The assignment for the new library and cultural center of Dun Laoghaire has been used to transform the area around the Moran Park into a green cultural enclave that becomes part of the urban fabric. The main street is connected in a relaxed way to the waterfront and the east and Carlisle pier via the new park. The covered railway line at the park strengthens this connection. A new square above the covered railway line strengthens this connection and gives both the library and Moran Park a view of the water. A cultural cluster is being created around the renovated Moran Park with the new library, the culture center and the “national maritime museum of Ireland” in the church and the relocated Moran park house, which will be given a new location next to the church on the High Terasse. A small cultural center with two residential units and work space for artists in residence will also be located at this location.
The spatial structure of the building is inspired by the typical Irish walled paths, such as the Metals and the ascending and descending paths along the quarries south of Dun Laoghaire. Long open and closed walls running the length of the building organize the space and guide the visitor and sight lines upwards through the building. The walls have increasingly larger holes towards the park and upwards, causing the cross-section of the interior to manifest itself as a mountain. The offices and facilities are located in the mountain. Under the mountain and in the pond there is a cultural program with a hall and gallery. The public library program of book rooms, reading and study areas, workshop and presentation rooms is located on the mountain. The visitor can follow an architectural route in the building that leads from the Pond via cultural and book rooms to viewpoints over the sea at the head of the building.
The building and the parkland together form a new icon for Dun Laoghaire and are an intermediary between the center and the river. The bowl formed by the building and the existing slope is a unique view over the harbor to the sea.
Client: RIAI And Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council
Team:Redscape: Patrick McCabe, M3H Architecten
Status: Completed
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