The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (formerly named the Grand Canal Theatre) and Grand Canal Commercial Development in Dublin features a 2,000-seat performing arts centre which was completed in 2010 and a 375,000-square-foot leasable office and retail space completed in 2011.
The 148,000-square-foot theatre is at the heart of the Grand Canal Harbour development, a movement to revitalize the docklands. The building is based on the concept of stages — the stage of the theatre itself, the stage of the piazza, and the stage of the theatre lobby above the piazza, illuminated at night. The theatre becomes the main façade of a large public piazza that has a five star hotel and residences on one side and an office building on the other. The piazza acts as a grand outdoor lobby for the theatre. With the dramatic theatre elevation as a backdrop and platforms for viewing, the piazza itself becomes a stage for civic gathering.
With their twin facades, glazed courtyards and landscaped roofs, the two office blocks which make up the Commercial Development provide sustainable, state of the art work environments. By designing multi-story glazed atriums, the commercial buildings integrate with the adjacent retail, residential, cultural and public space components.
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