6-8 Hanover Quay

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Airbnb

This project involved the construction of the shell & core works of a 3 storey office block that is now completed and is now a tenant fitout for the head office of Airbnb.

The project retained the facades of the existing structural elements within the footprint of the building.  There is a large atruim through roof level to basement and provides an open and light feel to the building.  

The area located around the intersection of Green St, Benson St, & Hanover Quay were largely an open space until 1865 when Stoney buildings re-faced the quayside so that it could cater to the increasing numbers of steamships, 6 -8 Hanover Quay was part of this re-development and became a series of cold storage units for the housing of contents of the many trawling ships docking at Hanover Quay during this period.

Raleigh are probably the longest resident of units 6 - 8 Hanover Quay.  In 1944 Raleigh moved to York St on the south side of the City and this factory closed in 1952 as the new factory was due to open 18 months later in Hanover Quay.  Hanover Quay finally opened in late 1953 and the newly trained apprentices returned from their flagship factory in Nottingham, UK.  The factory operated through the 50's and 60's producing a full range of bikes for the Irish market.  Materials arrived from Nottingham, steel tubing for frames in various widths but at a standard 30 ft length.  Initially chromning was also done solely in Nottingham but in the late 60's a small chromne plating shop was added in Dublin.

On August 6th 1976 at 12.40 in the afternoon a fire was started in the basement of the Raleigh factory in Hanover Quay.  Here hugh boilers were in place to heat the ovens, where painted frames were drying.  The fire quickly took hold and the factory was destroyed.  At this point Raleigh relocated to Ringsend and operated from their distribution warehouse while Hanover Quay was rebuilt.  The factory re-opened in February 1978.  Another attempt to burn down the factory occurred the following June but only superficial damage was caused due in part to the new fire prevention measures which had been put in place.

New machinery had been installed, these machines had the capability to increase production by 300%, new electro static paint guns were also installed, but as with the times, beause Union Jack symbols were etched into these machines some workers refused to operate them.  As a result the plant became expensive to run and eventually closed permanently in 1980.  All 540 staff lost their jobs.

 

 

 

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