IVERAGH ROAD TOWN RENEWAL, KILLORGLIN, CO KERRY

New-build development comprising a Local Area Services Centre, a Mixed-Use Building and a new town square. Conceived as a centre of civic importance, the scheme focuses on the public domain and has a discernable sense of place.

The Local Area Centre forming the northern edge of the square is conceived as a landmark building for Killorglin.
The building is three storeys high and is centered on a glazed double volume atrium. A community library, tourist office and art café are accommodated in the generous height of the ground floor. Kerry County Council’s “One-stop Shop” and offices are located on the first floor and a council chamber with associated facilities are accommodated on the second floor which is set back to create a south facing terrace overlooking the new town square. The building incorporates as many low-energy systems as feasible, including a geothermal heating system supplied by three wells on the site.

The Mixed Use Building forming the western edge to the square is a four storey building comprising two lower levels of retail / offices and two upper storeys of residential use. The third and fourth floors accommodate 22 2-bed units and two 1-bed units centered around a landscaped private courtyard.

The new town square is created by setting the two buildings back from the road, creating a space defined by the existing built fabric along Iveragh Road and School Street and the new development. The square is conceived as a hard-landscaped space which fills the opening between the old fine-grained street fabric and the new three and four storey buildings.

A basement level car park accommodating 228 parking bays is provided under a large portion of the site.

Since completion the scheme has shifted Killorglin’s centre with many new cafés and retail outlets opening around the square and the new library and playground having been embraced by both the older and younger members of the community.