No 11 Parnell Square opened in early 2026 after a multi-year restoration that turned a 300-year-old Georgian townhouse into a cultural hub in Dublin.
The work was financed with a €5.5 million grant from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund and overseen by McCullough Mulvin Architects, who led the conservation and refurbishment effort.
The brief called for a shared headquarters for the Irish Heritage Trust, Poetry Ireland/Éigse Éireann and the Irish Landmark Trust, each requiring office space, public areas and archival storage.
Procurement followed Irish public-procurement rules via the eTenders portal, using a Most Economically Advantageous Tender evaluation and the Public Works Contract CF5, which kept design risk with the employer.
A steering committee of the three occupants met monthly, while Brendan Merry & Partners produced 17 detailed cost reports over a 21-month period, keeping the programme on budget and on schedule.
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Conservation Work and Materials
Contractor Bourke Builders replaced the roof with traditional slate, lead flashing and timber, and repointed the red-brick façade using lime-based mortar matched to the original brick’s colour, aggregate and joint profile, preserving the Georgian streetscape. The roof work also reinstated period-accurate lead flashings, ensuring water tightness while respecting historic detailing.
Window refurbishment followed a similar philosophy. Original timber sash windows were carefully stripped, repaired and re-weighted. New glazing units were fitted within the existing frames, improving thermal performance without altering the external appearance.
Sustainability and Energy Performance
The building’s engineering team adopted a fabric-first approach to meet the stringent energy rating. Breathable mineral-wool insulation was installed within internal voids and ceiling spaces, allowing moisture to escape and protecting solid-brick walls from trapped damp.
Original sash windows received secondary glazing that sits flush within the frames. This solution reduces heat loss while retaining the historic profiles, contributing to the high energy rating.
Lighting throughout the interior was upgraded to 100% high-efficiency LED fixtures. The LEDs were selected for low heat output and long lifespan, aligning with the building’s low-carbon objectives.
Mechanical services centre on a bivalent heating system. Air-source heat pumps provide the majority of space heating and domestic hot water, operating efficiently for most of the year.
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An integrated building management system monitors outdoor temperature, occupancy and energy use.
Notably, the project achieved an exceptional A3 Building Energy Rating (BER), a notable engineering feat for a 300-year-old Georgian Protected Structure. This was accomplished by balancing historical integrity with 21st-century environmental standards, demonstrating that historic urban assets can meet the highest operational, accessibility, and environmental standards without losing their historic soul.
Heritage Conservation and Universal Access
Reversible service routing was achieved by exploiting existing voids identified in pre-construction surveys. All new pipework, cabling and fixtures were installed within these cavities, allowing future removal without harming historic plaster or woodwork.
Fire safety in the first-floor council chamber required innovative solutions. Instead of a water-mist system, damaged plaster was removed from below, fire-rated boards and insulation were fitted between joists, and the ceiling was rebuilt using traditional lath-and-plaster methods with salvaged materials. This preserved the original parquet floor and eliminated the need for bulky pump equipment.
Accessibility upgrades included two lift installations. A primary lift travels through secondary voids, serving all four floors and providing step-free access to the poetry library. An external platform lift at the front lightwell offers street-level entry, complying with alternative pathways for protected structures.
