Dún Laoghaire VEC has signed a contract for a new College building in Blackrock, Co Dublin. The contract with Cordil Construction Ltd is for the development of the new campus for Senior College Dun Laoghaire. The Department of Education and Skills recently approved funds for the project and granted the VEC sanction to proceed with the award of the contract.

The project follows an agreement between Dún Laoghaire VEC and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to allow for the refurbishment of three old buildings in Blackrock – the Blackrock Town Hall, the Carnegie Library and the Municipal Technical Institute. An adjoining three-storey over basement building will also be constructed.  The new structure will be approximately 3,630 sqm with 250 sqm of atrium and garden space and will complement the existing structure of approximately 1,790sqm.  The County Council Blackrock Library will also be incorporated in the new structure.

The architects, McCullough Mulvin, have a renowned track record in the refurbishment of old buildings and in the design of new buildings. They are eminently qualified for the project having recently won the 2010 RIAI awards both for Best Conservation/Restoration Project and for Best Educational Building. 

Dún Laoghaire VEC and its predecessor Blackrock Technical Instruction Committee have provided education in the Blackrock area since the early part of the last century. 

Senior College Dún Laoghaire was established in 1982 under the statutory authority of Dún Laoghaire Vocational Education Committee. With over 1130 full time students and 500 part-time, it is one of Ireland's largest Further Education Colleges. The new building will bring together the College's four departments (Business, Design, Information Technology and Beauty/Holistic/Theatrical Media Make Up) onto one modern campus in the centre of Blackrock town. This huge state investment is attributable to the rapid growth of the College and its reputation as a national leader in FE.