See how Huckletree combines history with innovation in its Dublin office

31 Jul 2019

Zen Garden. Image: Huckletree

Huckletree brings together diverse and disruptive businesses in the same space, where there’s plenty of room for creativity, innovation and inspiration.

Start-ups and innovation don’t typically conjure up images of period fireplaces and chandeliers, but Huckletree’s office space in Dublin 2 is challenging that perception.

Founded by Gaby Hersham and Andrew Lynch, Huckletree offers contemporary space in Dublin and London to support fast-growth tech companies. Its Dublin-based office, Huckletree D2, currently hosts 50-plus members. This includes a diverse range of companies, from ocean freight platform Kontainers and behavioural science expert Cogito, to industry supporter TechIreland and high-tech commercial bank Silicon Valley Bank.

Huckletree’s home in Dublin

Huckletree D2 is based in The Academy on Pearse Street, a 10-minute walk from Dublin’s Silicon Docks. The building has been a flexible host throughout its life so far. It was the birthplace of the Irish Women Workers’ Union and evolved into a cinema in the 1920s.

A grey building is facing the camera on the side of a street in the city centre

Huckletree D2 occupies The Academy building, constructed on Pearse Street in 1824.

Aislinn Mahon, general manager at Huckletree, explained to us the reasons for choosing The Academy as the company’s Dublin home: “Huckletree isn’t about transaction and pure rentals. We choose buildings that are unique to the heritage of the community and neighbourhood, underused or repurposed, and can be the right environment to solve big macro problems.

“We look beyond the shell to understand the history within it.”

Office facilities

Huckletree sought to add to the building’s character rather than take away from it. With facilities designed to encourage happy and productive lifestyles, it looks like the space is set to continue its tradition of cultivating creativity and collaboration. Staff initiatives include free yoga sessions, the Zen Garden offering a quiet space for reflection and the Lookout with panoramic views of the city.

“We’ve found that people need spaces to gather and assemble because people crave community and a sense of belonging in the space where they work,” said Mahon.

Take a virtual tour through Huckletree D2

The camera is looking into a bright room with a window looking out to Pearse Street, a small white table, assorted seats around it and plants.

The Zen Garden offers staff a quiet space

A bright office space with men and women working at computers at desks, with a door on the back wall closed.

Huckletree wants its members to feel at home, and private studio options allow it to respect the different needs of business with different dynamics

A corridor at the Huckletree offices featuring glass panels and vibrant lighting in yellow

The Huckletree team is passionate about the power of symbols and optics in the workplace

A brightly coloured room (black, white and pink) with a wooden fold-away stage.

‘The more open the physical layout is, the more it cultivates and encourages big ideas, and it gives the sense of freedom for passers-by to join in, unprompted’ – Aislinn Mahon

A decorative, old-fashioned white ceiling

Intricate pattern and design work adorns the opulent ceilings in The Academy building

A room with windows along every wall and men and women eating food at picnic benches within it

The Lookout offers panoramic views of Dublin city and an open workspace for collaboration

Men and women are pictured on yoga mats in a room with a wooden floor, copying a pose from a yoga instructor

Bi-weekly yoga sessions take place for staff

Two moving walls slide apart to show a boardroom inside with a long white table surrounded by white chairs

Huckletree D2’s boardroom, Sláinte

An open spacious room with a black desk and two office chairs seated at it

The Mezzanine blends the heritage of The Academy with Huckletree’s innovative design

All images: Huckletree

Updated, 1.26pm, 31 July 2019: This article was amended to provide updated information on Huckletree’s Dublin members and remove a mistaken reference to two London members.