new Liffey bridge

[Hugh Pearman]

Having seen this type of prefabricated construction going up in London, I eventually coined a term for it: "Bodge-tech". Or as an architect friend explained when I asked him how one of his buildings was going to fit together: "It'll be a lot of fat men hitting it and swearing".

In other words, precision isn't in it. Medieval master masons, with their millimetre-thin joints, were more high-tech than today's steel fabricators and erectors.

[Mrs. M. J. Lister]

Fogive me if i say that maybe its not the fault of the building,or the method. The people involved have lost touch, instead of the expert masterbuilder,the buildings are being put together by the aforementioned " Fat swearing men". And being designed by people who probally care less about the effect on it environs and users.

[john white]

Hmmm...

I wonder if they've ever even heard of Brunelleschi.

It's sad to think of all the great intellectual struggles and triumphs over the last 1000 or so years - forgotten and replaced with pvc and morons.

Groan...

[TLucas]

I think that to state that the bridge designers as morons in perhaps a little unfair...

Take Brunelleschi's loggia to the foundling hospital, base units of 12 etc fantastically well ordered when you study it

Or take the abutments of the bridge for example- both dimensionally different to fit against the quay walls but cast off the same toroidal mould. Less visible maths behind it.

Then there is the truss that without the existance of Oil rig welding technology would not have been possible to fabricate!

All these parts made in Carlow, Banagher, London, Belfast, Cornwall and Dublin came together with a 2mm tolerence on site!

I am sure Brunelleschi, Alberti, Archimedes would have liked to have done that, and got it right first time!!

[AsF]

After looking at the bridge yesterday, I am now of the opinion that those who said it would ruin the Ha'penny Bridge were wrong, very wrong. If anything the bridge is too subtle. Looking at it from the Ha'penny Bridge it just merges with the background.

[John White]

Oops... there I go sounding too general again! I didn't mean the bridge builders were necessarily morons. If an architect got somebody to draw his design on a computer 600 years ago and then saw the measurements and formulae calculated before his eyes I'm sure he would be delighted.

But then, I don't know anything really abbout modern architectural design processes - I must read up on it.

[Paul Clerkin]

The bridge is open from today:

From RTE:

Dublin's newest bridge was officially opened today by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Mary Freehill. It is sited between the city's other pedestrian crossing, the Ha'penny Bridge, and Capel Street bridge. The bridge was built at a cost of £1.6 million as part of the Millennium celebrations.

[Paul Clerkin]

Real Video report

http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/1220/1News/1News5A.ram

[Colm]

I crossed the bridge this morning and have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It offers a wonderfull view of the Ha'penny and O'Connell bridges and seems elegant, clean and natural.
It feels almost flat and is a lot less effort to cross than the Ha'penny. There is a lot more room too.

[TG]

Actually after crossing it yesterday, I have to say that it is a complete non-event. Its devoid of features while crossing, its banality creating no sense of arrival as one crosses the river. I also thought that the decking feels odd under the feet, feeling neither solid nor re-assuring.

[Rory W]

The non slip decking effects my vertigo, so I can't look down when I cross it! Never got it on any other bridge.

Rory W