Dundrum CMH
A fantastic parkland campus is to be transformed from a centre of psychiatric care and rehabilitation into a new residential community while repurposing the original hospital and outbuildings.
- Location Dundrum, Dublin
- Client The Land Development Agency
- Project Residential Development
- Scale 9.6 hectare site
The Challenge
To transform this inward-looking site into a new welcoming sustainable urban community with a unique identity in a distinctive landscape setting. The proposed development comprises 940 apartments, 17 duplexes and 20 houses, with building heights which ranged from 2 to 7 storeys. Extensive facilities for residents and the wider community, including a community centre with indoor sports facilities, a medical centre, retail units, a café and a childcare facility are provided for in the masterplan.
Residential units are to be constructed over two phases, with the adaptive re-use of the protected hospital building project running concurrently. A definitive feature of its towering boundary wall which dominates the Dundrum Road will be removed, opening up the 9.6 hectare site to the public for the first time since the mid-nineteenth century.
The Story
Dundrum central is unique due to the blend of new-build design and conservation architecture under a single masterplan. The existing hospital is a monumental stone structure, which informs the design of the residential complex which is proposed for the grounds. The new apartment buildings, and the works to the hospital itself, are both centred around a philosophy of careful stewardship of historical fabric, while developing the site to meet modern demands.
Our scheme is comprised of separate apartment blocks ranging from 2-8 storeys and a number of two and three storey duplex apartments and houses arranged around the site to match the immediate existing context. As the surrounding area is predominantly comprised of 2-3 storey housing, higher densities of living, along with an increased mixture of uses, will be essential in facilitating the development to grow as a 'distinctive urban centre' and to create a sense of place within Dundrum.
The Outcome
Placemaking is fundamental to the success of large-scale developments and this is an important aspect of the creation of a new neighbourhood in Dundrum. A civic space is created within the centre of the development surrounded by retail units with new pedestrian connectivity proposed at the south, east and north. The development has been organised to maintain and enhance the existing green spaces, maximising public accessiblity, while providing communal amenity spaces at each block.