55 Percy Place, Dublin: 2015-2017 RIAI Silver Medal for Housing Winner
55 Percy Place is a four storey city block over basement located in Dublin 4. Situated adjacent to the canal and fronting onto Haddington Road this innovative mixed use development takes up the geometry of its site and remakes the street edge. The scheme emerged from an existing grant of permission which the architect was tasked with reconfiguring and thereby improving the scheme with the agreement of the local authority.
It is comprised of 12 apartments, 3 office suites and a retail unit and restaurant at ground floor level. At ground floor level the restaurant opens out onto the canal. A new public space has been created at street level which addresses both Percy Place and Haddington Road. The rough high aggregate finish of the bespoke seating and ground surface contrast against the brick veil and deep reveals of the windows and external terraces.
The offices and apartments are access via light filled cores which have a restrained palette of materials - employing marble, concrete and fluted timber walls to create a meaningful space of transition.
Each apartment within the block is wholly unique. Floor to ceiling glazing allows uninterrupted views and light into each dual aspect unit. Internal private courtyards and full width terraces provide extensive external spaces at every level. The deceptively intricate section of double height spaces, split levels and roof lights creates an internal landscape of constantly shifting light and geometry. The central void spaces draw light deep into the plan and allow for spatial connections to happen across the block.
The office suites have been designed to maximise view and light. Vertical stacks of marble serve to reflect light and order space. Generous floor to ceilings heights and varied lighting arrangements contribute to the articulation of individual spaces in an open plan space.
We sought to develop a diverse mix of spaces in what is a relatively constrained city centre site. Creating a place to not only live in the city, but most importantly to live well.