White polished concrete ‘centrepiece’ at Dublin’s Silicon Docks
Bespoke polished concrete steps, furniture and hard landscaping from Cassidy Bros is turning heads at The Sorting Office in the heart of Dublin’s Silicon Docks.
The new off-white concrete mix – which is named after its Cardiff Lane location – is a “real eye-catching centrepiece” at the impressive seven-storey mixed-use building, says Cassidy Bros Managing Director, David Cassidy.
After being appointed by Walls Construction, the concrete engineering team at Cassidy Bros worked closely with Bernard Seymour Landscape Architects and Henry J Lyons to deliver a bright exposed aggregate finish that was very robust and requiring very little maintenance.
Mr Cassidy explained: “We crafted an off-white mix which easily camouflages any accumulation of grime or dirt, and always looks impressive and welcoming. We used an exposed aggregate to ensure our ‘Cardiff Lane’ mix looks pleasing to the eye while minimising the need for regular cleaning.”
This large-scale polished concrete project included the provision of a large number of planter seating walls with integrated soft landscaping, entrance steps, standard walls, terraces, terrace planters, and a completely bespoke table and chairs.
Appointed by Walls Construction, Cassidy Bros collaborated closely with Bernard Seymour Landscape Architects in the creation of a truly stunning array of white polished concrete features on the site of the former An Post facility.
Mr Cassidy said: “This a massive job and every aspect of it was bespoke. This was one of largest projects we have worked on to date and it was a real pleasure to do so alongside Bernard Seymour Landscape Architects and HJ Lyons.”
There were a number of key challenges in this exciting project, but the team overcame these to deliver impressive results on time and on budget.
Polished Concrete Steps
To create a spectacular centrepiece at the front entrance, the team was tasked by HJ Lyons and Bernard Seymour Landscape Architects to create tapered, angled and splaying steps from the new exposed aggregate concrete mix.
These bespoke entrance steps promote a great first impression of the complex. They look fabulous during the day and even better at night due to the integrated lighting system.
Curved Precast Terrace Steps
Large, precast, polished concrete terrace steps were created with aesthetically pleasing curves. These double as seating and provide a perfect area for breakout in the fresh air.
Rooftop Garden Planters
A number of planters were weight restricted so that they could be easily hoisted into place on the rooftop gardens. The challenge was to create lighter sections that could be easily placed manually with the assistance of a crane.
Numerous polished exposed aggregate concrete seating planters were manufactured. These included integrated seating made from FSC approved cumaru hardwood to add a finishing touch of both comfort and class.
Stunning concrete furniture
The table and chairs challenge involved coming up with a concept that was truly unique – a piece of eye-catching outdoor furniture that people will love to make use of.
Mr Cassidy explains: “This was the last thing we did on this job and we were rewarded for our previous good work by being asked to come up with our very own design based on specifications provided by the architects. We were honoured to be given this large degree of free rein to create the concrete table and chairs – and everyone was delighted with the result.
“Working with the outline requirements, we delivered a bespoke piece of outdoor furniture with all sorts of angular cuts, making it truly unique. It is a stunning feature.
“It was a very enjoyable mini project and allowed our designers to really showcase their creative in order to put the finishing touches to a very impressive job in the heart of Dublin’s Docklands.”
The Sorting Office is a high grade commercial building comprising 202,000 sq ft of office space and 6,000 sq ft of prime retail floor space.
The building has high-profile tech neighbours and is in close proximity to the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, the Convention Centre and Hanover Quay.
The Sorting Office, Dublin Docklands – Our Project
- The creation of the concept and drawings, in association with the project architects, for robust and aesthetically pleasing exposed aggregate, polished white concrete hard landscaping.
- The creation of a bespoke off-white concrete mix (‘Cardiff Lane’ mix) that looks stunning and minimises the need for regular cleaning.
- The manufacture of large planters, weight-restricted planters (for the roof garden), integrated Cumaru hardwood seating, pre-cast walls, bespoke outdoor concrete furniture, terraces and entrance steps.
- The supply of all necessary stainless steel bracketry.
The Sorting Office, Dublin Docklands – Our Process
- In close collaboration with the architects, our concrete engineers created the concepts for project installations.
- Design of truly unique polished concrete table and chairs for outdoor living space.
- Drawings for the hard landscaping concrete installations were completed.
- The drawings were approved.
- All items were manufactured to specifications
- All items were delivered to The Sorting Office construction site for assembly by the team at Walls Construction.