AIB plc contracted John Sisk & Son to deliver a major €94m expansion of their Bankcentre HQ campus in Ballsbridge, Dublin. Designed by RKD Architects following an international design competition, we were tasked to deliver a landmark 34,000m2 building for 3,500 staff, including parking spaces for 500 cars.
The bright, open-plan building was created around a new 6-storey atrium space, the largest of its kind in Ireland, which links the old and new Bankcentre buildings by suspended walkways on the 2nd and 4th floors. The atrium's striking curvilinear glass roof has also become an iconic landmark in the area.
The structure utilises solar gain and underfloor heating from the large central atrium to provide some heating, and passive chill beams for thermostatically controlled cooling when required. The end result is a fresh and very quiet environment; a truly modern 21st century HQ campus.
As a number of AIB business groups were re-centralised back to Bankcentre during construction, regular handovers to the client were accommodated throughout. Although these handovers occurred while substantial phases of the work were still underway in adjoining areas, not a single AIB work day was lost while the project was on-site.
