The second in our weekly series taking a look at each of the nine finalists in the Fit Out or Refurbishment categories of the upcoming Irish Construction Excellence (ICE) Awards, sponsored by Surety Bonds. This week takes us to Zanzibar Locke in Dublin city centre, completed in late 2020 by Bennett (Construction) Ltd. and shortlisted in the Fit Out or Refurbishment over €10m category.
Category: Fit Out or Refurbishment Over €10m
Project: Zanzibar Locke
Contractor: Bennett (Construction) Ltd
Client: edyn
Lead Architect: C&W O’Brien
Completed in late 2020, the Zanzibar Locke aparthotel on Dublin’s Ormond Quay is a beautiful amalgamation of modern-industrial aesthetic on the inside, while maintaining and emphasizing the impressive Georgian frontage and remaining cohesive with the neighbouring buildings.
Formerly the Zanzibar bar and nightclub, the site forms part of the historical fabric of the Quays which over time had fallen into disrepair and lay vacant for a number of years.
The building houses apartments, work-spaces, a cocktail bar, restaurant, workout studio and more.
Despite the concrete ceilings and visible pipelines/ service routes in line with the newly popular industrial aesthetic, the result is not the cold and empty picture that sometimes implied by “industrial”. O’Donnell O’Neill Design have managed to make each space warm and homely.
With 32 different room types, each room has its own identity.
A communal space on the ground floor carries through the same aesthetic as each room, blending it with bright and natural lighting and structures, the live green wall being a fantastic example of this.
The project saw the refurbishment of the protected Georgian façade and the interior of the existing Georgian structures looking onto the quays in line with best practice and the provision of a new bar and eatery. An existing archway accessed from the Quays is used as the main entry point to a spectacular foyer.
