Planning permission has been granted by An Bord Pleanála for Dublin City Council’s mixed-use development in Inchicore, integrating in a landscaped masterplan 578 apartments, a Community Hub & Library, a creche, café and supermarket. As a new model for cost rental homes priority has been placed on creating quality shared spaces and amenities to support long-term living in a community, whilst incorporating design efficiencies benefitting from its scale.
Strategically situated between the Grand Canal & Luas line, and the Camac river, the site is located on the footprint of the historical Richmond Barracks, adjacent to Goldenbridge Cemetery. The new homes are organized around generous courtyard gardens, with amenity spaces for all generations, promoting pedestrian, cycling and public transport usage. A necklace of new public spaces, each addressing and anchored by an element of heritage fabric, bring activity to the public realm whilst reinforcing a specificity of place. Connectivity between these offers north-south and east-west permeability, presenting new possibilities for pedestrian linkages between local amenities, the Luas line, Busconnects, and new cycleways for daily journeys stitching together existing communities.
The project is carefully system-designed to be constructed of low-carbon materials including timber, minimizing VOCs to create healthy internal environments filled with light and air, with optimised use of natural materials.
The design process involved the community, an opportunity to listen to and respect the social and national heritage of St. Michael’s Estate, the community of Inchicore, and the precinct of Richmond Barracks, using the support of large scale models to encourage dialogue and to articulate the design approach clearly to community groups of young and old.
