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A major expansion of Munster Technological University's STEM capacity was unveiled last week with the official opening of An Cuan, a new state-of-the-art facility at the MTU Kerry North Campus.
Delivered by construction firm JJ Rhatigan & Company, the three-storey development will provide modern learning and research spaces for approximately 1,000 students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The building was officially opened by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, in a ceremony also attended by MTU President Professor Maggie Cusack and Chair of the MTU Governing Body, Jimmy Deenihan.
Funded through the Higher Education Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme, the project forms part of wider national investment aimed at strengthening Ireland’s Technological University sector and expanding education and research capacity.
Speaking at the project's topping-out ceremony in April 2024, Ger Ronayne, CEO of JJ Rhatigan & Company, said: "This latest building marks a significant milestone in the Government's higher education public-private partnership (PPP) programme and I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our project team for their dedication and hard work, which are crucial to the successful delivery of this important facility for the students of MTU Kerry."
The new facility includes lecture theatres, laboratories, classrooms, machinery workshops and a dedicated engineering and agri-tech yard. Its architectural design features an elongated structure with defined functional zones, anchored by a double-height heavy engineering workshop on the western side. The workshop is framed in structural steel and finished externally with Staffordshire blue brick and contemporary light-grey cladding.
Environmental sustainability was central to the project, with the building designed to achieve a BREEAM 'Excellent' rating. Additional features include a screened rooftop plant area and high-performance fabric and systems aligned with both MTU’s and JJ Rhatigan’s sustainability commitments.
