Bolands Mills

Dublin, Republic of Ireland | 2019 - 2024

The regeneration of Dublin’s Bolands Mills is one of Ireland’s largest to date, breathing new life into the historic Docklands. The placemaking project restores existing warehouses, and develops an active public realm to support office, residential, retail and cultural spaces for up to 2,500 people.

We worked with our client, Google, to design a universally accessible public realm, bringing activities and nature to a previously inaccessible site. Proposed as a multi-generational space; seating, planting and the integration of water draw on all senses and support users of all abilities. The new streets and squares connect into Barrow Street, Ringsend Road and the wider residential neighbourhood to create a new social hub for Grand Canal Dock.

The landscape draws on the rich historical context to inform a series of narratives that celebrate the people and place through art, paving, water features that layer memories and stories of the past into the public realm. Special moments such as the historical map in Canal Bank Square, or the delineation of the original grain silos in the paving, provide a tangible connection to the past uses of the site.

A Dock Edge Screen was developed as part of the environmentally conditioning of Bolands Square, as the south westerly winds can be strong across the open water. Originally conceived as a portable with moveable screens, it is layered with greater meaning with the introduction of laser cut text from a 19th Century account of the mills in operation. We collaborated with Sean Atmos and Begley Hutton to finalise a form and aesthetic that defines the dock edge and provides a highly visible local landscape for the new public spaces.

The hard Docklands character is celebrated along the waterfront with generous flexible seating in the sunniest part of the site. The larger open spaces can support community and cultural uses, with interactive and playable water features activating Bolands Square throughout the year. A series of dedicated play zones in the heart of the development are for the enjoyment of residents and visitors of all ages and abilities. The lighting strategy developed with Speirs Major Light Architecture (SMLA) encourages evening activation and safe movement through the development with a subtle profiling of character from residential to more public spaces.

Thermal comfort for external activities has been carefully considered through the sensitive placement of different activities in the landscape responding to environmental conditions. Alongside retail terraces, the landscape seating material and inclusive features support longer dwell times. Wind mitigation canopies, both in the landscape and buildings, enhance outdoor comfort and support year round activities. Bolands Mills’ series of streets and squares are framed by trees and dense planting to elevate the experience, improve wellness for visitors.

Press

‘Introducing Bolands Mills, a living room for Dublin’s Docklands’ (2025)
’Shop: Markets @ Bolands Mills’ (2025)