Dublin Bus Building O'Connell Street

[phil]

The O'Connell Street Integrated Area Plan says the following about the Dublin Bus Building at numbers 59 - 60 O'Connell Street

"The scale of the building is appropriate to the size of the adjoining premises. The renewal of the standard curtain-walling with granite infill panels of a different proportion would greatly improve the appearance of this building."

What are peoples feelings on this building? I quite really like it as a building. I particularly like the four coats of arms of the provinces. All that I would suggest would be a bit of a clean every so often.

[d_d_dallas]

Hmmmm - total utter destruction might be better than just a clean.

Seriously though - of all the diappointing buildings on O'C St - this is probably my least liked. At the very least the could remove the plastic logo and scrub it up a bit.

[GrahamH]

I read this too - had to laugh at the solution of infill panels - like putting a sticking plaster over an amputated leg.
But if its GRANITE - ah well then, the saviour stone of Ireland comes to the rescue yet again.

When will people stop throwing granite at buildings trying to make them into 'quality'?

This building is repulsive and jarrs hugely with it's surroundings, most others in the terrace are red-brick, with the ground floor clearly defined, and the upper floor windows and features gradually reducing and changing etc.

This buildings slashes down the middle, its facade a sheer drop from top to bottom of the same material - it addresses the street only with it's parapet height.
The concrete or stone frame around it further alienates its neighbours.

At least Penneys is clean-cut and streamlined - Dublin Bus is a messy, cluttered pile of rubbish, and as for the blue infill panels...

[Gabriel-Conway]

Perhaps this might be an appropriate time to ask the company to clean-up and re-image the building, as they are about to go for a complete image change and re-branding for their fleet of 1,200 buses.

The current mish-mash of multiple colour schemes and brandings are going to be swept away by one new colour scheme - two-tone Dublin blue at the rear with yellow and blue at the front.

See for pics:
http://www.allaboutbuses.com/30809-av76road.html

(the only exceptions to this will be the open-top tour fleet, and the Wedding buses).

Normally the fleet operates on a three-year repaint cycle, (buses are resprayed at 3, 6 and 9 years, and disposed of at 12) however they want to expedite this, and have contracted to have the entire fleet redone in 2 years.

Gabriel

[sw101]

ahem.....

stirling prize please.
Leave it by the cheese patrols base and it'll find its way to my door

[el architino]

EL ARCHITINO would like to let it be known that the above picture has infact been doctored in some manner.
As everyone knows, the Dublin branch of EL ARCHITINO land is infact located in the private basement level of Patrick Guilbauds resturaunt merrion street, and not in some dingey 1960's construction next to 'the bag store' on O'Connell st.
EL ARCHITINO is taking legal advice about the procedures to follow against this sw101 charecter, but be assured they shall be harsh. One can only assume that this attack on the countries most beloved architectural father was motivated by jealousy. or perhaps it is a disgruntled ex-employee who was fired through EL ARCHITINO's office policy of weekly random firings.
This would explain the cowardly act of hiding behind a pseudoname, at least have the courage of displaying your real name as EL ARCHITINO does

[David Chambers]

Regarding the "modern" portion of the Dublin Bus building in O'Connell Street could anybody fill me in on the history of this building such as when it was built and who designed it? It appears that this building is 1960's architecture and was built as an extension to the original Dublin United Tramways Company (DUTC) building. Although it may not be as grand as the neighbouring Victorian buildings, it still an interesting piece of 1960's architecture.

[GrahamH]

It went up in 1961-2 and replaced two Georgian houses - all I know.

[StephenC]

Its getting a street level facelift it would seem. Hoardings went up yesterday.

[Ciaran Cuffe]

The architect was apparently Brendan Ellis in collaboration with G. P. O'Shea.

I don't think that the stained glass is still visible on the ground floor.

Images are from 'Architectural Survey' 1961, Ed,. Patrick M. Delaney

regards

Ciaran

[Ciaran Cuffe]

And here's what it looked like 42 years ago ...

[Ciaran Cuffe]

Described as 'Passanger Transport Bureau, O'Connell Street, Dublin

Ciarán

[phil]

Thanks for that information Ciaran. Thanks also for the photos.