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An Urban Oasis

Emmet Square Park, Clonakilty

Contractor

Alan Smyth Consultancy

Architect

Giulia Vallone, Designer - Cork County Council Architects Dept.

Products

TerraPave® flagstones, Rimini + Florento Textured

Contractor

Alan Smyth Consultancy

Architect

Giulia Vallone, Designer - Cork County Council Architects Dept.

Products

TerraPave® flagstones, Rimini + Florento Textured

The Challenge

Clonakilty Town Council needed to upgrade the existing public park at Emmet Square which had become dilapidated and attracted anti-social behaviour.

As part of the Clonakilty 400 Project, the Council planned to transform the park with new paving, the construction of a new entrance, water feature, new lighting and a new sculpture. In terms of paving, an attractive and durable flag was required to complement the new plans for the park. The flag had to withstand vehicular traffic and also be compatible with the bedding and jointing system.

 

The Solution

AG’s TerraPave® natural aggregate flag was chosen as an effective alternative to traditional paving and approximately 600m2 of 50mm and 80mm flags were used in the project.

At Emmet Park, the main walkway through the park to the central sculpture and water feature were paved using AG’s TerraPave® flags together with Irish Limestone using a bound system which provided an effective solution.

“The flags, in Rimini and Florento with a textured finish, were chosen primarily for the colour and texture but equally the durability of the product in public spaces. However, it was also crucial that the flags were available in 80mm so the design could twice cross the roadway that regularly carried vehicular traffic. The flags also had to be compatible with bedding and jointing mortars so the bound system could be achieved without compromising the integrity of the textured finish on the flag.”

Alan Smyth | Alan Smyth Consultancy

TerraPave® flags are of premium quality and are manufactured in the UK from carefully selected aggregate materials from both local quarries and quarries throughout Europe. Bespoke colours can be manufactured for large projects and the range is also suited to internal applications due to its exceptional quality and attractive finish.

Emmet Square, as part of The Clonakilty 400 Project, was opened by President Michael D. Higgins on the 5th May 2013 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the borough of Clonakilty.

The park has been transformed and now provides wonderful open-air settings for various community events. The Clonakilty 400 Project – which included revitalising Emmet Square – was voted by the public as Ireland’s favourite new project in the RIAI 2014 Irish Architecture Awards.

Cork County Council and award-winning architect Giulia Vallone are extremely happy with the hard landscaping. Sixteen months since completion, the product is proving its durability and longevity of finish and Giulia is now actively specifying both AG and Steintec on future projects.

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Emmet Square Park, Clonakilty featured image
Emmet Square Park, Clonakilty featured image
Emmet Square Park, Clonakilty featured image
Emmet Square Park, Clonakilty featured image

Products used in this design