The winning entry is the Centre for Future Learning (CFL) at University College Dublin submitted by ARUP Consulting Engineers.

The CFL is a landmark facility, strategically positioned at the campus entrance and independent of any faculty or discipline. The project design brief requirement was for a building and associated M&E systems that would facilitate and support the next generation of student-focused environments, evolving teaching methods and future learning needs.

As the CFL is to serve as a central hub for all academic activity at the university, it is expected to experience wide variations in occupancy and teaching modes. Accordingly, the mechanical and electrical systems are designed to be robust enough to operate reliably at peak loads yet flexible enough to scale down during low-use periods, requiring resilience of ventilation, electrical services and digital infrastructure,

The integration of building-level engineering excellence with campus-wide decarbonisation initiatives extends the impact of the CFL beyond a single facility.