Whats the story with Sandyford Tower?

[Cathal Dunne]

I found out about this major scheme in the Sandyford Business Park (not industrial estate I hear!) and its called Blackthorn Avenue or something. it was proposed in 05 and I wonder does anyone know what happened afterwards. I'd especially like if Sandyfordian Archiseekers could tell me if they've actually given it the go-ahead and cranes have popped up on the site.

It looks quite nice, slender and a little graceful and decently-sized for the site. It doesn't look like a concrete borg cube yet isn't some insubstantial glass sculpture, it strikes the balance fairly well between art and practicality. I have a terrible fear that some altophobic parochial in Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council has either cut it up into some squat 8 storey or banned it altogether and left the site in the under-used state it is.

[jackwade]

The tower I think you're referring to Cathal is on the former MJ Flood/Alburn site. Its across the road from Sandyford Business Park and next to Microsoft. As far as I know it got planning permission, however nothing is happening on site at the moment. All the following pictures are from HKR Architects site http://www.hkr.ie/

[jackwade]

HKR are behind several other high rise developments going on in the industrial estate at the moment. The scale of this one on the former Allegro site is huge. The site's just been cleared in preparation. There's going to be about 1,000 apartments going in, as well as a new pedestrian street. The tallest block will be offices and will be (as far as i can tell) 12 storeys.

[jackwade]

THis next one is overly bulky IMO, Its on the other side of Microsoft, opposite the Londis. Its 14 storeys at its highest point.

[jackwade]

This one's nearly complete. It's a bit ugly but looks slightly better in real life. The sand coloured stone at the corner point isn't so bright and garish.

[alonso]

MJ Flood site is still on appeal. Decision is imminient. i.e. overdue. Here's the details:
Full case details for 213817

Mixed use development comprising of 3,825 sqm commercial space,
259 no. apartments and 15no. live- work units, associated works.
Former MJ flood site,Black Thorn Road,Sandyford Ind Est,Dublin 18

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Ref:
D04A/1417
Case is due to be decided by 13-10-2006

Also there's a major development at the Siemen's site, which I thought was the one Cathal was referring to. DLR Reg Ref. D06A/0893. This is under sconsideration at the moment and a local authority decision is due soon. This is at the junction of Kilmacud Road Lower and Blackthorn Avenue and rises to 20 storeys.

[Cathal Dunne]

Originally Posted by alonso

MJ Flood site is still on appeal. Decision is imminient. i.e. overdue. Here's the details:
Full case details for 213817

Mixed use development comprising of 3,825 sqm commercial space,
259 no. apartments and 15no. live- work units, associated works.
Former MJ flood site,Black Thorn Road,Sandyford Ind Est,Dublin 18

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Ref:
D04A/1417
Case is due to be decided by 13-10-2006

Also there's a major development at the Siemen's site, which I thought was the one Cathal was referring to. DLR Reg Ref. D06A/0893. This is under sconsideration at the moment and a local authority decision is due soon. This is at the junction of Kilmacud Road Lower and Blackthorn Avenue and rises to 20 storeys.

Thanks very much for your and everyone's answers and replies. I hope to God personally that the whole project is approved, its a really nice building IMO and a really good entrant to the top-flight of Irish buildings.

[Keen]

nice to see this tower back in the picture, i quite like it

[Morlan]

Thoughts?

[JL]

2 questions:

1. If it is not too late, can someone please photograph the MJ Flood building before it is demolished? I think it is a great little number and sorry to see it go.
2. Who the hell lives in these thousands of apartments in the middle of, if not nowhere then a functioning business park? It just looks like such a non-place. Is there a well-rounded social mix proposed including families etc? I think I would be pissed off if my childhood memories were of living beside Microsoft in a strange nowhere of business units.

[Rory W]

Originally Posted by JL

2 questions:

1. If it is not too late, can someone please photograph the MJ Flood building before it is demolished? I think it is a great little number and sorry to see it go.
2. Who the hell lives in these thousands of apartments in the middle of, if not nowhere then a functioning business park? It just looks like such a non-place. Is there a well-rounded social mix proposed including families etc? I think I would be pissed off if my childhood memories were of living beside Microsoft in a strange nowhere of business units.

On the second point - the whole area is in transition from a business park into housing and office mix (+hotel, mediacl complex and retail at Beacon Court) - good idea given the densities that are being built and proximity to the city. If I worked in the area (for vodafone for example) I'd love to live nearby. Don't know about if they have the family sized units though - if not they should

[Keen]

Originally Posted by Rory W

On the second point - the whole area is in transition from a business park into housing and office mix (+hotel, mediacl complex and retail at Beacon Court) - good idea given the densities that are being built and proximity to the city. If I worked in the area (for vodafone for example) I'd love to live nearby. Don't know about if they have the family sized units though - if not they should

Would also suite me for work and the Luas takes you into town in 20 minutes. One thing i would be worried about with a family is a school nearby as traffic in Sandyford is nuts!!

