (2022–2028). The planning authority decides each application on its own merits — this is the zoning context, not a compliance assessment.

Read the zoning objectives in the development plan

Built & sold

What happened next

Beyond the decision: whether this development was built, and what property here has sold for.

Built — construction complete

A commencement notice records works starting on 28 September 2021. A completion certificate was lodged on 10 March 2023.

Notified floor area: 43 m²

Recent sales nearby

within 500 m

Residential Property Price Register sales within 500 metres of this site
Address	Date	Price	Distance
14 College Close, Tara St, Dublin 2	Nov 2025	€320,000	159 m
38 Trinity Plaza, Pearse St, Dublin 2	Jun 2026	€394,000	174 m
33 Trinity Plaza, Tara St, Dublin 2	Jul 2025	€250,000	174 m
46 Trinity Plaza, Tara St, Dublin 2	Apr 2026	€475,000	174 m
25 Trinity Plaza, Townsend St, Dublin 2	Aug 2025	€518,000	174 m
Apt B, 116 Grafton Street, Dublin 2	May 2026	€660,000	228 m
43 Corn Exchange, Poolbeg St, Dublin 2	Mar 2025	€411,000	293 m
32 Corn Exchange, Poolbeg St, Dublin 2	Sept 2025	€395,000	293 m

Nearby properties, not this site — a guide to local values.

Sources: Building Control Management System (commencement notices) and the Residential Property Price Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Records are matched to this application by location and may not be exhaustive; always confirm against the official source before relying on them.

Key dates

Timeline

Application received29 October 2020
Decision due23 December 2020
Decision issued18 December 2020
Grant issued17 February 2021

In the area

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