Reddy A+U is an international firm of architects, planners, urban designers and interior designers with over 40 years of experience in the design and management of complex building and planning projects. Our many awards and repeat clients are testament to our reputation for creative design and high-quality professional service.
For over 40 years, we have been designing dynamic, adaptable teaching and learning spaces that cater to the evolving needs of students and educators. Read on for a description of our capabilities and experience across the first and second level education sector.
Section One About Us
ABOUT US
DESIGNING
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES FOR OVER 40 YEARS
TEAM
We offer a team with proven experience, from talented designers using AR and VR communication tools to technical and management expertise, equipped with BIM technology and know-how.
SERVICES
We offer a comprehensive range of architectural and interior design services, from design to execution, from urban design to ergonomics, sustainable design and post-occupancy evaluation.
RELIABILITY
We have an excellent record in delivering projects from inception to completion, on time and on budget, as our many repeat clients attest to.
EXPERTISE
We provide a high level of technical expertise, ranging from MMC in all its characterisations, low carbon and life cycle design to post-occupancy evaluations and BIM management.
QUALITY
We take pride in the quality of our work and our thorough service, as attested to by the number of awards we have received and the number of our clients in this sector.
INNOVATION
We offer knowledge and insights into the key challenges in the Student Living sector, such as planning policy, density, typology, buildability, whole-life zero-carbon design, ESG and building performance.
CLIENTS
St John the Evangelist, Adamstown, Co. Dublin
St Finbarr’s, Swords, Co Dublin
Bray Community College Co
Wicklow
Eureka School Kells, Co Meath
St Philomena’s, Bray, Co Wicklow
Coláiste Raithin, Bray, Co Wicklow
Carlow Community College, Co
Carlow
CTEB Carlow, Carlow
Scoil Niocláis, Frankfield, Cork
St Mary’s Drogheda, Co. Louth
Tyndall College Co. Carlow
Loreto Post Primary School, Co.
Wexford
St Columba’s Boys National School,
EDUCATION TEAM
CREATIVE, EXPERIENCED, LISTENING
Gareth Maguire Executive Director
Sean Kearns 1st + 2nd Level Studio Lead
Sean is a Director at Reddy A+U and leads the design and development of our School and Community College team.
Sean has worked on over 30 School projects in all areas nationally and also works with the Third Level team on university projects.
David Fitzpatrick Director
Tim Healy Associate
Reddy A+U has overseen the design and construction of more that 200 schools’ projects. We believe that the energy and climate crisis should drive sustainable innovation in the construction of new school’s projects to meet the needs of our next generations.
Our works focus on cost effective design solutions and low energy technology to ensure robust and enduring places for our children to learn and develop.
We are expert in all stages of project scope, from initial feasibility, through design , planning consent and regulatory compliance to procurement, construction, handover and evaluation of performance in use.
PLANNING
Urban Design Strategy
Planning and development policy
Local area action plans
Community engagement
Stakeholder engagement
Placemaking and Public Realm
Feasibility studies
DESIGN
Brief development
Dwelling typologies
Options Appraisals
Conceptual / detail design
Interior Design
Design Certifier
PSDP Services
Planning Consent Applications
3D Visualisation
BIM Management
Design management
Client Liaison
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
EVERY ASPECT COVERED
URBAN DESIGN
Illustrative layouts
Design briefs & frameworks
Design statements
Appraisals & feasibility
Stakeholder consultation
Sustainable design
3D models & visualisations
Site analysis
Research & Development
PPP Urban Regeneration
EXECUTION
Design management
Production information
PSDP services
BIM management and modelling
Building Regulations Compliance
Tall building design
Value engineering
Technical Advisory Services
Detail Design + Tendering
Contract Administration
Handover
Post Occupancy
QUALITY
STANDARDS
Reddy A+U’s services and projects are certified to relevant standards, including:
For quality mangement: - ISO 9001 - ISO 14000
For BIM services: - BRE Group ISO 19650
For low carbon design: - EN 15978
