Designed by Desmond Fitzgerald, also responsible for the beacon of Modernism that is the original terminal building at Dublin Airport, the Moyne Institute opened in 1953 in the corner of College Park. With its uniform fenestration, colossal order of columns and placement upon a stepped podium, the building is quietly monumental in form. Neoclassical in spirit, it is highly refined in execution. The shock of copper roofing which caps the building’s Y-shaped footprint tempers the austerity of the grey exterior walls. Far from being just dull and dreary, the Moyne Institute is a lesson in drabulous, straight to the point architecture: the normcore of the built environment. Beyond the façade is a surprising domed entrance hall awash with natural light. Think twice before passing judgement on this building next time you glance it from the steps of the Pav while nursing your can of Pražský.

Photo by Stephen Moloney.