Premier Construction

One Molesworth Street Dublin

One Molesworth
Written by Roma Publications

One Molesworth Street

An iconic office building in Dublin’s best location

For three centuries, Molesworth Street and Dawson Street have been the focal point of Dublin’s most elegant quarter. Today, One Molesworth Street enhances this location’s status as one of the capital’s most distinguished addresses.
One Molesworth Street has been designed by leading architects, Henry J Lyons to exude quality and maximise the occupier experience. The building has two separate expressions reflecting the different characters of the street.

Finghin Curraoin from Henry J Lyons told PREMIER CONSTRUCTION: “The brief was to demolish the existing dark, characterless 1970s office building which was extremely high in energy consumption and to develop a building of the highest quality design and materials. The building was to be designed as a sustainable building targeting LEED Platinum and to provide a mixed use vibrant environment of retail, office and café whilst carefully considering in its massing and expression to respond to its urban setting sensitively and positively.”

One Molesworth Street is six storey’s high with ‘The Ivy’ restaurant, a café, retail unit and office accommodation above. The form of the building has been carefully modulated to sit comfortably within the historic context, while at the same time presenting a strong modern identity. The building is finished with a range of natural, durable materials which include Portland Stone, bronze, travertine and onyx. The office spaces are designed for efficiency and flexibility with compact central cores and bright, open column-free floor plates.

The Dawson Street façade is striking with the use of vertical glass fins, solid bronze and feature bronze anodised Brise Soleil. The facade and proportions complement the neighbouring buildings within an active street setting.
Finghin added: “Dawson Street is an animated, active, commercial street so the façade facing onto this frontage is more open, lighter and completely glazed. The façade is given richness and depth by means of the ‘floating’ filigree metal framework which cantilevers forward from the main façade and contains a rhythmic series of full height laminated glass fins.”

The Molesworth Street façade is finished with high quality natural stone and glass designed with modularity reflective of its historic setting. The stone cladding is reminiscent of Dublin’s finest Landmark buildings.

“On Molesworth Street the elevation is more solid and is punctuated by a regular series of vertical window openings,” said Finghin. “These two contrasting elements are carefully blended into a cohesive whole by means of the rich bronze coloured elements which run throughout and unify the entire design, from the carefully crafted surrounds of the ground floor shop-fronts to the elegantly chamfered framework of the set-back office levels above.”

In the reception and common areas, the spaces and quality of the materials continues with the use of natural Travertine stone and backlit Onyx on the walls and floors. Indeed all accommodation, including WC’s, showers and changing facilities are well designed and finished with the best materials available.

Finghin said: “Even with the best design and finest materials, no building can be a success without painstaking attention to detailed construction and workmanship. In One Molesworth Street, the same attention and finesse that was applied to the overall design concept has been carried through to even the smallest details.”

Following its completion, One Molesworth Street was awarded The Building of the Year award, as well as the Building of the Year – Office (Medium) award at the 2019 Building and Architect of the Year awards.

Commenting on the award, Finghin said: “The Building of the Year awards were the first awards we entered and we were excited to be considered for the award. We were thrilled to win ‘Medium Office Project of the Year’ but to win the ‘Overall Building of the Year’ award, out of 17 categories, was just fantastic. We are delighted that the jury admired the project as much as we did. We were also recently awarded bronze for One Molesworth Street in the World Architecture News Awards, and it is great to be recognised worldwide with that award.”

One Molesworth

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Roma Publications