€30m extension planned for TUS Athlone nursing building
The Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) is planning a massive €30m extension of its Nursing & Health Sciences Building at its Athlone campus.
The project will see the building, located on the Athlone East campus, extended by 4,000 square metres and the university is currently inviting tenders for the major works.
Following the tender process in the final quarter of this year, it is expected a design team will be appointed with the design stages of the project to begin in the first quarter of next year. The proposed timeline for the development will see the new facility open for September 2028, the tender documents state.
“To meet the needs for increased healthcare workers and nursing staff in Ireland, state authorities are making arrangements across the third level sector for the creation of increased capacity to train nursing staff in general nursing, mental health nursing, healthcare practitioner, mental health nurses, dental hygienists and other related disciplines,” the tender documents state.
The existing building comprises 2,333 square metres of accommodation is located opposite Jimmy's Superstore and Smyth's Toys, on the east campus.
The new three-storey extension, primarily to the west of the existing building, will require a gross internal floor area of approximately 3,500sq m and a rooftop plantroom of approximately 800sq m.
The new extension is to contain eight classrooms, each with capacity for 50 plus students and two flexible classrooms, each with a capacity for 50 plus students, that can convert into one room with capacity for 100 plus students.
It will also include a training/simulation hospital suite with the following facilities: two graduate entry/multi-purpose wards, each with capacity for 16 students and a lecturer workstation; a healthcare practitioner ward with capacity for 16 students and a lecturer workstation; a healthcare practitioner clean room utility; a healthcare practitioner technician workstation (office for two people); and a healthcare practitioner ward store.The extension will also contain a dental nursing suite with the following facilities: a dental clinic (treatment area) with two dental chairs for demonstration to students (existing dental chairs are to be relocated); a dental hygienist clinic (treatment area) with five dental chairs for demonstration; a simulation heads room with eight working spaces; a dental arrival to the external realm; a reception desk and waiting room for eight people; WC facilities for patients/public; a gowning area for male and female patients; dental staff changing rooms with lockers, showers and WCs (male and female rooms); a dental technician workstation (office); and dental suite store room.
Tender documents reveal that the planned extension is to include a Student Learning Resource suite with capacity for 60 plus students
There will be a digitally enabled room with high capacity WiFi, multiple power points for student devices, AV facilities and a small quantity of fixed PCs.
The suite will be a location for students to use assisted learning technology devices
It will contain two tutorial rooms with capacity for 12 students, which will be adjacent to the student learning resource room.
The extension is to contain office accommodation for approximately 46 academic/research staff. It will see the relocation of existing management and administration office accommodation to new spaces to increase efficiency and adjacencies.
WC facilities and a Changing Places facility are also to be included.
The scope of the works will include the re-arrangement and refurbishment of circa 400sq m of the existing building.