Completed in May 2025, this project saw the delivery of 12 high-quality social housing units on Mallow Street, Limerick City, for Peter McVerry Trust in partnership with Limerick City and County Council.
The project has transformed a long-vacant building and site, with the introduction of modern, energy-efficient homes – and it included the restoration, alteration, and refurbishment of two existing Protected Structures Georgian buildings (No. 2 & 3 Mallow Street), as well as an independent contemporary apartment mews building to the rear of the site – bringing new life to the area, and contributing to the vibrancy of Limerick’s City centre.
Repair/refurbishment works to the elevation of the Georgian buildings has anchored the character of the development to the historic streetscape, while providing 10 no. 1-bed units in the Protected Structures. Architectural Conservation works included the removal of existing modern windows (which were materially and visually incongruous with the historic fabric) and their replacement with handcrafted timber sash windows of historic character – as well as the restoring of degraded brickwork and stone using traditional methods, inclusive of the repointing of all brickwork, and Conservation led upgrading of doors, frames and fanlights, as well as the reinstatement of railings in line with their original detailing. Internally, much of the flooring materials have also been retained, preserving the authentic fabric of the buildings.
Conservation works also included a unique reinstatement of an original fourth floor, which had previously been removed. During the Architectural Heritage Report stage of the Design process, an archival newspaper article was discovered, which indicated that the OPW (a previous owner of the buildings at the time) had tendered for the removal of an upper fourth floor, in 1951, and those 1950s works included the provision of a flat roof – which was still in place on the building when CJFA began to work on the project for PMVT. This missing floor has now been reinstated, within historical proportions, and forms part of the reuniting of 2 & 3 Mallow Street – with an appropriate addition of a contemporary zinc roof above the restored floor. A similar sensitive approach was undertaken with an extension to the Georgian buildings which has also been carried out at basement and ground floor levels – along with the construction of new rear entrance porch. This is further integrated into a central courtyard containing a glazed corridor link between the restored Georgian buildings and the contemporary mews apartments – with this shared open area softening the urban density, while encouraging interaction among residents.
The contemporary newbuild mews building to the rear provides 2 no. 1-bed units, with one located on each of the 1st and 2nd floors, over a secure access gateway at ground floor level, along with new refuse and bicycle storage, and plant areas. Externally, the new building incorporates a buff-stock brick, which references the local historic street aesthetic, with a modern evolution of the style – along with modern elements of a zinc roof, timber batting details, and ground-to-ceiling windows forming part of a façade that has been well proportioned to its historic environs. Together with the restored Protected Structures, they offer modern, efficient living, while forming a cohesive and context-sensitive response to City-centre living.
In terms of energy efficiency, the existing Protected Structure Georgian buildings include an energy efficient exhaust-air heat-pump approach – a relatively new technology to the heat-pump market – which serves the hot water and central heating needs of the Protected Structures, and which is suited to the constraints of an existing building / Protected Structure of this nature. For the newbuild units, energy efficient air-to-water heat-pump technology was used to serve the hot water and central heating needs – while both buildings include energy efficient lighting was also used throughout, with a new efficient mechanical ventilation systems installed to aid air quality throughout both.
Congratulations to all involved, and the new residents of the project.
Client:
Peter McVerry Trust
Design Team:
Architect & Design Team Lead: C.J. Falconer & Associates
Quantity Surveyor: Nolan Construction Consultants
Civil & Structural Engineer: Malone O’Regan Consulting Engineers
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: Douglas Carroll Consulting Engineers
Fire Consultant: ORS
Building Contractor:
C&N Higgins Construction
Architectural Photography, with thanks:
Edel Fitzpatrick, of Fitzpatrick Creative
