New CIT Arena 'on track' to open next year

Work on the new CIT Arena is “on track” to be completed by September 2021.

A CIT spokesperson said the project is four months in, with foundations down and the project has been moving seamlessly over the summer with no pause in construction.

The Institute official said that the work has almost been easier to get on with during lockdown without staff and students on site and CIT are confident in meeting the opening timeline.

The project, which is the work of architect Henry J Lyons, with consulting engineers from Horgan Lynch and Lawler is being built by contractor Griffin Brothers.

The Arena is being designed as multi-functional building supporting both the students and staff of CIT.

The building will have three main strands of functionality: Sports/Fitness, Societies/Social, Academic/Educational and will cater for exams, Student concerts, third level conventions, conferring’s, student exhibitions, sports/fitness and social/societal – café.

The building is thought to revitalise the south-west corner of the campus and the project is designed to achieve a very low energy usage and NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building).

The 3600 square metre site will house a large sports hall with two basketball courts or a full-size court with bleacher seating.

The hall will accommodate 400 students for exams or up to 1000 for conferences. There will also be a Gym area with approximately 800 sqm, which will be able to accommodate 100 fitness machines and weights area.