RIAI | Irish Architecture Awards

Citation

A sophisticated building on a diffficult site, this building’s greatest strength is its urban strategy in relation to the grain of the city. The re-use of salvaged materials, combined with ‘state of the art’ glazing, creates an exciting dynamic. This building is a fine insertion to Limerick city, and sets a very high standard for future development in this area.

Architect's Comments:

In November 2003, the structure of the old Grain Store collapsed, the building’s stone was taken away and put in storage. After discussion with the planning office, it was agreed to replace the previous building on the site with a new contemporary building. The new building refers to the memory of the previous structure in a number of ways. The new building mantains the distinctive footprint of the Grain Store with a narrow front to

• Henry Street and a long facade to Cecil Street lower.
• The gable wall to the East is clad with reclaimed masonary from the original structure.
• The building reads as a distinct object, a bookend, which will again define and address this important junction in the city.

The strategy for the building is generated by the difference in scale and construction between the two facades which relates to the original composition of the grainstore, and of Georgian buildings in Limerick generally, where the corner articulation derives from the resolution between the main fenestrated facade and the secondary blank facade.

Client's Comments:

We have worked with the architects on a number of buildings on this street, which is now one of the premier locations in the city. The previous grainstore on the site, which was similar to another down the street which we successfully restored a few years ago, had to provide office space and an entrance to apartments in a development behind. This unfortunately collapsed in the course of construction; however with the support of the planning department we were able to build a modern building on the site. My brief was to provide an elegant flagship development, with a restrained planar elevation. Oblique views down the street and over to the river were to be acknowledged and the building had to address the street in a formal but contemporary manner. The building has achieved this and is full of light and space although the footprint is small. The exterior sets a new benchmark for commercial developments in Limerick.