Dublin City Architects Blog

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"Well designed places, well designed homes, well designed public domains create value, respect, empathy between people."*

Dublin City Council is committed to using design to improve the attractiveness, liveability and sustainability of our built environment in its roles as planning authority, manager of public spaces and buildings and through its own construction projects.

Dublin City Architects is responsible for promoting design and providing architectural, urban and conservation design services to Dublin City Council. In doing this, we will:

  • Aim for Dublin’s citizens to enjoy the highest quality built environment; one that is clear, generous, appropriately scaled, positive to context, well made and which promotes access and inclusion.
  • Work to achieve excellence in the ordinary.
  • Consider places before buildings so that new developments contribute positively to public spaces.
  • Learn from the past in creating architecture that matches the quality and longevity of earlier periods.
  • Facilitate architecture that is contemporary, performs to the highest environmental standards, addresses climate change and is culturally cosmopolitan.

Blog Posts

10.02.2012Remaking Dominick Street

Dublin City Council developed a new masterplan for the regeneration of Dominick Street’s 1960s social housing in 2008. The first element of this, on the east side of the street, was submitted for an Environmental Impact Assessment and Planning Permission for in December 2010.

The Master plan proposal centres on the redevelopment of four sites on the East and West side of Lower Dominick Street. The Master plan seeks to create an area of unique character, with active and distinctive uses, exploiting the proximity to the retail and commercial core, interacting with other city centre activities and facilities and integrating with tourist, cultural and educational destinations. The proposed LUAS BXD line runs along the street. The stop, near the junction with Parnell Street, will make Dominick Street a gateway to the City Centre and will increase foot-fall to the area.

The design of the first phase by City Architects re-establishes the building line of the original Georgian terraces and determines building and parapet heights. It comprises a mixed use development with commercial units at street level and five floors of residential units along the eastern side of the street. The new contemporary architecture should be designed to complement and integrate with the Georgian context in scale, massing, grain and form.

The plan champions the development of neighbourhood areas. The design of the residential accommodation aims to build on already strong community links as well as to promote living in the city and attract new residents. A new community facility is included in this phase, to provide for existing and new residents in the area with activity rooms, a hall and an outdoor sports pitch at roof level.

The plan also includes landscaping proposals for the street as a high quality public environment, with greened, useable open space and a shared space plaza at the northern end. Dominick Lane will be realigned to create a more direct pedestrian route from Dominick Street to Parnell Square and adjacent areas.

A local energy centre will be constructed in Phase 1 which will include high efficiency gas boilers for space and water heating, along with CHP plant and solar panels to supplement hot water provision. The proposal includes for the installation of metered heat exchangers to each dwelling unit to permit accurate billing. The plant room has been sized to accommodate potential expansion for subsequent development phases and possible connections to a future district heating scheme.

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