Lyons Mill

The regeneration project comprised the complete refurbishment of a 150-year-old five-storey listed warehouse at Finisklin Road, Sligo also known as Lyons Mill. This handsome example of a nineteenth-century warehouse is solidly built and of imposing scale. As such it makes a considerable impact on its surroundings. It is a salient reminder of Sligo’s history as a busy town port.

Phase 1 entailed the entire conservation, rehabilitation, and whilst structurally challenging, a sensitive adaptive reuse of the building including a vibrant public plaza which is linked to Finisklin Road and the city centre. Phase 2 entailed the fit-out of the ground floor café including a semi-external seating area with retractable roof and fit-out of the three upper floors as modern offices.

Although the building is known as a mill there is no obvious source of power such as a water course shown nearby. From its form the building is clearly industrial having low ceiling heights, small windows distributed across the façades according to internal functions and a vertical loading bay to the south façade.

The project was developed in the context of a larger commercial retail project on adjoining lands to the south that our client was selling to a retail multi-national. Our client and the Design Team collaborated with Sligo County Council to realise the future potential of Lyons Mill and create a transformative public plaza between the new retail unit and a repurposed mill – the collective goal was to protect and conserve an important part of Sligo’s industrial heritage; fabric and character to ensure its survival for future generations; nonetheless a key to the success of the project was adapting the protected structure to have appropriate uses that were compatible, sustainable and value for money.

The conservation strategy for Lyons Mill was based on the international ICOMOS Burra and Venice Charters and in full compliance with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government’s “Guidelines on Architectural Conservation”.

Placemaking Effect: The retention, rehabilitation, and re-use of the Lyons Mill along with the new public realm have played a pivotal role in the sustainable development and a catalyst for the regeneration of the Docklands of Sligo. The urban aspect of the plaza is emphasized using bespoke urban elements including contrasting paving, sculptural planting zones and feature lighting, combining to create a vibrant and distinctive, high quality public space, which is linked to Finisklin Road and the city centre. The rejuvenated former warehouse reinforces the industrial character, cultural significance, and through an appropriate and sensitive adaptive reuse has a real placemaking effect on the docklands of Sligo.

The new café in Lyons Mill brings increased footfall to a new urban quarter that beforehand was only familiar to HGV’s and docklands traffic – the new public realm now enables community events. The placing of diverse commercial and social functions near each other and with desire lines and connections back to the city has a high social, economic, and cultural value. Lyons Mill has quickly become a unique urban quarter that draws on the area’s powerful maritime character. This is a strong community regeneration project that will benefit business and tourism in the area and so strengthen the viability and sustainability of the community for the longer term, making it an attractive place to live, work and relax.

Adaptive Reuse:  The original mill building was virtually impossible to be reused in its original form with an average floor to floor height of 2.5m and a clear height below the beams of only 2.1m – for that reason an ‘adaptive reuse’ refurbishment project was born. Being built for a specific industrial purpose, the original design restricted modern reuse due to its internal narrow plan form, low ceiling heights, poor light levels and narrow opes. In this case, by removing the five original floors from the building and inserting a new lightweight steel frame to carry four new floors carefully not to interrupt the window openings, McCabe Architects developed a solution to provide a long-term use for the building. The careful reuse and recycling of materials in the building was vital to the proper conservation of the building.

Testimonials

Lyons Mill is a hugely significant conservation project. Buildings, spaces, and places, charged with cultural value represent an important element of stable and humane social life and community pride. For me, the vibrancy of the restored mill combined with its contemporary interventions and public plaza personifies this transformational project.

Sean Martin, City Architect, Sligo County Council

Quote:

We are the temporal custodians for the inheritance of our built heritage. We have a duty to ensure that our buildings are conserved and are available to those who come after us and am proud to say we have played our part in that.

Michael Townsend, Church Road Developments Ltd. (Client)

Size
720 sq.m

Year:
2021

Status
Protected Structure and NIAH Reg. No.32006043

Photography
Paul Doherty Photography

Awards
2022 Community Benefit Award – KPMG Property Industry Excellence Awards