A sustainable timber tower to be built on top of 19th-century mill

Urban Agency has put forward a proposal for a timber tower, consisting mainly of office space, to be built on top of a nineteenth century industrial mill in Dublin

Spotted: Timber is becoming increasingly popular as a building material for its sustainable properties, and since wooden construction techniques have advanced, timber towers have been springing up in cities all around the world. Award-winning architecture firm Urban Agency have plans to add to this list: the Dock Mill proposal is a timber tower slated for the roof of a nineteenth-century industrial mill on Dublin’s waterfront.

The light and tensile qualities of timber make it an appealing solution for an addition to an existing historical mill, and the Dock Mill will consist of the original 22-metre-high mill with the tower built on its roof, extending the building by a further 50 metres.

As the building is currently in a state of dilapidation, Urban Agency will freshen things up and improve access with a new boardwalk. The interior of the original mill will host residential apartments, while the majority of the tower will consist of office space with a winter garden on the top two floors. In addition to the use of sustainably sourced timber, the firm has suggested the use of solar panels as a potential sustainable feature. The cross-laminated timber that will be used to construct the tower will be prefabricated off-site to ensure a less disruptive construction process.

Dock Mill is currently awaiting planning permission and Urban Agency hopes to go forward with the project if all goes as planned.

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