Parnell Square

Linking cultural institutions for the fair city

This bold and visionary project will be a new public landmark – a place for Dubliners to meet, learn, create and exchange.

Parnell Square has long been at the heart of Dublin’s culture and history. It is home to institutions and landmarks of national and international significance, a place of cultural exchange between the visual arts, literature, music, and design.

The new city library will cement this status, forming the northern anchor of the capital’s civic spine, connecting key historic places.

The library is modern and bright with open spaces for reading and lending and a variety of spaces for studying, working, meeting, creating and performing.

Alongside the works to the city library, the design also proposes a new public plaza, extensive renovations of the Georgian terraced houses, and specialist works to the Hugh Lane Gallery, the world’s first public gallery of modern art.

The project will provide flexible, adaptable spaces that can be used by local communities and schools. Designed for all, this new civic resource will bring people from all neighbourhoods all over Dublin to the top of Parnell Square, utilising this civic space as a catalyst for new encounters and connections with diverse communities.

Project name: Parnell Square

Location: Dublin, Ireland

Value: £50M – £100M

Scope: Architecture, Interior design

Clients: Dublin City Council

Status: Live

Project management: Aecom

Civil, structural, M&E engineering: Aecom

Fire engineering: Jensen Hughes

Landscape architect: Aecom

Conservation architecture: Carrig Conservation

Accessibility consultant: OHAC