RIAI | Irish Architecture Awards

Citation

Dublin Over €3m

A remarkable office building full of resolution and resolve set in sylvian setting. A building of outstanding quality.

Architect's Comment
Pelham house is a commercial office building across three floors around a three storey glazed entry hall. The desire to keep the existing mature trees on the site presented a particular challenge on this project. The office space is designed to maximise the frontage and presence to the public space fronting the building. The result is a landmark headquarters level building with an entirely practical and flexible net floor area in keeping with the specific requirements of the demanding project brief.

A basement car park was required but due to the level of rock it had to be reduced to a semi basement level. This gave the opportunity to emphasize the raised ground floor and podium deck. Access to the podium is via a floating feature stairway over a water feature. The stairway leads to the glazed entry hall, which connects the rear rectangular building to the front triangular section.

At the upper levels the glazed floorplates are linked with slender walkways to take advantage of the light and space in the entry hall. The inside structural frame is clad with a limestone façade. The stone façade is set on a frame system that span floor to floor removing the need for block work and wet trades. The deep stone reveals necessitated a complex integrated drainage system within the cladding.

Clients' Comment
John Lally & Company engaged Horan Keogan Ryan Architect's to prepare and lodge a planning application for Pelham House in 2002. This was one of the last high profile sites along the entrance to South County Business Park.

Horan Keogan Ryan produced a building of the highest architectural quality, contemporary in design and very responsive to its mature setting. With the assistance of Barrett Mahoney Consulting Engineers, AV Cooney Quantity Surveyor's, RN Murphy Services Engineers and M&P Construction the project was delivered on programme and within budget.

We, at John Lally & Company's have received numerous compliments from those who have viewed the building and we are in no doubt that the excellent design, layout and mature setting will help us let the building in the very near future, in a currently difficult market.