Hansfield, Dublin 15.
Hansfield is a thriving new community in west Dublin, delivered over more than a decade within the framework of the Hansfield Strategic Development Zone published by Fingal County Council. Designed by DSA Architects for Alanna Homes, the scheme has brought 1,200 new homes to a transit-oriented site directly adjacent to Hansfield train station — supported by a hierarchy of open spaces, a village centre, a creche, and a public plaza opening onto the platforms.
Across a wide range of densities and typologies — from detached and semi-detached houses through duplexes and apartment buildings up to eight storeys — Hansfield offers genuine lifestyle choice and demonstrates how a single SDZ vision can be carried through to a coherent, mature urban quarter
Design Approach
The design fully embraces the opportunity of the adjacent train station — prioritising active travel and largely removing vehicle parking from the core of the urban framework. While the wider Hansfield SDZ established the overriding ambitions and parameters for the area, DSA's scheme exceeded those baseline expectations: clustering built form to frame open spaces and pocket parks, and weaving the public realm directly through to the train station boundary.
The formation of community spaces creates the framework for daily life and social interaction, with the buildings providing spatial definition and active boundaries. Careful study of building heights and densities allows for generous daylight penetration into the shared spaces and to the surrounding living rooms — the test for any high-density scheme that intends to function well in the long term
Density & Built Form
Residential densities at Hansfield range from 35 dwellings per hectare at the edges to 120 dwellings per hectare at the core, calibrated to proximity to the train station and to the position of each block within the wider open-space hierarchy. Heights step from 2 storeys at the suburban edges up to 8 storeys at the most urban points, with massing decisions driven by the creation of visual landmarks, the definition of urban edges, and the maintenance of viewing corridors between blocks.
The result is a development that reads as a coherent place rather than a single product — with each neighbourhood within Hansfield carrying its own character, scale and relationship to the wider landscape framework while contributing to a unified whole.
Construction & Delivery
Delivery over more than a decade required close, sustained collaboration with two key stakeholders — Fingal County Council and Alanna Homes — and a willingness to adapt construction strategy as the scheme evolved. A mix of construction build-ups was employed and detailed at different stages of the development, including insulated concrete formwork (ICF) and precast concrete, each carefully specified in close collaboration with the delivery team and industry experts.
A defining feature of the completed scheme is the considered integration of pocket parks and open spaces with the surrounding homes, and the clarity of pedestrian permeability across the entire site. The large central village green anchors the public realm, while the urban plaza at the station provides Hansfield with a true civic front door.
Client
Location
Planning Context
Total Units
Typology Mix
Non Residential
Height
Density
Connectivity
Services Provided
Status
Alanna Homes
Hansfield, Dublin 15
Within the Hansfield Strategic Development Zone (SDZ)
1,200 dwellings
Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses · duplexes · apartment buildings
Village centre · creche · urban plaza at station
2 to 8 storeys
35 to 120 dwellings per hectare
Direct pedestrian access to Hansfield train station
Masterplanning, Planning, Design, Assigned Certifier, Design Certifier
Completed 2024 — delivered over a decade
