The Mercantile Hotel Acoustic Design

Acoustic Design for a Quiet Respite in the Heart of Boisterous Dublin City Centre

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Built Environment

Industry

Retail & Hospitality

Location

Ireland

Architect(s) | MEP Design

Michael Fitzpatrick Architects / C+W O’Brien Architects / Millimetre Design | JAK Consulting Engineers

The Mercantile Hotel occupies a prominent corner on Dame Street in the heart of Dublin city, where it has been part of the urban fabric since the 1800s. Following an extensive refurbishment completed in 2025, the hotel re-opened as a boutique destination offering guest rooms, a bar, and restaurant spaces, all within a building that carries significant architectural and cultural character. Balancing the acoustic demands of a busy hospitality venue with the constraints of a protected historic structure required careful, considered design from the outset.

AWN Consulting, a Trinity Consultants team, was appointed to deliver a full acoustic design service for the project. Working with the client, The Mercantile Group, our team provided comprehensive guidance across all acoustic disciplines, from the earliest design stages through to completion and commissioning testing.

Vision

The Mercantile Group’s vision was to transform a well-loved Dublin landmark into a modern boutique hotel that retained the character and warmth of its historic setting. For guests, that means comfortable, well-appointed rooms and lively dining and bar spaces, all in a building steps from Temple Bar, Grafton Street, and the city’s cultural heart. Achieving that experience depends in no small part on getting the acoustic environment right: rooms that offer genuine quiet and rest, and social spaces that are vibrant without being intrusive.

The Dame Street location adds further complexity: a city centre environment with significant ambient noise from traffic, pedestrians, and nearby venues. Delivering a hotel where guests feel insulated from that activity, while the building itself remains an active, lively part of the street is a challenge that requires acoustic design to work hand in hand with architecture and building services from the earliest stages.

Partnership

Our team worked directly with The Mercantile Group throughout the project, establishing a close working relationship with the client from design through to delivery. This engagement allowed acoustic requirements to be clearly communicated and integrated at each stage, rather than treated as an afterthought. The result was a collaborative process in which acoustic performance was considered alongside architectural and operational priorities from the start.

Commissioning testing at the end of the project provided the client with documented assurance that the completed building met the acoustic standards specified at design stage. This close-out activity is an important part of our team’s service offering, ensuring that design intent is verified in the finished building and that any issues are identified and addressed before handover.

Services Performed

AWN Consulting, a Trinity Consultants team, provided a full architectural acoustic design service for the refurbishment of The Mercantile Hotel, Dame Street, Dublin. The scope covered sound insulation of the building fabric and facade, HVAC and MEP noise control, room acoustics design, and commissioning testing, delivering a complete acoustic package from design through to verified completion.

Environmental Acoustics

Building Sound Isolation

Noise & Vibration Analysis

Commissioning, Qualification & Validation (CQV)

Value-Add

The full acoustic design scope covered sound insulation of the building fabric and facade, HVAC and MEP noise control, room acoustics, and commissioning testing. Each element plays a distinct role in the overall acoustic experience of the hotel. Sound insulation between spaces, including between guest rooms and from plant and bar areas, is fundamental to guest comfort. Facade performance determines how effectively the building manages the noise environment of one of Dublin’s busiest streets. Room acoustics shape how spaces feel and function, whether a quiet bedroom or a lively bar.

HVAC and MEP noise control is often an underappreciated element of hospitality acoustic design. Mechanical systems that are audible in guest rooms represent one of the most common sources of complaint in hotels. Our team’s guidance on plant selection, ductwork routing, and vibration isolation helped ensure that building services remained unobtrusive in the completed hotel.

The Mercantile Hotel opened in May 2025, returning a well-known Dublin landmark to active use as a boutique hospitality destination. Our team’s acoustic design contribution helped ensure that the refurbished building meets the standards guests expect, and that the character and energy of the hotel can be enjoyed without compromising the comfort and quiet that guests also need.

This is the largest project that Coach has undertaken, and I’m glad I’ve hired the ‘A’ team to be involved in it. Being the base building acoustical consultants also helped provide coordination and streamline our design efforts to better achieve our goals.

Mitchell Feinberg | COACH

Divisional Vice President