Priory Hall

Doyle & O’Troithigh Landscape Architecture Ltd. were appointed by Dublin City Council in early 2014 to become part of the project team set with the task of renovating and rejuvenating the formerly vacated Priory Hall development.

Working with the skeleton frame of the former development we set about designing a series of courtyards above the basement podium which would create private patios and communal gardens for the residents.

The courtyards were set out to provide passive and active recreation facilities for all regardless of age or ability. The function of the courtyard was enhanced by a palette of materials both hard and soft which provide a visual amenity and helped lift the environment throughout the year.

The east – west orientation along with the presence of a podium slab and basement ventilation openings provided challenges to the landscape design which were discussed internally and with the wider design team, so that a considered and coordinated design response was developed and implemented on site. This resulted in a series of external landscape spaces which are now heavily in use by the residents.

The frontage to The Hole in the Wall Road has been designed as a public plaza with an emphasis on pedestrian movement and the provision of street trees to help create a green buffer between the development and the road network while retaining a visual link to the neighbouring Father Collins Park.

Throughout the development dialogue was maintained with the adjoining residents to ensure that the development and construction worked with their needs and did not compromise the security of their homes and businesses.