[JL]

With all this development inside the private plots, what is happing with public realm? Is it all still broad suburban roads or has there been any attempt to make streets? Is there any core or any kind of plan to make this into a 'place'? That's more what I mean.

All over Dublin (and the other cities I imagine) dramatic densification is taking place entirely within existing property boundaries. Outside of these the only people doing any designing appear to be road engineers. Galloping Green and the stretch between Dundrum shopping centre and the M50 are other examples. When you are on the road you are surrounded by blank high walls with apartments behind them. What do these places mean? What will they be like in 50 years time?

I think it is just Dun Laoghaire Rathdown (or whoever) leading from the rear again.

I remember about 9, 10 years ago attending a one day conference run by the RIAI at which DLRcoco planners presented their plans for Stepaside. This, they said, will be different. I am paraphrasing now, but the general gist was that there would be no more of the incoherent suburban enclaves blanketed with noddy houses. This would be new and sustainable. I, being naive or possibly just thick, believed them. Well, imagine my surprise passing same Stepaside recently! I don't know whether it was the abritrarily winding streets and culs-de-sac, the cheap and nasty apartment buildings with bolt-on balconies set to fall off already, or perhaps it was just the memory of the green fields and hedgerows which used to be there, but talk about a bloody let down! How did they manage to take a huge tract of fine agricultural land and manage to cover it with the worst kind of low-density, virtually car-dependent, placeless development? Talk about missing opportunities.

I am sure it's all different now.

[paul h]

The Irish Times
High-rise all the way to 32 storeys in Sandyford: There was a scramble for maps and title deeds this week with the publication of the initial recommendation of the Sandyford Urban Framework commissioned by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

London design consultants Urban Initiative, which previously cast its eyes over Dublin City Council's plans for Ballsbridge, has recommended a high-rise structured approach to the area, which it says has suffered from piecemeal development to date.

At the heart of the plan for the area is a central plaza linking the centre of the area to the reservoirs. It is here that the urban planners have recommended a plaza around which a tower of up to 32 storeys and a cluster of nine towers of 14-24 storeys could be developed.

Overall, 27 possible landmark towers and four green areas have been identified in the blueprint which went on public consultation this week.

While nothing is set in stone until the consultative process is over, it looks like Paddy Shovlin's ambitions to build a 23-storey tower as part of his Gateway scheme will be realised. A tower of up to 14 storeys has been earmarked for the Central Park scheme and a series of seven towers of 14-24 storeys have been proposed along a new public space at the bottom end of Blackthorn Road to be called Waterfront Square which overlooks the reservoirs.

This was very refreshing to read, is someone actually thinking big out there??
Is there any sliver of a chance that this could go ahead in full??

[colm07]

Cathal started this thread, your not the Cathal Dunne that sung in the Eurovision for Ireland in the late 70s, early 80s? Song called "Happy Man"? A Cork man represented us then, Cathal was very nervous and made the foreign network even more so. Cathal got a hold of himself and did a splendid performance.

Happy Man

[constat]

Does every tower being built these days automatically acquire the status of « Landmark »?
This is the impression one has whilst reading through some of the threads on this site. Or is the Landmark status merely some kind of ruse to hood-wink potential opposition into accepting a given project?
How is a tower actually defined as « Landmark »?

Colm07, that « Happy Man » song was in 1974…..I remember it well because our Christian Brother teacher at the time made us learn it off by heart…..he came from Cork

[Rory W]

Why is every 'landmark' tower 32 storeys what's up with 31 or 33? Is it the golden ratio? Something masonic? Or just the default setting for tall in Dublin?

[alonso]

It's a Republican thing

[Punchbowl]

Well, as enticing as living 'close to a reservoir' sounds, it would take a lot for me to want to live in such a soul vacuum as Sandyford. I work there and really it's a grim and windy place on a Monday morning. Maybe when the balance tips in favour of residential development it'll brighten up and my tears will stop.. Or maybe it's just my job?

Is the plan for it to be Dublin's La Defense?

[alonso]

Yes as a matter of fact, Landmark (yes that word again) Development's "Sandyford Gateway" application from last year landed on Marine Road replete with glass arch high rise office tower a la La Défense. It looked, well, pretty damn cool, in a ludicrous sorta way

Hmmm Landmark appears to be run by a guy called Paddy Shovlin... Sounds like the punchline to a Bernard Manning joke from the 60's..., somethin like; What do you call an Irish fella in your driveway? etc etc

sorry..

[paul h]

Obviously 'landmark' is used to try and sell something as ridiculously controversial as a high rise building
Sugarcoat it - if you will

[ForzaIrlanda]

Has anyone heard anything about this tower recently. Is it going to be built???

[jdivision]

It doesn't have planning yet

[ForzaIrlanda]

Oh Right, Cheers!