Trinity Wharf, Wexford
Wexford County Council engaged STW as design team lead for the redevelopment of Trinity Wharf, a 5.6ha derelict, brownfield, waterfront site at the southern end of Wexford town centre.
The proposed mix of uses (hotel, commercial offices, residential, hotel, local retail, restaurant/café, civic/cultural, marina) all combine to create a vibrant extension to the town centre that brings life along the waterfront. The scheme includes a high-quality public realm with main civic square and a boardwalk connecting with the extensive town centre quay-front area.
An Bord Pleanála granted approval in 2020 and initial site remedial and enabling works are currently underway.
Architecture
STW has designed all the buildings including a 120-bed hotel, a mixed-use building with retail, waterfront restaurant and café, three office buildings, and a residential building with 60 apartments with a civic/cultural building as the centrepiece. STW has also designed feature elements including a broad-walk bridge link connecting the development to Wexford’s town centre quay-front, a metal-clad multi-level car park, and a management building at the main vehicle entrance from Trinity Street.
Urban Design & Planning
STW’s carried out an initial site analysis (including urban context, planning policy and development standards, existing physical and environmental constraints including flood, etc). We explored ways that the development could relate with the surrounding context and established urban design principles regarding movement, use of space, urban massing and form, and a palette of materials and finishes. These informed the design of all the individual buildings and formed an important part of the planning documentation submitted to An Bord Pleanála, with an Environmental Impact Assessment Report.
Sustainability
Trinity Wharf will bring a significant, brownfield, waterfront site in the town centre back to active life, as part of the plan to revitalise the town centre while minimising environmental impact. The boardwalk/ bridge link provides an attractive pedestrian/cycle route connecting directly with the town centre quay-front and the wider greenway network. New quay walls, drainage, etc. are all designed to counter increased sea levels, tidal and storm surge while protecting marine biodiversity. The landscape is designed for increased rainfall using sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS), with robust native species appropriate for the exposed coastal setting. The buildings are designed to minimise embodied carbon, using sustainable renewable construction materials and methods, with an environmental services strategy that minimises operational carbon emissions. The shared multi-level car park avoids environmentally costly basements and provides flexibility for predicted changing mobility patterns, including reduction in car use. There is scope to provide a rail station in the future, subject to demand and agreement with Irish Rail.
