Dublin, Ireland
Urban Agency has developed plans for a new 50-meter-high tower scheme for developer Lioncor along the River Liffey—incorporating one of the city’s last remaining historic structures in the area that have been tragically torn down.
The 13-story building has been commissioned by property development company Lioncor.
Dock Mill draws inspiration from timber’s natural qualities, envisaging a sustainable project that preserves nature both conceptually and materially.
Following a vertical trajectory, Dock Mill would become one of the tallest timber buildings in Europe, therefore setting a precedent for future projects on a national and global scale.
The design addresses the lack of direct access to the building by introducing an adjacent boardwalk that unites the area as a whole, forming an architectural ecosystem.
Naturally lightweight, the use of timber allows for easier transportation and enables prefabrication of the architectural structure off-site, thus reducing the local disruption and high carbon footprint typically associated with construction work.
Committed to the preservation of the historical mill, the design utilizes the privacy of this existing structure for apartments and extends vertically with the sympathetic addition of a timber tower to create office space.
The proposal also addresses the lack of direct access to the building by introducing an adjacent boardwalk that unites the area as a whole, forming an architectural ecosystem.
Tracing back to its material source, the design concept for the timber structure mimics the vertical stretch of a tree, sinking its roots into the existing structure of the mill and growing upwards in a network of timber rafters that mimic tree branches.
Like a modern take on the glasshouse, the structure preserves the warmth, texture, and scent of woodgrain inside, flipping the role of the high-rise to contain and celebrate nature rather than exclude and defy it.
Urban Agency’s vision is reverent of the mill’s past and has grown out of this history to provide a future of sustainable living granted by the enormous potential of wood.
“Sustainability is at the heart of Lioncor, in collaboration with Urban Agency we have created a future vision for Dock Mill situated in Dublin’s Silicon quarter, states John Maxwell, CEO of Lioncor.
“The attractive brick mill building sits on a fabulous waterfront location and has a New York-style loft feel to its interior and it is this aged character that we wanted to retain whilst elevating the building to meet its taller neighbors.”
“Our collaboration has created a truly unique and sustainable piece of modern architecture that not only challenges the way we look at the existing Urban environment but also the need to be more experimental in our construction methodologies utilizing CLT and other low carbon technologies.”
Project: Dock Mill
Architects: Urban Agency
Client: Lionco
