Warehouse revamp leads way for more service companies

Given the level of building activity in Dublin docklands, it is clear that over the next few years, areas that are now desolate and fairly bleak will become buzzing commercial centres. Development of the south side of docklands is just beginning in earnest, but already small service companies are seeing the potential of moving to an area currently populated by bonded warehouses, vast garages and hauliers.

This time last year, young architect Neil Burke-Kennedy had decided it was time to move his architecture practice, made up of six people, out of a room in his house and into larger premises. After a wide trawl through commercial spaces to let, he came across a 4,500 sq ft warehouse on Green Street East, at the far end of the South Docks.

The listed building is a classic warehouse with two foot thick walls, a slate roof and interesting brick details typical of its mid-19th century construction. However, by the time Burke-Kennedy came across it, it was a shell which was mostly used for storage - most recently, for U2's touring equipment.

However, the amount of work required to convert the warehouse into office space made letting seem a financially unattractive option, so the architect persuaded the owners to sell the building for £760,000.

The outlay was far in excess of any budget his small seven-year-old architecture practice could support, so Burke-Kennedy bought the building with a friend, Dominic Kelly, who has a chartered accountancy practice and was also looking to buy his own office space.

The transformation of the remote warehouse has taken less than a year and £180,000. The space is equally divided between the two companies and they share a reception area. There are hidden costs in renovating any old building, but there were some unusual ones on the Green Street East job, most notably the construction of a public footpath outside the building's front door.

"There was just a clay footpath there," says Burke-Kennedy, "and I suppose we could have waited for the corporation to do it, but we spent £2,500 on three tonnes of cobblestones and did the job ourselves."

The offices are on two levels with a mezzanine, metal walkways, skylights and double-height windows at either end. The amount of space in the lofty warehouse meant that more room than usual could be given over to common areas such as the reception and the bathrooms as well as to the work areas. Security was a priority, given the remoteness of the building, so the steel and timber doors have a magnetic locking system and there are no windows at ground floor level.

"Academically, the design is not cutting edge," says Burke-Kennedy of his open warehouse-style studio, who in idle moments can look out his window and see the ships passing by, "but it is a very easy and comfortable place to work."