Low carbon luxury: Inside one of Europe's "most sustainable" hotels

As hotels go, Dublin’s Wren Urban Nest cuts a relatively unassuming figure. Tucked discretely in a quiet enclave of the Irish capital’s bustling city centre, the 137-room, nine-floor structure could almost pass for a sleek new office building or hotdesking space. Indeed, the subterranean Scandi-influenced bar/café could be lifted straight from a WeWork brochure.

While there is certainly no shortage of understated style on display, The Engineer is visiting to find out about the substance, for the Wren is the subject of some interesting claims. Chief of these is that it is (or will be, when annual numbers are run) Europe’s most sustainable city centre hotel. It is also claimed to be ‘net zero operational carbon’, whereby all the building’s day-to-day energy needs are met with renewables and without the workaround of carbon offsets.

The first feasibility study of the site began in 2016 when it was still home to Andrew’s Lane Theatre, a two-storey building that staged works by Roddy Doyle and Maeve Binchy down through the years. Alongside objections from Dublin’s arts community, the initial proposals also faced planning hurdles due to the compact and enclosed location.