Department of Agriculture Laboratories, Backweston

RKD was commissioned by the Office of Public Works to design a flagship complex that would house multiple Department of Agriculture scientific divisions dealing with food quality control and animal health.

Backweston provides best-practice contemporary scientific monitoring and state-of-the-art research facilities, demonstrating a national commitment to maintaining and enhancing the quality reputation of Ireland's agricultural sector. The complex brings together the Central Veterinary Research Laboratories, Central Meat Control, Dairy Science and Pesticides and Seed Testing Laboratories, all of which had been previously located separately in a series of scattered and antiquated buildings.

The new facility accommodates approximately 300 staff in a combination of laboratory, office and support areas, including a number of specialised biohazard containment suites. All of the facility's intricate technical functionality is enclosed in a series of sleek, silver clad, linear laboratory blocks linked by office and support blocks. The clear geometry of the complex is set off by fine landscaping within a rolling rural landscape to create an attractive and powerful looking building that harmonises with its environment.