The Mill Pond, Dundrum Town Centre

The Millpond, like the Mill House is a protected structure, and as such is a national monument. Archaeological investigation confirmed industrial activity, revealed pits for water wheels of a spade mill, long since superseded by the turbine pipe that powered the laundry. The dam wall, constructed in local granite in a traditional coursing, was the most significant element of the composition, albeit a crude and rustic example of a dam. The millpond was half cut into a bank of boulders, patched with stone, with a piecemeal arrangement of walling in stone and concrete, with no foundations.

The new Dundrum Town Centre is a three storey shopping centre with apartments and offices over basement levels of car parking, connected to the old village by a new streetscape and town square, which is centred on the Millpond. The civic quality is enhanced by a series of restaurants flanking the square, a new theatre, and community rooms. A challenge for any engineer, the pond was excavated, recorded and wrapped in a protective layer, before a new pond was laid into the old structure, constituting the centrepiece of the new square. The existing Fagus sylvatica purpurea, Copper Beech, and Cedrus atlantica glauca, Blue Cedar, were also protected, and survived a gruelling and disruptive construction period. The conservation of these elements resulted in a scheme that had to negotiate their diverse levels. Essentially, a lower timber deck forms a promenade around most of the pond, while a higher stone paved square serves as the main thoroughfare and seating area.

The oval planter beds are based on the formation in plan of Irish drumlins. Circulation passes around them, while they are raised oasis of seasonal planting, with lush leaves of Paulownia. The wide mosaic walls are used for sitting and even reclining after an energetic shopping expedition. The Town Square is an outdoor living room, even fitted with a video screen and touch-screen information points. The fritted pattern in the glass balustrades is a physical image of the leaves from the Beech tree, repeated on the bandstand canopy. Further artwork is planned for the project. The fountains in the new millpond are choreographed to music, and can also respond to live music played in the bandstand. The restaurant terraces extend the usability of the space well into the evening after the shops have closed.