Cork School of Music is the first purpose built building of its kind in Ireland, providing 52 music teaching studios, a rehearsal hall, theatre, music library, recording and dance studios, classrooms and lecture theatres. Central to the architects' concept is the theme of collegiality balanced with the tailoring of spaces to the requirements of music teaching.

To achieve the brief’s rigorous acoustic performance criteria, spaces utilise "box within box" construction with floating floors and ceilings, splayed walls and services isolated from the primary structure. Construction of a sample studio early on allowed fine tuning of acoustical details with the teaching staff.