Trinity’s Board has approved a plan to place the centre on the ground and first floor of the Naughton Institute almost a decade after students voted to financially support a Student Centre in 2017. An email with the news was sent today on Wednesday December 4th to the College community from Bursar Eleanor Denny, TCDSU/AMLCT President Jenny Maguire, Dean of Students Richie Porter, and CSC Chair Faith Olopade. In it, the Centre is described as a place to “accommodate multipurpose breakout spaces, social spaces, and other spaces for student use”.
Development of the Student Centre is expected to begin soon with plans to open in 2026. This would mark nearly ten years since 88% of students chose to accept an annual levy of €30 to finance the construction of the €7 million Centre, as reported by The University Times in 2017. According to the reporting at the time of the vote, College will additionally assist in financing the space through fundraising and acquiring a loan.
The reasons for the re-use of the Science Gallery Dublin was stated to be due to the fact that it “aligns with Trinity’s sustainability agenda regarding campus development”. By using an existing space, College will save on construction costs and carbon commissions while still accomplishing the goal to give students an additional space. This will be the university’s first dedicated Student Centre.
