Projects Archive - Page 2 of 5 - Altu Architects Brochure

The objective of our Client, the Land Development Agency is to develop this vacant urban site to provide much needed Cost Rental and Social Homes to the Local Community.

ALTU Architects approach was to maximise the sustainable density while allowing high levels of daylight to individual apartments and shared amenity spaces.

ALTU’s design solution was to create 3 separate blocks from 3 storey to 8 storey, resulting in 146 Apartments over an undercroft parking level. The 2 larger blocks are designed at 12 to a core.

The development is being delivered to high sustainable energy design standards. The scheme was one of the first in Ireland to achieve Permission through the Section 179A Planning Route classed as exempt development.

ALTU were engaged to carry out a complex structure and fire remediation works of the existing fabric over live retail which included a full building refurbishment of 205 student beds and associated amenity space to bring to a fully compliant state.

ALTU were engaged to administer the strategic relocation of RSA from three floors to two floors of the RSA headquarters as well as the consolidation and reorganisation of the workplace, facilitating and encouraging a more collaborative and open way of working.

In order to inform the design, ALTU carried out a workplace strategy analysis through a series of interviews with representatives from all departments as well as an anonymous on-line survey which instructed the design approach based around the current and desired ways of working.

The design of the project was well advanced when the pandemic began and the project was paused for a redesign to accommodate an increased requirement for hybrid working. This resulted in a reduction in the number of workstations and a greater focus on a variety of collaboration and social spaces. On site there was a requirement to maintain operations of the 123.ie team and this involved phasing the construction and the relocation of this team during the fit-out works.

The interiors were designed to reflect the brand colours of RSA and 123.ie and these were carried through the interiors finishes palette. Collaborative furniture, meeting booths and phone pods were installed providing space for private meetings, phone calls and quiet working spaces.

As part of the strategic re-generation of the offices the ground floor reception areas, lift lobbies and toilets were also refurbished as part of the works.

ALTU Studios is our home right in the thick of things on Dublin’s bustling Camden Street. In the new world of hybrid-working we’ve taken a close look at out present and future needs to inform a space with flexibility that fosters community, culture and collaboration. As working patterns change, our space can adapt with it.

The design allows for fluctuations in staff and visitor numbers providing desk spaces, touch down spaces, informal and formal meeting spaces and multi-functional spaces, making use of every square inch available. Movable furniture was utilised to accommodate future changes as they arise. The interiors take on our branding concept of calm, muted tones with accents of more vibrant colours and materials.

We look forward to seeing you at ALTU Studios!

This city centre redevelopment of a tired existing 1970s Office building included the retention and temporary support of a large extent of the existing concrete structure.

The redeveloped building has been designed by ALTU to recognise the responsibility between its immediate context and fulfilling its role to adhere to the principles of rhythm, tone, materials, plot width and height predominant on the Quays. A careful balanced approach to transparency and solid-to-void ratio has informed the design development to respect the principles above while optimising daylight and the incredible views available.

The facade has been designed to respect its prominent location and provide a considered well-mannered composition, sympathetic to the existing architectural diversity of the Liffey quays, while clearly a building of its time. The new composition is an elegant contemporary stone framed building with floor to ceiling glazing to the office floors. The stone articulates plot widths and provides strength to the parapet line and legibility to the ground level. Deep reveals to the stone frame provide solidity and integration to the façade.

The stone frame terminates at the fourth-floor parapet level allowing the two-tiered penthouse to be distinct as a lighter, more transparent element.

The Client aspiration for Belvoir was for a high quality, distinctively designed scheme of 55 no. generously sized, new build apartments. An additional 5 no. units were accommodated within the refurbishment of Kilmacud House.

A key feature of the brief was to sensitively address and incorporate Kilmacud House and its curtilage – an existing listed courtyard building and structure which represents a unique feature of this prominent site.

The design response for the proposed development consists of a site arrangement organized in two blocks, ranging in height from three to five storeys.

Together with the sensitive refurbishment and conversion of Kilmacud House, the overall scheme successfully provides the required accommodation of 55 no. BTR Apartments comprising 11 no. one bed, 34 no. two bed and 10 no. three bed units.

The development also includes provision of 82 no. car parking spaces across both basement and surface levels on the site.

The design proposal demonstrate best practice principles of sustainable urban development through the transformation of an existing on-grade District Centre car park into a residential community of high architectural quality in a well-connected & supported urban location. An unused grassland is also transformed a new high quality public park improving local connectivity, public communal amenity, bio- diversity, benefiting from passive surveillance and activity through the proposed residential scheme and improving the overall visual amenity of the area by softening the landscape. The mid rise scheme with a corner tower element establishes a density, scale & height appropriate to a District Centre location responding to the specific context of this site.

ALTU were appointed by Hammerson to undertake the design and fit out for their new HQ Office in Dundrum Town to a challenging program of two months.

Already familiar with the requirements for the fit-out and the design of the existing building, the scope of the scheme led by ALTU included a range of open plan offices, meeting rooms, staff canteen and collaboration spaces.

ALTU delivered the project through BIM and it was used throughout the process to inform the design, enable visualizations and assist scheduling, all of which facilitated prompt decision making in respect of finish selection, furniture layouts et al.

The project was delivered within programme, under budget and met the Client’s stated project brief and strategic objectives.

ALTU were engaged by Boulder Media – an Irish animation company forming part of the global entity Hasbro Inc. – to design and deliver their new Dublin HQ Office to accommodate their diverse team of 320 people.

The principal objective of the scheme was to accommodate some of the world’s best 2D and 3D Animators, Artists and Designers within an inspiring, vibrant and dynamic work place environment, that will see teams ranging from 50-90 people collaborating on projects called ‘pipes’.

ALTU worked with Boulder in a fully collaborative design process, that included the creation of unique animations which were integrated throughout and informed the surrounding interior strategy and material palettes. Each meeting room is designed and named based on a character from a Production.

Spatial programming was organised into neighbourhoods for each Animation Team generally consisting of 25 to 50 staff working on a single production. ‘Pod’ meeting rooms, each named after characters from Boulder productions, break up each neighbourhood, while also providing a small meeting room to discuss and review animations.

The exterior walls of each Pod are made of pinnable and writeable surfaces to foster collaboration at the heart of each neighbourhood and encourage the display of new ideas and artwork.