A new public library opens its doors in Finglas
Published on 11th December 2023
A new chapter for Finglas as a new public library opens its doors
The people of Finglas celebrated Christmas early on Saturday 9th December as they came together to mark the opening of Dublin City Council’s newest branch library.
The library, formerly an An Post sorting office, is located at the centre of the village on Seamus Ennis Road and replaces the former branch in the Finglas Village Centre. The new library provides plenty of books and other materials, as well as places to read, study, meet and work. The library, including the public toilets, is fully accessible and is designed to provide a sense of well-being and a vibrant place for the community.
Speaking at the official opening of the library, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste said:
‘I am delighted to mark the official opening of the new public library for Finglas. Libraries are vital public spaces at the heart of their communities. This new library is a modern, universally accessible community space, and I look forward to seeing the exciting new services that the library service will deliver for the people of Finglas.
I am pleased to see that the project approach has been to retain and upcycle an existing, vacant building instead of knocking it down and re-building, taking a low energy approach and contributing to Dublin City’s sustainability objectives.’
The Chief Executive, Richard Shakespeare said
‘Delivering a new community library for the people of Finglas has been a long standing ambition for the City. This project has delivered on that ambition, providing much needed, free, open and universally accessible spaces for all. Finglas is the first in a series of new and refurbished libraries that will be delivered by the City Council over the coming years.’
Image - Deputy City Librarian: Brendan Teeling, Dublin City Librarian: Mairead Owens, Lord Mayor of Dublin: Daithí de Róiste.
About the project
The project for a new public library in Finglas was realised through the repurposing of the old sorting office on Seamus Ennis Road.
The existing building had not been in use for a number of years. However, the main fabric of the building was intact and the potential for ‘upcycling’ was readily apparent.
In terms of a low energy strategy, the first and most important decision has been to retain the building and to plan for future proofing in lieu of demolition and re-build. All buildings contain a measure of ‘embodied energy’ which is the cumulative energy retained in the existing building materials and their manufacture and assembly. In buildings which can be adapted, the biggest energy saving available is in the retention of the building itself. In this case the building envelope – walls, floors, windows and roof were retained and upgraded without drastic intervention.
The building was retrofitted to meet contemporary thermal performance requirements and specific interventions have been made to optimise daylight and space to provide a sense of well-being and a vibrant place for the community.
The front lawn has been reconfigured to provide a pocket park with a new seating hub and a gently sloped pathway set in landscaped grounds.
The access solution is integrated into the landscape whereby a gentle approach is threaded through the green space between the library and pavement.
The use of scented plants in the triangular plots between the path might are designed to enhance the sensory experience of pedestrians and wheelchair users, and particularly those of limited sight.
This is just one of the design measures adopted to enhance the experience of all visitors to the library and make it a truly inclusive space.
About the architects
Cotter & Naessens are an architecture and design studio based in Cork since 2001. The practice has a particular interest in public buildings in urban locations and current projects include the Fruit and Vegetable Market in Mary’s Lane and a Student Centre in the University of Limerick. Recently completed with JV partners Denis Byrne Architects is the mixed development for Dublin City Council, Dominick Hall in Dublin 1 which achieved an RIAI Award for Housing in 2023 and is shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival.
The work of the practice output is informed by design research and design contests, notable examples include the dlrLexicon in Dun Laoghaire and most recently the FOCAS Research Institute, Technical University Dublin.
The work of the practice has been nominated twice for the EU Mies Award and in 2016 dlrLexicon received the RIBA Award for International Excellence, and the RIAI Awards for Best Public Building and Best Cultural Building in 2015.