Audi Centre recognised as the future of motor retail by winning prestigious architecture award

A new £20m Audi showroom in Dublin has won one of Ireland’s premier architecture and construction awards, beating a host of other luxury retailers.

The Audi Centre, which is operated by Charles Hurst - part of the Lookers group, was named Retail Project of the Year at this year’s Irish Construction Industry Awards, beating off other finalists including high end department store Brown Thomas.

The awards, now in their fourth year, have established themselves as the benchmark for those demonstrating excellence and innovation in Ireland’s construction industry.

The Audi Centre, which opened its doors in November last year, is a vertical construction comprising of four floors, including a 26 new car display and an 80 plus Audi Approved used car display.

The structure, which was designed by Dublin-based EMD Architects and built by Collen Construction, also has a floor dedicated to aftercare with as many as 19 service bays and incorporates significant glazed elements and curved dynamic geometry within its design.

The judges were impressed with the approach that Charles Hurst took during the site’s initial planning stages, with the finished building offering a retail experience closer to the high street than the out of town business parks common among car dealerships.

The building’s environmental credentials also received high praise, with several low-energy solutions and a wide range of enhanced service systems aimed at reducing energy consumption. These include fast-charging vehicle facilities for both dual fuel and electric models, all of which are powered by an on-site substation which also provides a proportion of its output to other buildings in the nearby area.

The site is strategically located at Sandyford Interchange on the M50 and brings together Audi Centre Dublin’s new car, used car and aftersales operations, all of which were previously based at three separate locations in the Dublin area.

Donal Duggan, General Manager at the Audi Centre, said: “When we started the planning phase of this magnificent building our aim was to make it a modern retail space that customers could feel comfortable in, so to have won this award in a category that included names that you would traditionally find on the high street is a real achievement for us. With features such as our own electricity supply providing power to our EV charging stations, we have future proofed the site for years to come. We are really proud to receive this award, which is a real testament to the hard work of everyone involved.”