This proposal, is to create a new shopping centre located within a backland site in a sensitive provincial urban town. The proposal additionally includes for residential accommodation in a new signature building over. The proposal has been carefully considered to respect the surrounding buildings whilst creating a significant new intervention. The design of the proposed development integrates new retail space into the historic town fabric of whilst restoring life to a fragmented and underutilized brown field site.

One of the greatest challenges now facing Drogheda is how best to improve and further develop its public realm, how to restore vitality and vibrancy to the existing intricate network of streets stretching from George Street in the West to Francis Street to the east and how to consolidate the established character of the town while introducing a diversity of uses.  BCDH Architects and Urban Planners entered an invited competition run by the business man who had developed and subsequently ran the first phase of the successful Laurence Town Centre, to design a mixed-use development to be known as Centre Point which was to be located on Peter Street in the heart of historic Drogheda.

The site for this signature development is bounded by Peter Street and Laurence Street and incorporates significant derelict and back lands sites at the centre of this important town-block. The development of these back lands and derelict sites is vital to sustain the organic growth of Drogheda and to counter the growth of out-of-town and edge development that undermines the economic viability of the town. Centre Point introduces a series of integrated responses to renew the dynamic potential of this pivotal site while reinforcing its unique sense of place in the historic quarter.

The guiding policy for renewal is to encourage a lively mix of uses, both between neighbouring buildings and, more particularly, by utilising the building section fully thereby bringing vitality to every street. A critical objective for Centre Point is the regeneration of a resident population within the historic enclave.
The existing built fabric that encloses this site provides an architectural and cultural history that spans two centuries. Our proposal aims to be sensitive to this built heritage and, indeed, to build upon the rich social history that we have found. As a consequence our proposal will seek to reinforce the character of the surrounding streets by restoring this public realm as a place of gathering.

The proposal engages with the town centre, the street pattern and the town block structure, activating a central portion of an area that is currently benign, to the benefit of the area, the town and the county.

The proposal included new universally accessible entrances which were to be made in the perimeter of the block allowing easy public access to all levels of Centre Point and the Laurence Town Centre beyond.  At the heart of the design concept is a multi-layered, double and triple height public hall that rises to a beautifully landscaped garden at roof top level. Within this garden and set well back from the street perimeter is an elegant, shimmering and curvaceous fully glazed urban residential development containing 65 new dwellings accommodating an estimated 210 new citizens of the town centre.  This eight storey residential building nestles deep within the city block, the deep valley of the Boyne establishes a setting for the town where this new building will have limited impact on the silhouette of the horizon. While the gently flowing curves of the new Centre Point will be a welcome and dynamic addition to the horizon, the spires of Drogheda will continue to dominate the town’s skyline.

The design development process for such a sensitive site was incremental, the necessary time has been taken to refine and develop the original concept and to allow the concept to evolve into the proposal that was lodged for planning. Numerous options for the different aspects of the proposal were reviewed from both an architectural, urban design, technical or commercial consideration.
These design studies were particularly important to the realisation of an architectural response to the urban block in general and an appropriate design form for the residential proposal in particular. Physical and 3-dimensional computer models identified from an early stage that the impact of the residential proposal would be at a distance rather than nearby, where it would be largely obscured by the surrounding buildings.

Client: Parolen Properties
Year: 2005 - 2010