Regeneration of Dolphin House Phase 1

There is a strong sense of community in Dolphin House. The estate is fully occupied and tenants wish to remain living there, therefore a key regeneration principle is to keep the community intact and in-situ. In 2010, community action led to the development of a masterplan for a phased regeneration of the estate. This masterplan sought to renovate most of the existing blocks within a re-ordered site plan, and to introduce new buildings to provide a clearer distinction between public and private amenity space. The first phase of the regeneration was completed in 2018 and consisted of the renovation of three blocks to provide 63 improved, larger flats and the construction of 37 new homes. Critically, Dolphin House Phase 1 now addresses the Grand Canal and creates clarity between public and private amenity spaces.  It achieves this by constructing a terrace of new-build homes at each end of the existing blocks so enclosing them to form new attractively landscaped courtyards. These courtyards, for the first time provided private and secure open space for the residents and their children to enjoy, away from the dangers of road traffic. Both the renovation and new-build have provided high quality, bright, warm yet energy efficient apartments, so helping in alleviating fuel poverty often prevalent in older social housing building stock. In addition, a new street layout has been set up with two and three storey housing now facing the canal, providing an attractive canal frontage while also ensuring passive supervision of the canal path. New lifts and stair cores have also been added to the existing blocks,  making all units wheelchair accessible.

The renovated flats achieve virtually the same standards as the new-build in terms of thermal comfort. In order to achieve this the existing brick blocks were over-clad in external insulation with brick slips at ground floor level for extra durability and a render finish above. Existing windows were replaced with triple glazed windows and additional insulation was applied to the roof.  New highly efficient condensing gas boilers were installed along with a dMEV system to manage ventilation. The ground floor slabs were insulated with a plywood top layer, ready for a floor finish. Finally, there was an extensive array of photovoltaic panels erected on the flat roofs of the newly-built blocks which distributed renewable solar generated electricity throughout the scheme. The refurbished buildings achieve and average A3 energy rating with the new-build achieving an A2. Permeable paving was used in parking bays to assist in sustainable attenuation of surface water. Generous planting, including native species fruit trees, was an integral part of the landscaping design and assists in minimising surface water run-off. Swift boxes and bat boxes are located at roof level to encourage nesting and provide a safe habitat for indigenous wildlife helping to promote biodiversity.

Despite the Phase 1 renovated blocks achieving the same quality of finish and environmental performance as the new-build, tenants still perceive the new-build homes are better. To this end, Dublin City Council and the community agreed a revised masterplan in 2021 that anticipates demolition of all remaining blocks and replacement with new-build.  It also relocates the proposed neighbourhood park towards the Grand Canal, adjacent to a new community centre in order to encourage the wider neighbourhood to benefit from the improved amenity in Dolphin House. Dublin City Architects is now working on the next development phase to create a new block facing the busy Dolphin’s Barn road, and is developing an implementation strategy for the revised masterplan with the community.