Harrow Road
- Client: The Brennan Group
- Contacts: Guy Harris, Dorota Knet
The Harrow Road development reinstates the site to its former use as a residential-led mixed-use building, following a fire in 2017 which destroyed the majority of the existing building.
The redevelopment seeks to replace the tired, outdated & under used commercial floorspace at the ground floor for quality retail frontage enhancing the vitality and vibrancy of the Harrow Road area. Ten residential units which were destroyed in the fire have been reprovisioned, with the development now incorporating nine additional apartments at the upper floor levels. The sympathetic design takes into consideration the constraints of the site and respects surrounding residential uses, creating a positive contribution to the immediate townscape.
The scheme consists of a 4/5 storey mixed-use building comprising of retail units accessed at street level with the addition of 19 new-build apartments accessed via a dedicated residential entrance.
The scheme has been designed to transition in height stepping down from five storeys to the Pocket Living development to the rear, down to four storeys along Harrow Road. The scheme’s main frontage facing onto Harrow Road reads as four storeys and – being slightly forward from its neighbouring building – offers the proposal more presence locally within the street scene. A recess in the building form at first floor level to the rear offers increased natural light to residential units and enhanced levels of privacy to its neighbour.
Rigorous design development has resulted in a carefully balanced scheme, visually comprising of two interlocking forms, which seek to respond to their context in terms of their massing, materiality, colour and composition.
The principal concept is the articulation of the building’s massing by splitting it into two identifiable interlocking elements, one clad in masonry and the other in a metal rainscreen cladding. The outer most forward-facing element is to be made up of brickwork reflecting the sites immediate context and location, with presence predominantly along Harrow Road and Fermoy Road. Brickwork recesses within the façade add depth and create interest, allowing the building’s envelope to be perceived as an articulated punched hole proposal as well as being framed out with inset glazing panels. The inner form will be made up of a contrasting bronze coloured metal panels which seeks to accentuate the proposal at the upper floors.
