One of Dun Laoghaire’s newest additions is Harbour View, a stylish €60M contemporary development on one of the town’s few remaining seafront sites (1ha) at Crofton Road. Next to the County Council headquarters, adjacent to the DART railway station, and a focal point opposite the marina and harbour, Harbour View has, as its name implies, views across the Harbour and Dublin Bay.

The 31,000 sq.m Mixed-use Development will be completed and successfully handed-over in the coming months. The prestigious project includes five individual multi-storey buildings, up to 8 storeys, with a shared podium and inner courtyard with planting, hard landscaping and lighting.

The development provides 140 apartments in 12,700 sq.m residential space and 6,800 sq. m of commercial space for offices, retail, restaurants, crèche and licensed premises. A two storey underground basement provides parking for 330 vehicles.

RPS are Consulting Engineers and also Planning Consultants for the project. Our responsibilities included the Structural and Civil Engineering Design , and Planning Advisors and EIS preparation. The RPS involvement was instrumental in obtaining planning approvals for the major landmark development.

Along with the overall structural design, RPS services included addressing traffic management issues, enhancement of drainage and water systems, temporary works design, and measures to safeguard the ‘listed protected’ Harbour Lodge building. By addressing the issues early in the planning process, RPS have been able to eliminate technical grounds for appeal.

By teething out problems at design stage which would compromise safe and economic buildability, RPS used the time to develop innovative solutions. The client had greater certainty regarding cost and program and reduced risk of ‘unforeseens’ during construction.

The excavation of 35,000 cu.m of soil and 15,0000 cu.m of granite rock was successfully achieved by the RPS methodology, whilst protecting adjacent buildings, including Harbour Lodge. The granite was crushed on site and used as backfill in the later stages of the project. The deep excavations were temporarily supported by a contiguous bored piled perimeter wall, tied back to the surrounding ground using a combination of soil nails and rock anchors, through steel waling beams. Vibration and settlement monitoring was implemented during this stage for control and to give early warning of impacts on the structural integrity of adjacent buildings.

Fast tracking of construction was achieved by innovative design solutions with off-site construction systems such as precast flooring and cladding panels and bathroom pods, ensuring high quality of materials at competitive price to match the programme.

Initial client specifications for steel-frame or load bearing masonry options were altered to suit value engineering and programme demands. The resulting insitu concrete- framed structures, with insitu flat slabs in the office buildings and precast floors to the residential building, were designed to provide maximum flexibility, which is particularly important in a development where tenant requirements are not finalised until late-on.

Structural steelwork was utilised at upper levels where late design requirements could be accommodated. On-going design modifications of the structure during construction stage were carried out as architectural requirements became more defined and value engineering and design solutions were implemented.

A timber towered element to the front of the building provides a striking visual feature. External wall claddings are of precast concrete with acid-etched finish, with feature stone cladding panels on concealed suspension system to the office buildings.

RPS culture of integrity, service and technical excellence, coupled with enthusiastic and design conscious staff ensured this major landmark seafront development was successfully delivered to a demanding programme.

For more information please contact:
RPS Dublin (West Pier) – Planning & Development
T: +353 1 288 4499