Cornamona Court

Cunningham were appointed by Dublin City Council to deliver the 61-unit Cornamona Court residential development, on a city-centre brownfield site. The project involved demolition works and basement construction interfaces; multi-storey apartment and duplex development arranged around a shared landscaped courtyard over a basement car park.

In the early stages of the project, it became apparent that ground conditions were not as the reports had identified. Work for the basement entailed 8-metre-deep digging, which at times during construction was only 1 metre above the water table. In pursuit of a workable solution to ensure the scheme remained on track, Cunningham and the project team devised a solution that included a reduction in CFA Piles in conjunction with a reduction in rock anchors. Such was the success of this innovative and timely response; it resulted in cost savings for the client and enabled the project to remain ahead of the works programme.

Cornamona Court comprises of three housing blocks, including 16 two-storey terraces (Block C) and two blocks (A & B) across four and five storeys. Blocks A & B feature 12 three-bedroom, five-person duplex units at ground floor level, with individual stepped own door access from
the street level and a second access level access from the courtyard at the rear through private gardens and terrace spaces. The upper floors comprise of 29 one bed and 4 two bed apartments, all of which are specifically designed for senior citizens.

A cooperative and inclusive programme of engagement with the client and end users resulted in a building design that enables tenants to overlook a landscaped courtyard garden complete with planting, seating areas and play equipment. Further still, following close consultation
with the client, project designers and stakeholders, the buildings were designed to have a simple rectangular geometry, animated with large windows and screens, balconies and access galleries, and the two-storey houses were designed to have simple mono pitch roofs to reduce their height and impact on existing neighbouring houses at the rear of the site

Project Complexities

City-Centre Brownfield Site – Ground Remediation I Densely Populated Area Near; Educational and Community Facilities and Live Residents I Service Diversions I Multi-Storey I CFA Piles I Reinforced Concrete I Rock Anchors I Busy Public Road Requiring Intensive Traffic Management I Modern Method of Construction