Clerys Quarter

Clerys Quarter is the transformation of a historic department store building that has been central to Dublin city retail and social environment for generations. It has been converted into a mixed-use building, encompassing various uses such as offices, food and beverage, hospitality, retail and entertainment across multiple floors. Simultaneously, Earl Place, the rear service street, has been revitalised into a bustling restaurant hub creating a new destination in the north city center. The Clerys building has undergone numerous changes and expansions since its reconstruction over a hundred years ago. The central vision of the project was to unwrap the many additions to Clerys and reveal the original landmark structure; and then through sympathetic additions create a new social destination which brings together business, leisure, shopping and entertainment . Retail areas on basement and lower floors, a key component of the complex, have undergone substantial upgrade and restoration. The original historic shop fronts have been refurbished. New universally accessible entrances to the shops and a new main entrance have been provided below the iconic Clerys clock which leads directly to the new public mall connecting the bustling O’Connell Street with Earl Place at the rear. The introduction of the new central mall draws the public in and gives access to the upper levels of office space and to the hospitality venue at rooftop. A circular atrium is introduced to deliver light to this new internal thoroughfare below and also provides visual connectivity between the floors at upper levels. The multi-use of the upper floors creates a busy environment with the glass lift shafts visible in the atrium and the grand old staircase linking to the historic tea rooms which overlook the street to the rear Two new cores accessed from the the mall provide circulation through the building. Glass lifts rise through the atrium to access the rooftop directly, while separate access is provided to the office levels. Protected structure status of the main Clerys building required careful analysis of the impact of proposed intervention in the context of existing structural frame capacity, buildability and ultimate performance of the complete building. The office spaces have been designed to provide ample access to views and daylight levels through floor to ceiling windows which is significant to the health and well-being aspects of future occupants. Inherited building footprint and deep plan floor plate required specific design proposals of light wells, rooflights, atriums, and glazed incisions into the building to enhance natural light penetration. The Clerys redevelopment project prioritized sustainability through a commitment to retaining and repurposing the existing building. Vertical extension and strategic demolition were employed to create new floor space, emphasizing a circular economy approach to reduce material consumption and waste generation. The building design included a significant upgrade where practical to the building fabric to ensure passive design elements including U-Values and Building Air. Clerys was awarded LEED Gold Certification for efforts made towards sustainability during project development.