White polished concrete adds a ‘Lidl’ wow factor to Ballymun North Quarter
Attractive polished and exposed white concrete seating has added a finishing touch of class to Ballymun Lidl’s North Quarter Apartments.
The combined retail, office and student accommodation project required two very different approaches from Cassidy Bros – the first to encourage outdoor social engagement for the apartment block residents and the second to discourage social activity outside the retail unit.
Cassidy Bros design engineers worked closely with MCA Architects and Austen Associates in the creation of the concepts to meet the concrete planter requirements for both uses while maximising aesthetics.
The brief for the purpose-built student accommodation, blocks A and B, was to ensure bright and airy accommodation to encourage student engagement and wellbeing both indoors and outside. The shared outdoor space was to be designed to be attractive and enticing – a place where people would love to congregate and interact.
The team at Cassidy Bros got to work and the result was the creation of attractive, exposed and polished concrete planters in the company’s unique Cardiff Lane white concrete blend.
A much more robust large concrete planter – which was designed to deter seating and social interaction – but include an aesthetically pleasing integrated garden area – was created for outside the supermarket unit.
Cassidy Bros Managing Director, David Cassidy, said: “It was great to work with Walls Construction on this interesting project to combine retail and office facilities with large-scale student accommodation. We were excited to be a part of this project as it challenged us to create large concrete planters for very different uses on the same site.
“On one hand we were tasked to deliver attractive polished concrete seating to promote social engagement outdoors in a residential setting, while on the other hand we were instructed to provide a concrete planter to discourage outdoor living in a busy retail setting.
“Our team was delighted to work closely with MCA Architects of Dublin and Wicklow-based Austen Associates landscape architects to come up with the concepts and drawings for these installations.
“For the student accommodation area, our Cardiff Lane white architectural concrete and integrated hardwood seating provides an impressive outdoor living area, which will no doubt entice students to come outside and enjoy the space for many years to come.”
Ballymun Lidl/North Quarter Apartments – Our Project
- The creation of the concept and drawings – in association with the project architects – for attractive, exposed, polished concrete outdoor living architecture to promote social engagement at Ballymun North Quarter Apartments.
- The creation of the concept and drawings for a concrete planter to deter socialising outside the retail store yet maximise aesthetics.
- The manufacture of large flower bed planters with seating in white exposed and polished concrete.
- Integration of FSC approved Cumaru hardwood benches.
- The manufacture of robust smooth concrete planters with no seating incorporated for the area outside the retail store.
The supply of all necessary stainless steel bracketry
Ballymun Lidl/North Quarter Apartments – Our process
- Following collaboration with the architects, our engineers arrived at concepts for the very different specifications for the project installations.
- Drawings for the architectural concrete installations were completed.
- The drawings were approved, and the Cardiff Lane white concrete planters and robust grey concrete planters were manufactured to the specifications by our team.
- All items were delivered to Ballymun for assembly by the team at Walls Construction.