Next Generation Scheme Announced for Central Dublin, as the City Bounces Back Into Business

12 October 2021

60 Dawson Street and Grafton Place, an office and retail destination for the future with pre-eminent environmental credentials will launch in central Dublin, in Spring 2023.

Developed by leading real estate investment management firm MARK in partnership with Dublin-based investment management group BCP, the scheme is located on one of the last significant city centre development sites on the corner of Dawson Street and Nassau Street. The 190,000sqft (17,650sqm) property encompasses 60 Dawson Street, pegged to be Dublin’s No.1 office space and unparalleled retail at Grafton Place.

Pursuant of industry leading WELL and LEED Gold certification and designed by leading architects Henry J Lyons, 60 Dawson Street and Grafton Place have been built to the highest environmental and sustainability standards, reducing the carbon footprint of the property over the building’s lifetime.

Lily Lin, Managing Director UK & Ireland, Mark comments,

“When planning 60 Dawson Street and Grafton Place, we committed to enhanced sustainability and wellness as core to the delivery of the project. Conceived as a building that actively works both with and for its occupants, the property aims to promote health, productivity and champion a future-facing approach to working lifestyles and city living.”

Last week, Ireland was named the No.1 country in the world in Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience rankings – a snapshot of where the virus is being handled most effectively with the least social and economic upheaval. Demonstrating this success, Dublin bounced back to life in August, with retail sales far above pre-Covid levels as consumers and businesses took advantage of the first full-month of re-opening. i

Ray Crowley, Director, BCP comments,

“Alongside MARK, we are proud to bring to market 60 Dawson Street and Grafton Place, a prestigious cornerstone of the regeneration and re–opening of Dublin post pandemic. Confident in Dublin’s enduring and growing appeal to domestic and international players, this environmentally conscious scheme will launch as the city’s No.1 office space and retail opportunity.”

An office space that champions innovation and peak performance, 60 Dawson Street offers fully flexible floor plates, next generation amenities and communal spaces, including 5,600sqft (520sqm) of private landscaped terraces, with panoramic city views and a magnificent six-story, light filled atrium that will operate as a central innovation hub. Through its biophilic design, occupants will enjoy air quality enhanced by 25%, leading to proven health and productivity benefits. Built with regionally sourced, environmentally conscious materials, smart touchless technology has been integrated throughout, alongside state-of-the-art at-source waste recycling and energy efficient lighting.

Located on the ground and lower ground floors of the building, Grafton Place offers an unprecedented retail offering within Dublin’s premiere shopping district.  Envisioned as a 45,000sqft (4,180sqm) contemporary extension of Grafton Street which is just 50m away, this prominent corner site responds to the needs of a bricks and mortar store of the future. With the location attracting a pre-Covid footfall of 9 million people, and a high-density, affluent local population, Grafton Place delivers a collection of prime large format retail stores, with 110m of superior glazed frontage, high ceiling heights and fully flexible floor plans. Retail units can range from 1080sqft (100sqm) to 27,000sqft (2,500sqm) or larger, depending on requirements and benefit from a wrap-around 7m wide pavement frontage.

Profiting from the scheme’s next generation environmental credentials and prestigious central Dublin positioning, Grafton Place provides brands with a physical store that showcases their commitment to a more eco-conscious retail future – an issue of rising importance to consumers. With its youthful, affluent population, Dublin is fast becoming a leading international city for sustainable development, supported by strong tenant demand and a GDP growth that is out-pacing forecasts on a quarterly basisii. Eco-conscious commercial premises are increasingly seen as a strategic device to further corporate goals and as a reflection of brand identity.

Martin Donnelly, Director, Henry J Lyons comments,

“Overlooking the Trinity College Dublin Provosts Gardens on one of the last significant city centre development sites, 60 Dawson Street has provided an opportunity for a rare and unique office and retail building in Dublin.

“The façade has been thoughtfully designed, as an elegant and timeless addition to this historic area. In line with the building’s superior environmental credentials, it is built from locally sourced and sustainable materials, predominantly limestone with bronze highlights and curtain wall glazing. The office levels are spun around a central atrium, offering panoramic views over the historic city core, the wider city, docklands and Dublin mountains.”

This architecturally striking development embodies the next-generation spirit of Dublin, which boasts Europe’s youngest population with 60% under 40 years oldiii, fastest economic growth in Europe for the last five years runningiv and reigns as the leading destination city in Europe for foreign investment in Headquartersv.   Already home to the world’s top five software companies, nine of the world’s top ten pharmaceutical companies and half of the world’s top 50 banks, Dublin has been identified as a tech city of the future, ahead of both Berlin and Amsterdam.vi

Reflecting its location, 60 Dawson Street and Grafton Place will stand as destination for a greener, value focused world; where smarter design feeds into a new way of urban living and the commercial successes and demands of tomorrow.

i Central Statistics Office September 2021