Mary Immaculate College (MIC) aims to prioritise the “vital contribution” of external spaces within the campus to promote health and wellbeing for students, staff and the wider community—to be achieved through a sustainable landscape-led masterplan for its Limerick campus.
The masterplan—by multi award-winning landscape and architecture firm, Levitt Bernstein—sets out to “highlight and celebrate existing landscape and historic assets whilst creating a clear ‘vision’ for the campus future, supporting built teaching facilities”.
The landscape masterplan process identifies a series of phased landscape interventions intended to enhance and complement existing amenities. Key concept objectives include reinforcing the College identity; improving wayfinding; integrating sustainable design approaches and exploring opportunities to further ‘green’ the campus.
Michael Keane, Vice-President of Administration and Finance at MIC said that the plan has been carefully considered since its inception in 2023.
“While the College has been considering its external campus in an environmentally sustainable manner for a number of years, the motivation for commissioning the Landscape Masterplan was the feedback from Limerick City and County Council as the College was progressing through the planning process for our new Library and Learning Resource Centre. As well as looking at the built environment and our long-term objectives in that sphere—which are detailed in the 2022-2042 Masterplan—the campus’ ecology and biodiversity has to be respected and nurtured. Our shared spaces have to be functional, accessible and also have to be resilient in the face of climate change and incorporate sustainability into every aspect. Levitt Bernstein has assisted MIC to come up with an ambitious plan that will help to make the campus more cohesive and maximise its footprint.”
Kate Digney, Landscape Architect and Associate Director at Levitt Bernstein added: “We have enjoyed working with MIC stakeholders to provide a new landscape vision for the campus which will help build resilience for the College community and future generations of students. We were struck by the rich and mature landscape setting of the campus and the obvious fondness of the College community for their outdoor spaces. The health and wellbeing benefits of an improved public realm ‘offer’ are substantive and the plan aims to provide functional space that can be activated by a diverse section of the College community.
“Whilst looking to the future, our study has also focused on the significant historic assets within the Campus, and how new character and wayfinding strategies can celebrate these strengths. Our observations seek to establish a balance between ambitious new strategies for high quality public realm design and sustainable movement, whilst ensuring a level of pragmatism with initiatives that be delivered, managed and maintained in a considered manner.”
The MIC Limerick campus, and the surrounding area, have changed immeasurably since the foundation of MIC in 1898. The latest buildings to be added include the TARA Building in 2011—which includes the 510 seat Lime Tree Theatre—and the Tailteann Sports Complex in 2007. There has been significant refurbishment of other buildings including the Mount St Vincent Building—situated between the South Circular Road and O’Connell Avenue—after it was purchased in 2017. Named the John Henry Newman Campus, the complex houses MIC’s Research and Graduate School and the CRAFT Maker Space. The landscape masterplan identifies a framework of new, high quality public realm spaces that will reflect the strong calibre of built teaching facilities.
The landscape masterplan integrates new ‘ways’—a concept of introducing memorable routes within the Campus which vary in character and scale with social and informal space enabling ‘random encounters’. This concept, initiated in a 2000 study, was realised with the development of the TARA Building on the axis of the Foundation Building’s Lourdes Corridor—celebrating An tSlí or‘theway’ linking to the main entrance colonnade. Improved landscape design proposals will deliver a series of landscape ‘ways’ to realise the An tSlí narrative across the campus. The result will be an attractive and diverse environment for teaching, learning, and socialising—enhancing public access for all users whilst safeguarding historic parkland character ofthe campus.
MIC also has an active Environmental and Sustainability Committee and an evolving climate action strategy. Michael Keane emphasised that other initiatives and works are ongoing or recently installed, led by MIC’s Estates & Sustainability department, i.e. ‘No Mow May’ to encourage pollination and biodiversity, and more seating areas on campus for staff, students and the general public to enjoy the surroundings.
