this site, close to the centre of cork city, is bounded on the east by watercourse road but on the west by a convent and smaller residential developments. it is also crossed by two narrow lanes which means there were many boundary conditions, proximity and overlooking issues to be addressed. narrow frontage houses and duplex units onto the lanes react to the incline, with front doors from each unit. in contrast four/five storey apartment buildings with retail at ground level address the larger street of watercourse road. a new public open space is generated off watercourse road by setting back the building line between the two lanes. this space then acts a public focus for the area from which the public services of bank, medical centre, gym, cafe and retail units are accessed. these building lines generate three shared courtyard spaces where further apartments are located. the parking for the whole development is contained in one large sunken car park that connects the whole scheme under the two lanes and discharges pedestrians directly onto the public open space. this allows for only two access/exit points to serve the scheme and minimizes the traffic in the pedestrian zone. this project promises to help rejuvenate the blackpool area and act as a focus for the existing and future residents