Building of the Year

Fenian Street, Dublin 2

2 Cumberland Place (or 2CP) constitutes Phase 2 of the Cumberland Place office development, and initiated by our Client, Hibernia REIT plc. in 2016, following the successful completion of Phase 1 of the project in 2015.

This best-in-class office building is constructed to the south of the existing 1970s Phase 1 building and is connected to the existing accommodation via a shared Ground Floor entrance / reception area off Fenian Street to the south and a multi-level, landscaped courtyard to the north which allows access for bicycle and other users from Bass Place to the east of the site.

The building provides eight levels of CAT A accommodation and includes a double basement, with a south- west facing terrace area taking up part of the penthouse floor and providing panoramic views across the city towards the Dublin mountains beyond.

Street frontage along Fenian Street and Bass Place is minimalist, transparent, and dramatic, with the upper floors of the office building cantilevered over the Phase 1 reception entrance and with a highly articulated façade, comprising sliding, perforated panels and lateral mesh fins over curtain walling which creates a play of light in the internal office spaces behind the façade.

Generous ancillary facilities are provided at the lower levels, including two separate bicycle parking stores with a shower / changing area between.

Between the new building and adjoining hotel, the office building mass steps back, leaving space for a single storey, coffee pavilion accessed off an intimate, landscaped garden at street level.

Sustainability & connectivity were also at the core of the design with both LEED and Wired Score Platinum accreditation secured for the project.

The design intent was to create a simple, rectangular “box” for the office space which is then indented where required to take cognisance of the existing Phase 1 building to the north and east and create an external terrace area at the uppermost level.

The “box” runs parallel to and in front of the main block to the first Phase and is pushed right out to the street edge.

The space between the two blocks creates a tiered, hard, and soft landscaped area offering an intimate and secluded visual connection between the two areas which is also accessible by bicycle and other pedestrian traffic from Bass Place to the east of the site.

The building provides a positive and meaningful addition to the existing urban fabric in this part of the city, at an interface between the Georgian core to the south and the Dockland areas to the north, on a site that previously offered little in the way of interaction between building users and the public at large.

The Clients vision for the overall Phase 1 and 2 development has finally been realized where new and existing have been successfully co-joined to create a dynamic, people friendly, urban centric environment with strong sustainability and socially conscious credentials.