Clonburris is an exciting new Sustainably Built neighbourhood in Dublin. It involves the development of a major new town on a greenfield site with a population target of over 20,000 people.
The Clonburris SDZ is an exemplar in sustainable community development which puts Nature Based Solutions at its heart.
DBFL have been extensively involved in the development, both in the design & delivery of key shared infrastructure for the new town, and as part of the design team for the individual development cells. DBFL also prepared the overall Surface Water Management Plan for the SDZ which established overall catchments and the design of Regional SuDS features. It also identified SuDS Objectives and Requirements for individual sites.
Over 70,000m³ of regional attenuation will be provided for the SDZ, primarily via regional ponds. These measures ensure the pre-development greenfield runoff characteristics can be maintained to avoid an impact on downstream flood risk. DBFL, working with a multidisciplinary design team including Landscape Architects and Ecologists, have designed the attenuation features to be carefully integrated into the Open Space and Parkland Network. The regional features have been designed to achieve benefits in each of the Four Pillars of Suds. In addition to managing Water Quantity to reduce flood risk, they improve Water Quality and also delivering Amenity and Biodiversity Benefits
At a site level within the development cells, Nature based SuDS have been incorporated into each streetscape to replicate natural drainage processes. Rainwater runoff from hard surfaces are directed to SuDS features such as Rain gardens, Bioretention areas, Filter strips and Tree Pits . Hard surfacing is eliminated where possible through the use of permeable and vegetated surfacing and the use of green roofs. These elements create a dynamic mosaic of habitats within the development creating substantial Biodiversity and Amenity benefits. The SuDS measures control surface water at source to reduce the volume and intensity of rainfall entering drainage networks. Furthermore they support filtration of pollutants from runoff, recharge of groundwater via infiltration and provide increased climate resilience. The use off vegetated features at surface also offsets traditional piped systems which greatly reduced the embodied carbon.
Project Director
