No. 42 O’Connell St.

No. 42 O’Connell Street is a protected structure and the oldest surviving residential building on Dublin’s primary thoroughfare.  Built in 1752, it was designed by Richard Cassels, the Architect responsible for Leinster House and the Rotunda Hospital.

The building comprises of 4 storeys over basement and is constructed in cellular form typical of the Georgian period.  While the original construction was of high quality, the building has been subjected to numerous alterations during its lifetime, particularly those associated with the adjoining hotel on the 40-41 O’Connell Street site.

The project is split into two phases. The first phase primary involved works required to ensure local and overall stability of the building. These works were completed in May 2009, prior to demolition of the adjacent hotel building, and included the reversal of previous alterations to masonry walls, crack repairs and the tying together of walls, roofs and floors.

The second phase of works will aim to reinstate the building finishes to their original state for its future intended use as an art gallery. In order to ensure the proposed works to the building were sympathetic to the original construction an extensive series of investigations were carried out before work began on site.  These included archive searches, plumb line survey of elevations, condition surveys and strength grading of timber and crack monitoring.  Close co-ordination with the conservation Architect and Local Authority is maintained throughout.

Client:

Chartered Land Development

Start/End Date:

2003 – Ongoing

Contract Value:

€700,000 (Phase 1)

Role:

Structural & Civil Engineers

Key Structural Features:

• Protected Structure
• Confined City Centre Site

Find out more about our Structural Engineering services.