Citizen M is a 247-bedroom hotel situated in the heart of medieval Dublin, at the intersection of Bride Street and Peter Street, just a short walk from the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral. PUNCH provided civil and structural engineering services for this distinctive nine-storey boutique hotel, marking the first Citizen M location in Ireland.

The Citizen M brand is known for its unique characteristics, and this hotel is no exception. The spacious public areas are adorned with vibrant artwork, featuring world-class paintings, playful sculptures, vivid murals, and even digital installations. The compact rooms boast extra-large king-size beds and expansive wall-to-wall windows. The design had to carefully adhere to the highly specific brand standards that define this hotel chain.

The hotel was built on the site of the former Molyneaux House, which included remnants of a significantly altered 19th-century chapel with a brutalist-style façade constructed in the early 1970s. The planning consent for the hotel necessitated the preservation of this brutalist Stephenson façade. Retaining this façade, along with the extensive archaeology discovered throughout the site, presented several structural challenges that had to be integrated into the overall design solution.

The preservation of the Stephenson façade required extensive temporary works to be erected during the enabling phase, when all other existing buildings on the site were demolished. The design of these temporary structures needed to be carefully planned to align with the complex geometry of the retained façade while accommodating the proposed new structure to prevent any clashes.