WITH strong foundations put down, Limerick Twenty Thirty is now very much about building for the future, its CEO David Conway says.
With one landmark building – the multi award-winning Gardens International on Henry Street – under its belt; its other completed project,
Troy Studios, well established; planning permission secured for Mungret Park; master-planning of Cleeves Riverside Quarter advanced; not to mind building out its own team, it’s been a busy few years for Limerick Twenty Thirty, even in the middle of a global pandemic.
But for all that, right now it’s the much awaited Opera Square project that is causing the biggest stir internally and externally, a project that will very much set the tone for Limerick as it seeks to become a cutting-edge city of innovation and sustainability and one competing proudly and ably on the international stage.
After the economic downturn, Limerick City and County Council illustrated its leadership and eye for the future as it acquired the site and tasked Limerick Twenty Thirty with the master-planning and delivery of the project.
Now, having secured planning and advanced the vast enabling and demolition works programme on the 3.7-acre site, work is beginning this summer on the expansive basement before we first begin to see blocks coming out of the ground in months to come. As Conway states “it’s all systems go now, though large scale projects do take time to deliver”.
It’s required a lot of creativity and resilience to get to this stage, with the complexities of a large city-centre site like this considerable, not least when allied with Limerick Twenty Thirty’s focus on bringing the site’s strong Georgian heritage into the future.
“The future is really what we are looking towards,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean we turn our back on the past, far from it. Retaining the Georgian element brings a huge additional challenge and cost but our goal is to rehab 16 of the 18 Georgian buildings and give them a new lease of life.
“The other big focus for Limerick Twenty Thirty is sustainability. Like with Gardens International,we will be delivering Opera Square to a standard not seen in the city or region previously, with few equals nationally or internationally in terms of sustainability and all-round design, comfort and accessibility.
“Limerick Twenty Thirty’s goal is to deliver projects that help enable Limerick compete on an international stage. It’s something we’re very excited about and it is an exciting time for Limerick.”
