The final lettings have been secured at Bolands Mills in Dublin’s south docklands.
Award-winning chef Karl Whelan is to open a new restaurant at the scheme while The Hot Box Sauna has plans to operate a hot and cold immersion therapy suite at the development.
The three landmark buildings developed at the site of the former Boland’s Quay, which Google acquired in 2018 in a deal worth about €300 million, comprise more than 37,000sq m (400,000sq ft) of regenerated mixed-use space, built around the historic 19th-century Bolands flour mill.
Along with its 3,700sq m (40,000sq ft) of publicly accessible mixed-use space – including retail, recreation and dining, and dedicated 465sq m (5,000sq ft) of community and cultural space – the development at Grand Canal Dock also houses about 28,000sq m (301,389sq ft) of office space along with 46 apartments that Google recently offered at reduced rents to key workers in the local area through Approved Housing Body Clúid.
The mixed-use space at Bolands Mills was inspired by other markets, such as the English Market in Cork city, and Spitalfields in London, and features an eclectic mix of occupiers, which are due to open on a phased basis over the coming months. These include The Animal Collective bar, Barrow Street Bakery, Don’t Kill My Vibe hair salon, Grindstone coffee shop and Reformation Pilates and yoga studio.
Whelan is now set to join that line-up with plans to open a modern Irish restaurant with a French accent across two floors in Unit 6. The 6,000sq ft venue will feature canal-side dining, and emphasise local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients.
The Hot Box Sauna will occupy 4,000sq ft in Unit 7 and offer customers the use of three saunas and three plunge pools. The facility promises to provide what it describes as an “elevated experience” with guided breathwork, Aufguss rituals and other sauna ceremonies. The company was founded by Dan O’Connor, Liam Irwin, and Luke Williams, and has expanded to include facilities across counties Meath, Sligo, Kilkenny, Dublin and Louth.
Commenting on the completion of the lettings at Bolands Mills, Sam de Búrca of CBRE’s retail division said: “It has been a pleasure to work alongside Google and all the exciting independent businesses over the last few years on this development. The focus on community, culture and placemaking has been a true point of difference in this mandate. We look forward to seeing the lights on, and the ground floor spaces activated in the coming months.”
Neil Culkin, Google’s real estate director at Bolands Mills, added: “Our commitment has always been to create a destination where great local businesses, Googlers, and the community can thrive. Bolands Mills’ new tenants will add to the atmosphere and bring something special and exciting to the docklands.”
