Mortar & More

HERITAGE & ORIGINAL DESIGN INSPIRATION

HERITAGE & ORIGINAL DESIGN INSPIRATION

Designed by James Toomey in the mid 1980’s and completed in 1988, Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre stands apart from its neighbours due to its unique facades facing St Stephens Green, Grafton Street and King Street South incorporating multiple layered external decorative ironwork bays which project beyond glazed facades.

This external second skin provides a clever focal point for the pedestrian whilst the plain structural facade is set back and almost hidden from view.  The cast ironwork decorations with scrolls and floral design suggest touches of inspiration from 19th century French ironwork design.

Having been compared in its time to amongst others; the Taj Mahal, a Mississippi riverboat and even a wedding cake, the current design still holds much sentimental value to its many daily visitors, the decision by Dublin City Council for a complete transformation of the Shopping Centre building with a new contemporary design to sit in its place has resulted in controversy.

WHY RETAIN

WHY RETAIN

This is a tired, underutilised, of its time, retail Centre, so why would you retain it?

We believe there are a number of reasons for it to be retained. It stands clearly apart from any other retail Centre in Dublin and possibly Ireland.

Like it or loath it, it is bold in its overall design aesthetic. There’s value in the detailing which has been incorporated into its architecture, and to replicate again today would prove incredibly costly and would be unlikely to happen in our lifetime.

Like other European cities, we should look at the potential to regenerate and re-imagine the current space, allow it to function more succinctly for today’s needs, providing benefits for a broader demographic. This is not an impossible task structurally; it also saves on landfill and therefore is a better environmental approach. We’ve seen the reinvention of shopping arcades and centres done time and again in other capital cities, for example Burlington Arcade in London, Bikini Berlin and Samaritaine in Paris amongst many others. 

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND RETAIL COMMUNITY

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND RETAIL COMMUNITY

Making the interior more desirable and considered, builds a platform for meaningful customer engagement. It has been proven that mixed usage through the combination of retail, entertainment and workplace, sets a foundation for a more enriched environment, which St. Stephens Green Shopping Centre could benefit greatly from.

Reinventing the retail scene can encourage collaborations which both consumers and retailers can use to their advantage. It would enable retailers to reach new customers through complementary connections which in turn can lead to strengthened retail communities.

Hosting community-focused events would enable the Centre to become a destination for social activity, connection with friends, more than just a place to purchase goods and services.

Younger cohorts are often looking for more welcoming spaces to spend their down time in, despite being labelled as the generation connected through phones, screens, and tablets. Providing open areas which support free lounging, spaces that allow for meetups and chats and entertainment spaces, all look towards a more welcoming and engaging environment for a younger demographic.

These changes would create a positive cultural change that can help activate and enliven the Shopping Centre.

POTENTIAL INTERVENTIONS

POTENTIAL INTERVENTIONS

While accepting the new proposal provides a modern aesthetic it is worth considering further arguments for retaining the existing structure and character of the building through enhancement of some basic key elements.

There is no doubt that its current guise requires intervention. The exterior façade along the north elevation on to King Street South would benefit from being opened up allowing the centre to interact with passersby and would enable direct access to the retail spaces along this elevation.

Retention and refurbishment of the existing iron façade with the integration of a well-designed lighting scheme would transform this buildings overriding features, breathing new life into it whilst remaining true to the original design intent. 

Internally, at ground floor level, low-lying concession spaces in a flexible format would allow the area to breathe and evolve over time. These spaces could champion newer brands letting them sit alongside established global brands, attracting a broader audience to the space. 

The mezzanine levels could be extended, opened up on all levels. Introducing more mixed retail, small local coffee and restaurant space in amongst food retail offerings, fashion and beauty.

The second level could be better utilised to provide further mixed use in the form of workspace and amenities for the Centre.

While all of this can be achieved from a new build, there is merit in keeping the existing structure for sustainable purposes and cultural reasons and for the simple fact that it would be the cities loss if the current proposal was to proceed, and we were left without this statement building and all we gain is yet another new build with an indistinguishable façade.