Winner “Commercial Project of the Year – Small ” at the 2019 Irish Construction Industry Awards.
Developer: Esprit Waterways Limited
Architect: Smith + Kennedy Architects
Main Contractor: John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Limited
Installer: Butech, Porcelanosa Group
Quantities: Approx. 1400m2
The one-of-a-kind, award-winning and revolutionary design of the new Waterways House building in Dublin’s Docklands inspires new innovation in Irish architecture.
This impressive development is a spectacular new 7-story contemporary office development and first of its kind in Ireland, designed by award-winning Dublin Architects Smith + Kennedy.
Owned by private investment company, Esprit Investments Limited, the building is located in Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2 and has fantastic views overlooking the canal.
Not only has it been constructed to the highest specifications and built to LEED gold-certificate standard, it also is the first commercial building in the country to feature a KRION® Solid Surface ventilated façade.
TileStyle were the proud supplier of the façade made from KRION®, a revolutionary and innovative new generation solid-surface material fabricated and installed by Butech, a company that is part of the Porcelanosa Group. Krion’s proven resistance to unfavourable weather conditions, ease of maintenance and remarkable stability when exposed to UV rays made it an ideal material for this project. It was also used to make the bespoke reception desk featured in the entrance lobby, where TileStyle also supplied the floor tiles used.
At TileStyle we are here to help support the process from beginning to end and can provide all aspects of the technical support required with the help our expert technical partner Butech – all information needed from first enquiry, shop drawings, site meetings etc. and Butech are available to install. It is a very specialist job to fit Krion as a ventilated façade – the installer needs to be experienced in both façade installation and solid surface fabrication.
Sketches and designs were presented by the architect to Dublin City Council who at first, granted permission for the product itself to be used on a city centre façade and later for this particular building. TileStyle & Butech provided a mock up wall for the Council to view on the original building on this site.
The façade was fitted in stages with the bracket system installed first followed by the Krion.
Outstanding architecture and the clever use of materials contribute to what makes this building such a ground-breaking project that really sets an example for the future of commercial building designs in this country.
Read more about KRION® here.
For more information, please contact Jacqueline Walsh at jacqueline@tilestyle.ie or call 01 8555 200.
Photography by: Daragh Muldowney & Roger O’ Sullivan
Article: Irish Times Feature.
