1998 – Dart Station, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin

Architect: Iarnród Éireann Architects

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One of the stations on the Dublin suburban line (Dart – Dublin Area Rapid Transport), Dun Laoghaire Station is a redevelopment of an older Victorian Station. The original station building is now a seafood restaurant but the platform buildings remained in use as a suburban station. Sited beneath road level, they presented an awkward design problem. This was cleverly solved by placing the new ticket office and entrance across the railway lines at street level – access from the lower ferry terminal to the rear being provided by a new glazed staircase and lift. The building is open with weather protection being provided by a taut membrane supported by a steel framework and side protection given by glazed panels.

The new station provides an incredibly light and airy solution to this unusual site and creates a nice link to the new ferry terminal by Burke Kennedy Doyle and a foil to the Dun Laoghaire – Rathdown County Hall across the street.