New city library will transform Northside

PLANS for a cutting edge City Library that will be at the heart of the new Parnell Square Cultural Quarter are to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála within weeks.

The City Library, which will replace the Central Library at the Ilac Centre, will be located beside Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane and close to the Irish Writers’ Centre, the Dublin Writers Museum, the Gate Theatre and the Garden of Remembrance.

City Library will create a focal point for Parnell Square Cultural Quarter and will have a public plaza at the front that can be used for cultural outdoor events.

The library will be located in a terrace of six restored Georgian houses at 23-28 Parnell Square and a dramatic new building to be constructed to the rear.

The Georgian houses at 20 and 21 Parnell Square will also be redeveloped as part of the plan.

The main lending library will be situated in the spacious new building, which will have access to the roof where a terrace with views overlooking the city will be located.

Cultural facilities will include a music centre, a design space, an innovation hub and business library, a 200-seat conference space, an education centre, a café and exhibition areas.

There will also be areas for children and teenagers as well as spaces dedicated for study and education and mores spaces located in interconnecting rooms of the Georgian houses.

A funding model will see a minimum of 55 percent of the project funded by philanthropy while Dublin City Council will fund a maximum of 45 percent of the project cost.

The final bill is expected to be upwards of €100 million and the building work will take 2-3 years with a completion date anticipated to be in 2023.

Detailed plans were presented in City Hall last week by the design team, led by Grafton Architects and Shaffrey Architects, Acting City Librarian Brendan Teeling and City Architect Ali Grehan.

“The City Library and Cultural Quarter will be a magnificent synthesis of historic and contemporary architecture unique to Dublin, drawing people along the pivotal route that connects Christchurch and Dublin Castle, through College Green and O’Connell Street, to Parnell Square,” said Ms Grehan.

Teeling said the objective was to create a world-class library that serves local and civic communities and was consistent with the status of Dublin as a capital city and its UNESCO City of Literature designation.

“It will inspire and excite, welcome and include, with collections, connections, places, services and programmes for learners, readers, researchers, children and families, and all citizens,” he continued. “It will be a place to learn, create and participate.”

Lord Mayor of Dublin Nial Ring believes the project will have a positive socio-economic impact on the immediate area of the North Inner City and the city centre.

“Parnell Square is the first and finest of Dublin’s Georgian Squares,” he said.

“It has a rich and important history with philanthropic origins. Welcoming an estimated 3,000 visitors each day, up to one million people per year, this bold and visionary project will act as a catalyst for regeneration in this part of the City, drawing Dubliners and visitors of all ages in new directions and creating new business opportunities.”

A model of the design for the new City Library is on display in the Central Library, Ilac Centre.

The Parnell Square Cultural Quarter is one of a number of planned projects that will transform the Northside over the coming years including the on-going Grangegorman development, the Carlton Cinema retail plan, the new stadium at Dalymount Park and the redevelopment of Phibsborough Shopping Centre.