An artery like staircase runs up the feature atrium of the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland award-winning York Street site in Dublin. It threads through a compact floor plan that could feel dense and cluttered if not for the skill of Henry J Lyons architects.
The circular stairwell – the scenic staircase – allows you can see the layouts of the floors above the formed steel balustrade.
Careful specification of glass windows and cellular screens by the architects provides ‘permeability’ – an intentional atmosphere of light, transparency and openness. It also makes visitor orientation and navigation very easy.
Totems facing the main bank of passenger lifts depict simple ‘heads up’ floor layout graphics to orientate the visitor and locate their destination. Signage is realised in materials and colours that reflect the neutral palate of the building and the cut out stencilled floor number technique allows the textured concrete to feature through the aperture.
It’s a deceptively large building; six floors above ground and four below. It provides state of the art medical training including a first-in-Europe Simulation Department in which they aim to create immersive, emotionally rich experiences for learning what will be life changing and life preserving skills.
