IlacCentre: Redevelopment work is complete on three of the centre's five shopping mall areas and two of its entrances, writes Claire Shoesmith

The next phase of the transformation of the Ilac shopping centre to a light and airy new-look complex is being well received by shoppers and traders alike, according to those involved in the redevelopment.

The centre, with 23,226sq m (250,000sq ft) of retail space between Henry and Parnell streets, had become tired and old. Most shopping centres are refurbished periodically, but Ilac had remained pretty much unchanged since it was developed in the 1980s. A refurbishment scheme designed in 1999 was not implemented due to market conditions and the unwillingness of Dunnes, one of the centre's flagship tenants, to move at that time.

The site's current owners, Joe O'Reilly (who bought British Land's 50 per cent stake in the centre last year) and Irish Life are determined to make the most of its shopping potential with a €60 million upgrade.

The ripping out of the dark floors and two overhead rooms housing the centre's air conditioning and maintenance hub have enhanced the flow of natural light coming through new roof glazing and improved the visibility of the shops within the scheme, according to the architects Benoy. The ceilings in some areas of the centre have been raised and a similar approach is being taken with the shop fronts, which are in the process of being raised - there is already an increased feeling of space and light in the sections where this is complete.

Art is also playing an important part in the refurbishment. The Ilac's owners employed a glass artist who designed coloured etched glass panels that capture features of Dublin life. They are designed to be a stimulating backdrop to the mall spaces aimed at complementing a more obvious new interactive art feature which will be installed in Lift Square.

"What we are doing is bringing Ilac into the 21st century," says Frank Martin, head of asset management for Joe O'Reilly.

It's not that things weren't done correctly in the first place as, when the centre opened, the retail environment was very different. The Ilac became home to many independent local traders who required small units within a larger shopping centre.

Today, increased consumer purchasing power, the advent of the more sophisticated shopper, as well as the arrival of multiple store retailers, has influenced the design of the newer centres and Ilac is adapting to fit into the model.

The arrival of Swedish fashion chain H&M, which chose Ilac as its first city centre location, combined with the addition of O'Brien's Sandwich Bar and bagel bar to enhance the food offering in Ilac, has started the repositioning of the centre.

In addition, the switch of the Gerard fashion outlet out of Roches into its own store, along with the anticipated opening of Imaginarium and Game before Christmas this year, adds weight to the Ilac shopping experience in advance of the planned opening of the new Dunnes and Debenhams projected for next year.

The centre's average unit size of 139sq m (1,500sq ft) is well below the desired average of 465sq m (5,000sq ft) and the owners are currently doing everything they can to expand units. As a result, many corner units are being extended into the malls and, where possible, individual smaller units are being combined.

Still, despite the enormity of what's been going on at Ilac - at one point as many as 20 individual projects were going on simultaneously - not a single day's trading has been lost.

Martin admits that footfall did dip slightly last year, but only in line with activity around the rest of the city centre which more likely resulted from the introduction of more out-of-town retail space rather than from the work going on at Ilac.

Crash decks were erected so that the overhead work could take place at the same time as the shoppers were going about their business below and much of the flooring work took place at night when the centre was closed.

The refurbishment also involved the relocation of the centre's management suite and public toilets - one of the first things that had to be done in order to facilitate the handover to Dunnes of the Ilac link area to its Henry Street store.

This first stage of activity, which was completed in advance of Christmas last year, coincided with the opening of H&M - something that Martin believes was very important for the centre.

As things stand, work is complete on three of the five shopping mall areas and two of the centre's entrances - renovation of the individual shop units and fronts is progressing on a unit-by-unit basis as opportunities arise.

The crash decks above Central Square have just come down, and the new Parnell Street entrance should be complete by mid November.

The remaining work, which involves the relocation of the Dunnes Moore Mall outlet to its new premises at the Henry Street side of Ilac (to free up the site for redevelopment), is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2007.

This, the centre's owners and managers hope, will put the icing on the cake in offering several larger outlets for rent and, as some onlookers believe, perhaps a link to a further development on O'Connell Street.