A planning application has been submitted for a new multi-million euro building for Waterford Institute of Technology's main campus.
The proposed 12,800m2 Engineering, Computing and General Teaching building is the largest of one of 11 state-of-the-art projects announced in 2017 as part of a Project Ireland 2040 investment in institutes of technology.
WIT President Professor Willie Donnelly says this will be the largest single infrastructure investment in the institute and will be a cornerstone in the future development of the Technological University for the South East.
Head of the School of Engineering Ken Thomas told WLR News that it will give students access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and a modern student environment.
"This is really 20-years in gestation. We've been thinking and planning for this for quite a while.
"We nearly got there in 2011 but then, unfortunately, the government finances, as we all know, were under pressure so it was shelved.
"In the meantime, this latest incarnation is actually a bigger building and is a more ambitious building for the institute.
"It includes engineering, computing and general teaching so it covers a wide range of disciplines."
He says the project could be completed in four years if all goes to plan.
"Hopefully we'll get through planning pretty quickly, after that then we're in a position to go for tender and construction.
"I think realistically we're looking at a four-year window, looking to open in 2022 to 2023.
"Practically speaking in order to go through the tender process for public procurement and to go on and build this rather large building is going to take that four-year window."
The building is included in the Department of Education and Skills' Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Programme. The parties involved include the Department of Education and Skills, the Higher Education Authority, the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) and WIT.
Taylor McCarney Architects which specialises in educational buildings and also completed NUI Galway's engineering building has been appointed to the project.
