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Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station: Adaptation and Re-use Serving the Community
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Last week, on Monday, 4 July, Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station in Dublin’s North inner city was officially opened by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris following a full internal and external renovation undertaken by the Office of Public Works (OPW).
The adaptation and redevelopment at No.24-28 and the adjacent building at No.30 Fitzgibbon Street has created a unique Garda Station campus with a specific focus on community engagement and on supporting the victims and witnesses of crime – and, for the first time, with no prisoner processing facility. Rather, the new Garda station building features a bespoke Crime Victim Support suite, meeting and interview rooms, rest rooms and a Garda Welfare facility. The two-storey fully refurbished building at No 30 is now used as a central hub for community groups and their representatives.
Both buildings are historic and had been closed since 2011. A former police barracks, No.24-28 Fitzgibbon Street was built in the last decade of the British colonial administration circa 1912-13 and was later transferred to An Garda Síochána. The two-storey-over-basement building at 30 Fitzgibbon Street is an end-of-terrace, seven bay former house, dating to circa 1860.
“Following a period of closure and extensive internal and external renovations, the station is revitalised once again, and reopened to Garda personnel and the general public. The refurbished station has enhanced An Garda Síochána’ Community Engagement, strengthening policing in the Dublin North Inner City with An Garda Síochána’ core mission - ‘Keeping People Safe’.
The challenge undertaken during this project was to enhance the quality of space, maximise the potential of the building and the site, while maintaining the building’s historic integrity. This was delivered sympathetically by the OPW, resulting in a period building in a significantly improved condition with enhanced contemporary facilities.
The successful redevelopment of Fitzgibbon Street Garda Station is valued by An Garda Síochána, allowing An Garda Síochána operations to continue in a rejuvenated building that facilitates a proactive, community oriented and partnership-focused policing service”.
The extensive renovations and upgrade works completed by the OPW in October 2021 include the replacement of existing windows with new replicas of the building’s original steel casement windows. The details of the original windows were gathered from historical research and the new windows maintain the integrity of the building’s architecture.
The refurbishment works also included cleaning and repair of the English bond red brick and Portland stone front façade, main entrance and cast iron fanlight above. A number of design interventions were introduced to provide universal access and use throughout the buildings and a number of courtyards. New passenger and platform lifts provide an accessible link between the two buildings and an accessible ground floor link to the Crime Victims’ wing.
The completed project also included the refurbishment of the internal stairs, metalwork, and existing masonry walls, as well as restoration of the original parquet hardwood and terrazzo floors, and the reinstatement of wainscoting. The works also included the removal of contemporary external additions and outdoor oil tank storage, construction of a new plant room at the rear of the building and new metal gates at the Charles Lane entrance, new hard and soft landscaping to rear courtyards with bicycles and car parking spaces, an upgrade to the drainage system and associated ancillary works.
The requirement for a new full M&E services provision resulted in a challenging process of structural strengthening, fire protection works and careful integration of services within the building’s historic fabric, successfully safeguarding its dignity and character.
The newly installed high-efficiency lighting system comprises LED light fittings with a fully automatic lighting control system that operates on presence detection and daylight levels, reducing energy use considerably. The existing rooflights were refurbished and retained to maximise daylight in the areas on the upper floor. New energy efficient heating and electrical systems have been installed to minimise energy use in the building’s operation. Electronic water controls were fitted in the toilet areas to minimise the use of clean water and consequential production of waste water.
The building is primarily naturally ventilated, which eliminates the need for extensive mechanical air conditioning. This is a challenge in an urban environment; however, it was achievable through the careful and strategic use of openable window sections throughout. In areas that could not be naturally ventilated due to non-existent or insufficient opening window area, heat recovery ventilation units were installed to provide adequate fresh air supplies with minimal energy usage.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Chargers are provided in the rear car park in line with, and in support of, the Governments Climate Action Plan.