We work to certified standards, both in our services and in our projects. The quality of our work and service has been recognised by the many awards received, of which a selection of recent awards are shown here.- BRE ISO 19650
Overall Event Winner Fit Out Project of the Year: Guinness Enterprise Centre
Winner
1. Fit Out Medium Office of the Year: Guinness Enterprise Centre
2. Healthcare Project of the Year: Four Ferns Foxrock
Shortlisted
1. Project of the Year: Commercial Interiors
Guinness Enterprise Centre
2. Architectural Design: Commercial UCD Village
Winner
1. Commercial Project of the Year: The Guinness Enterprise Centre
2. Health and Education Project of the Year: UCD Village
Winner
1. Best Interior Architecture Project of the Year: UCD Village
2. Best Fit Out of the Year: Sandvik Dockline
For low carbonSelected - Home Performance Index V2 - BREEAM LEED certification1 Page 12
Selected projects achieve: - Home Performance Index (HPI) V2 certification - BREEAM / LEED certification - WELL certification
UCD Village
Sandvik Dockline
AWARDS
Winner
1. Fit Out of the Year Public Sector:
James Joyce Library UCD
2. Fit Out of the Year Tourism and Leisure: James Joyce Library UCD
Overall Winner
Architectural and Interiors Practice of the Year:
Reddy Architecture + Urbanism
Winner
1. Educational Building of the Year: The Guinness Enterprise Centre
2. Residential Project of the Year: UCD Village
Winner
1. Fit Out of the Year: Public Sector
James Joyce Library UCD
2. Fit Out of the Year: Tourism and Leisure
James Joyce Library UCD
Winner
Architectural Practice of the Year
Reddy Architecture + Urbanism
Winner
Building of the Year - Tourism Leisure & Hospitality
Royal Dublin Convention Centre
Overall Winner
Building Project of the Year
Royal Dublin Convention Centre
Winner
1. Healthcare Project of the Year Four Ferns Foxrock
2. Education Project of the Year
James Joyce Library UCD
3. Commercial Office Project of the Year
Glencar House
4. Student Accommodation Project of the Year UCD Village
James Joyce Library
Glencar House
Section Two Insights
RESEARCH + INNOVATION
Driving Innovation in Design and Delivery
At Reddy A+U, we believe that innovation in design and delivery begins with understanding the key drivers of building design. The Department of Education’s design guidelines provide comprehensive data sheets outlining requirements for various classroom types and school spaces. Historically, these spaces have been designed to blockwork dimensions, reflecting blockwork’s robustness and costeffectiveness as a traditional construction method.
Ambitious Goals for Modern School Buildings
We propose the Department of Education set ambitious and measurable targets, such as: Reducing CO2 Emissions: Deliver buildings with 40% lower CO2 emissions compared to traditional construction methods in line with the national plan for decarbonisation.
•Reduced Material Waste:
Construction in controlled factory environments minimizes material wastage through precision manufacturing and efficient use of resources.
However, advancements in construction technologies, particularly in MMC, offer new opportunities. By introducing flexibility into the design guidelines, we can enable design teams and contractors to deliver projects of superior quality in reduced timeframes without increasing costs. Rigid and prescriptive design guidelines, while useful, can sometimes hinder innovation.
A Collaborative Approach to Updating Guidelines
Reddy A+U does not propose a complete rewrite or removal of the existing design guidelines. Instead, we suggest adding a new, innovative chapter or note to the guidelines.
This addition would take a more holistic approach to designing school buildings, encouraging ambition and creativity. By setting out forward-thinking goals, the Department can inspire a new standard in educational construction.
• Lower Carbon Footprint:
Prefabrication processes require fewer deliveries to construction sites, reducing transportation emissions. Additionally, the use of renewable materials, such as crosslaminated timber, further decreases carbon output
•Improved Energy Efficiency:
Buildings constructed using MMC often have superior insulation and airtightness due to quality-controlled factory environment, leading to reduced energy consumption over their lifecycle.
Recyclability and Reusability:
Components used in MMC can often be disassembled and reused or recycled, supporting circular economy principles.
Minimized Site Disruption:
Off-site manufacturing reduces on-site construction activities, leading to lower noise, dust, and waste generation, which benefits local communities and ecosystems.
