Engineering the future of heritage: The technical revival of No 11 Parnell Square
The official opening of No 11 Parnell Square by President Catherine Connolly marks a transformative chapter for Ireland’s cultural landscape. While the €5.5m conservation project, led by McCullough Mulvin Architects, is celebrated for housing Poetry Ireland and the Irish Heritage Trust, its true marvel lies in the seamless integration of 21st-century engineering within a 300-year-old Georgian framework. Balancing historical integrity with modern functionality required a sophisticated approach to mechanical and electrical systems, ensuring the building is both accessible and environmentally sustainable.
Central to the building’s modernisation was the challenge of universal access. To overcome the architectural barriers of a historic townhouse, the project team installed a primary internal lift alongside an external platform lift. These additions, integrated by main contractor Bourke, ensure that the four floors of heritage—including the new Seamus Heaney Poetry Library—are accessible to all visitors for the first time in the building’s history.
These circulation upgrades were achieved through alternative design solutions specifically approved for protected structures, allowing compliance with fire safety and accessibility requirements without compromising the original timber-lined chambers or parquet flooring.
From an environmental perspective, the engineering feat is equally impressive. Under the guidance of M&E consultants JV Tierney and mechanical sub-contractors Phoenix Mechanical, the building achieved an exceptional A3 Building Energy Rating.
According to JV Tierney, “The upgrade features a bivalent heating system combining high-efficiency Clivet heat pumps, supplied by Hevac, for year-round space heating and preheating hot water, with two De Dietrich condensing boilers, with a cascade kit, to handle peak winter loads and final water heating. A Building Management System (BMS) and energy meters optimise operation based on demand, occupancy, and performance monitoring.”
To preserve the protected building’s structure and character, the air-source heat pumps and upgraded infrastructure were carefully integrated into existing plant spaces to abate visual impact. Combined with mineral wool insulation, LED lighting, natural ventilation, and improved glazing, the restoration delivers high energy efficiency and modern thermal comfort, creating a sustainable model for urban regeneration.
This technical revival, supported by the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, proves that Ireland’s most cherished historic assets can meet the highest standards of modern engineering.
The quantity surveyor on the project was Brendan Merry & Partners.