Eglinton Place is a high-density build-to-rent residential scheme at the gateway to Dublin, situated on a busy corner site in the popular suburb of Donnybrook Village
Designed in Archicad and completed in May 2024, the landmark development includes 148 one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, including nine duplex units, together with shared amenity facilities and spaces.
Dublin-based ALTU Architects joined the project for the construction phase and was tasked with bringing the ambitious design to life.
Remodelling for visualisation
The team started by remodelling the entire building in Archicad from scratch, enabling them to make full use of Graphisoft’s comprehensive and flexible visualisation tool BIMx throughout the build. A presentation and design coordination tool, BIMx allows users to explore building models in a simple, intuitive way on any device.
Michael Harty, associate director at ALTU, explains why it was useful: “This was a highly complex project. The BIMx model, which we exported directly from Archicad, was invaluable, both in gaining a thorough understanding of the design at the start and to address any challenges and queries throughout the project.”
©ALTU
Complex design of a multi-level building
The multi-level building varies in height along the surrounding streets so that it complements the neighbouring residential context, while simultaneously bringing light into the internal courtyard space and optimising the site’s potential.
The carefully crafted design uses well-placed balconies and sloping facades with feature brick and stone cladding. These sit alongside distinctive anodised metal doors, windows and balconies to create a striking yet sympathetic addition to the busy urban village. Michael explains: “We modelled every small detail of the design in Archicad and shared it with the contractors on site using BIMx.
“The combination of Archicad and BIMx was invaluable in ensuring the high quality of the finished design. Where there were aspects where the builder needed clarification, we used BIMx to zoom into different views and angles.”
Collaborating for efficiency
The complexity of the project required collaboration with a large number of subcontractors, from structural engineers to acoustic consultants, façade specialists and landscape designers.
ALTU took the structural engineers’ Revit model together with drawings from the other subcontractors and incorporated them into the Archicad model, before sharing the federated model with the builder. This allowed the team to identify and fix any clashes in the model environment.
Dean Stone, senior project manager for main contractor Elliott Group, says: “This was the first time we had used BIMx and we were very impressed with the software.
“Being able to access the BIMx file via the web without any additional software was invaluable; it meant we could share a link via email with third parties and they could access the model immediately.”
©Fionn McCann
Due to the complexity of the construction project, there were a large number of requests for clarification issued to the design team. The detail within the Archicad model, coupled with the ability to easily visualise and mark-up the BIMx model, was invaluable in responding to these queries.
This included dealing with clashes. For example, where there was an issue with a soffit, BIMx helped them to find a workaround.
“Using BIMx onsite on a tablet, it’s easy to pick up the detail you need in the exact location you want as the building is being constructed,” added Michael. “And with immediate access to all the drawings, it is much easier to find what you’re looking for.”
Understanding the building’s geometry
Built from concrete frame and secondary steel, the 12-storey frame was constructed first, with the stone and brick cladding following soon after.
The façade proved a challenge due to the varying layers in depth between the stone cladding, brickwork and windows. The façades are also slanted to bring more light into the north-facing courtyard apartments. BIMx helped here too.
“In site meetings, we projected the BIMx model onto a large screen and we were able to pan around the site and zoom into individual areas in real-time,” explained Dean. “In this way, we could talk through the project and discuss any issues straight away – it’s much easier to do this in 3D.”
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