That’s a lots of licks of a lot of paint
Leinster Rugby have announced, today, that a consortium of architects (based in Dublin and London) has won an international design competition for the €20m revamp of the RDS Arena.
Newenham Mulligan Architects and Grimshaw Architects held off rival entries and their design will begin to take shape in 2016. Leinster Rugby chief executive Mick Dawson stated, last August, that the completion date for the project is September 2017. The redeveloped stadium will have a capacity of 25,000 and host rugby matches, equestrian sports and music concerts.
Dawson, today, stated his ambition that the RDS could be part of a bid for the impending 2023 World Cup bid. He added, ‘Gate revenue is a significant feature of our current business model, and we are sure that this redevelopment will help with this, as well as allowing us to explore additional, commercial revenue streams.
‘At the moment we have a section of terrace for supporters and though the final plans are not yet complete, we hope to have a terraced section in the new stadium to accommodate people who prefer this. Though the majority of supporters will be seated.’
RDS chief executive Michael Duffy commented, ‘Having secured our design team, [our] focus is now on securing the necessary funding for this development. We have budgeted for an overall capital investment of at least €20m for the redevelopment. A number of potential funding streams are currently being explored, including naming rights.’