Education: Insights 2
Page 17
RESEARCH + INNOVATION
Innovative Strategy to Achieve Ambitious Goals
Reddy A+U believes innovation should be evaluated against traditional design and delivery methods.
A solid, data-driven analysis will assist in determining whether an innovative approach is successful in meeting ambitious targets.
Key strategies would include:
CO2 Emissions Analysis:
Compare the CO2 emissions of a traditional building design, based on typical departmental guidelines, against a innovative design incorporating more flexible design guidelines.
This analysis can be conducted using robust carbon accounting tools such as One Click LCA or similar software to provide accurate and reliable data.
Flexible and Efficient Structural Grids:
Establish a rigid and regular structural grid designed to support flexibility and innovation in building delivery. This approach maximizes the potential of MMC by enabling repetition, a fundamental principle of MMC, and facilitates the use of various construction techniques, including:
• Cross-laminated timber (CLT) structures and panels
• Precast concrete elements
• 3D volumetric modular construction
• Hybrid solutions combining multiple MMC methods
Performance Benchmarking:
Develop performance benchmarks for cost, quality, and time efficiency by comparing MMC projects to traditionally constructed projects.
Regular reviews and reporting will ensure continuous improvement and adherence to ambitious targets.
RESEARCH + INNOVATION
...CONTINUED
Stakeholder Collaboration:
Engage with design teams, contractors, and other stakeholders to foster a culture of innovation. Workshops and collaborative forums can encourage the sharing of ideas, best practices, and lessons learned.
Conclusion
By adopting a strategic, data-driven approach to innovation, we can confidently evaluate the impact of modern methods of construction.
This approach will not only ensure the achievement of sustainability, efficiency, and quality goals but also establish a robust framework for the continuous improvement of educational building design and delivery.
Reddy A+U is committed to partnering with the Department of Education to drive this innovation.
Reddy A+U are frontrunners in use of BIM (Building Information Modelling) to foster innovation and deliver design excellence. Our approach and workflow ensures our designs are fully digital from concept through to completion.
Post-occupancy evaluation (e.g. carbon performance against targets)
Ongoing asset management, maintenace, replacement
Data Driven Design
We use BIM in the early stages of designing, site planning and feasibility studies, through visualisation, simulations, to specifications and construction drawings.
The developing BIM model provides us with live reporting of key metrics — quantum of units, the mix of units, ratio of dual aspect and oversized units, site density — while also considering key architectural concepts of site planning, massing, and the creation of places for people.
Information on material and thermal performance, cost, life cycle analysis, environmental impact and other relevant considerations are integrated into the design process.
This enables us to rapidly test multiple design options and provides the client with extensive insight into design development, operating costs, environmental impact, time schedule and other such metrics. STRUCTUREFACADESFF & E
BIM: THE DIGITAL PROCESS
BETTER QUALITY, EFFICIENT DELIVERY
Environmental Design & Sustainability
Our BIM workflows enable us to evaluate the building’s impact on its environment, to understand impact in terms of light and weather at any time throughout the year, and to evaluate visual impacts of scale and massing, tailoring the presence of the building to its environment and assessing key sight lines and views.
We use Insight analysis to assess the impact of solar radiation on the balance between passive heating and overheating. Integration with daylight or wind consultants provides detailed daylight and wind microclimate analysis.
Collaboration & Coordination
Collaboration with clients, consultants and suppliers assists with coordination and facilitates clash detection, identifying critical interface issues before construction, and minimising the risks associated with redesign and over-estimation of cost.
We use Autodesk BIM 360 (Construction Cloud) as the main Common Data Environment (CDE) for the design team, facilitating coordination, clash detection and issue resolution during the design process, and greatly improving the quality of production information.
Design team models are federated using Autodesk Navisworks Manage, where a rulebased clash detection process is undertaken to identify areas that require further coordination.We lead design teams in the producton of coordinated information.
Section Three Projects
SELECTED PROJECTS
Through our involvement in educational design for national and international companies, we have a clear understanding that a good educational design strategy supports users and occupants.
range of amenities and innovative design, our buildings enhance the overall user experience, providing safe and inspiring homes for students to thrive in.
