UCD Student Residences

Line drawing of a city street at night with buildings on the left and right and a tree on the right side.

Modern brick building with an entrance featuring black framed glass doors, a streetlamp casting a shadow, and a residential area with trees in the background.

Modern residential apartment complex with landscaped green lawns, young trees, and pathway leading to building entrance under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Modern multi-story apartment buildings with white and brick exterior, surrounded by newly paved walkways and streetlights, with a small orange vehicle parked nearby.

Modern apartment complex with a courtyard, green lawn, young trees, benches, paved walkways, and street lamps under a partly cloudy sky.

View of modern residential apartment buildings with small green lawn and paved parking area in the foreground, and a partly cloudy blue sky overhead.

A parking lot with three cars and a motorcycle in front of a three-story residential building with beige siding, white accents, and small balconies under a partly cloudy blue sky.

Project Overview

BKD Architects were commissioned in 1989, as part of a limited competition, to design student accommodation for the Belfield Campus. This first phase is called Belgrove Residences. Subsequently another phase, Merville Residences was constructed in 1993 and a third phase was construction in 2002.

All three phases of this development follow the same design logic, that is, to cluster 3 or 4 storey buildings around a series of linked courtyards or “quads”. All apartments are accessed from, and living areas overlook the “quad”, so helping a sense of community develop within each cluster. Students live in apartments of 3 to 6 study-bedrooms sharing living, kitchen/dining areas. In Belgrove and Merville students share bathrooms, while the latest phase provides en-suite wc/ washing facilities to each study bedroom.

Line drawing of a residential apartment complex with multiple buildings, windows, and a central courtyard, set against a dark background.

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