Our current work addresses the urgency of climate action through BREEAM, LEED, HPI and other certifications, lifecycle carbon assessment, low carbon materials, biodiversity modern methods of construction and sustainable housing typologies.
Our educational design strategy is based on a growing evidence based design approach which recognises the influence of the built environment and seeks to create settings that supports human health and well being.
Our clients include private developers and a wide range of renowned thirdlevel institutions. We conduct extensive research and development into the design of educational facilities. Through a
We continue to focus on designing successful places for a challenging future.
Scold Nicolais, Frankfield
Adamstown Community College
Loreto Secondary School, Wexford
ST. MARY’S, DROGHEDA DROGHEDA,
CO. LOUTH
Scale: 36-classroom school
Services: Design / Construction
A purpose-built 36-classroom primary school on a greenfield site south of Drogheda town centre, the building consists of 2 wings containing the learning accommodation and the third wing containing the combined Senior and Junior General Purpose Hall.
The mass is broken down into a series of simple pavilions, each with its own individual internal colour scheme and identity to which children and staff can easily relate.
ST COLUMBA’S BOYS NATIONAL SCHOOL, CORK
DOUGLAS, CO. CORK
A multi-phased project for this local school included the provision of temporary accommodation to facilitate the demolition of the existing school building. The new build is part single-storey and part twostorey.
The central two-storey footprint has all classrooms facing south or east. On opposing ends single-storey footprints of a SEN unit front the public street to the east and a lofty GP room fronts the ballcourts to the west.
Scale: 4,331 sqm
Services: Design, Execution
SCHOOLS BUNDLE 5,
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FINANCE AGENCY
KELLS, CARLOW, BRAY AND WEXFORD.
Scale: 28,315m2 Combined
Services: Design, Execution
Reddy A+U provided technical advisory services to Inspired Spaces/the NDFA for these schools as part of Schools Bundle 5 –this included designing and acquiring planning permission for all facilities.
The project included a total of 6 schools on four sites in Kells, Carlow, Bray and Wexford. An IFE College was included on the Carlow site and a primary school on the Bray Site. All other schools are postprimary
Education: Selected Projects
SCOIL BHRIDE,
BLANCHARDSTOWN, DUBLIN 15
Scale: 20-classroom school
Services: Design, Execution
Scoil Bhríde (Cailíní) is a school for girls which is situated in the heart of Blanchardstown Village, in Dublin 15
SCOIL NIOCLAIS, FRANKFIELD
CORK
Scale: 16-classroom School
Services: Design, Execution
Scoil Niocláis, a 500-pupil primary school delivered previously by Reddy A+U was the focus of a new extension comprising 16 additional classrooms, enlargement of the existing general-purpose hall, external play areas and extensive renovation to adjoining out buildings.
The prominent general-purpose hall is an anchoring element in the design. It is the largest single space and acts as a central hub with the pre-existing school connected from one side and the new development connected from the other.
GLENART COLLEGE WICKLOW
Scale: 20-classroom School
Services: Design, Execution
A 700 pupil school campus in Arklow, Co. Wicklow.
Glenart College project began as a review of options for extending, refurbishing, or constructing new facilities for the campus. After thorough research and collaboration with the entire design team and client, the new build option was determined to be the most economical and beneficial.
Students now have access to an inspiring place that fosters growth, development and wellbeing in a truly public building. A series of light filled adaptable spaces allow for cost-effective facility management. Wayfinding through the campus has been enabled by the use of colour, creating definable spaces and locations.
ADAMSTOWN SCHOOLS
ADAMSTOWN, CO. DUBLIN
Scale: 2 x schools, 18-classrooms
Services: Design, Execution
Reddy A+U lead a team to develop the School Project at Adamstown as part of the new growing residential community in this region
The schools were immediately adjacent to each other in a “Fast Tracked” Rapid Build Development delivered in 38 Weeks. The accommodation provided Special Needs Units, Physical Education Halls and Specialist Classrooms.
