college green/ o'connell street plaza and pedestrians

[missarchi]

the building has a trinity feel about it?

http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/7355/mapasol.jpg

Each year the American technical journal, Engineering News-Record published by McGraw-Hill, nominates a man of the year in the construction field. In 1990, Prof. Pietro Lunardi was included as one of those who had contributed with his ideas to the achievement of significant progress in the construction field, "he invented the 'Cellular arch technique' to excavate wide span underground caverns in cohesion-less ground".

This original construction system can be employed to drive bored tunnels with very shallow overburdens up to a diameter of 60 m. in very poor ground without causing surface subsidence.

One significant application of this system was for the construction of the Venezia Station on the Milan Urban Link Line. A cavern 30 m. in diameter and 270 m. in length was bore tunnel excavated right in the centre of the city with an overburden of only 4 metres and under the water table.

http://www.rocksoil.com/arcocellulare_en.html

[gunter]

I mean if you think about it, Dame Street and College Green contain, or are close to: the country's most prestigious university, the first purpose built parliament building in the world, the City Hall, Dublin Castle, and one of our cathedrals, as well as being next to Temple Bar and Grafton Street. If they simply brought in rules about shop fronts and pedestrianised the whole area, it could rival the Royal Mile in Edinburgh for grandeur. That's a depressing thought.

That's a very good assessment, rumple, but you're too harsh on Edinburgh's Royal Mile. It's a cracking street and who cares if it sold it's soul to tourism, at least it didn't sell it's soul to Spar.

[rumpelstiltskin]

That's a very good assessment, rumple, but you're too harsh on Edinburgh's Royal Mile. It's a cracking street and who cares if it sold it's soul to tourism, at least it didn't sell it's soul to Spar.

I wasn't being harsh on the Royal Mile. I love it. I'm saying that Dublin city council could learn a lot from it when regenerating Dame Street. When I was younger I never even heard of Dame Street in Dublin; O'Connell Street was always the main street. But O'Connell Street is now rather grotty and actually contains little of any significant historical value besides the GPO. Dame Street, if treated properly, could become the very centre of Irish national life, in the way the Royal Mile is in Scotland. It could become symbolic of Dublin. This would obviously involve sorting out Dublin Castle and finding a good use for the Bank of Ireland.

[ac1976]

I wasn't being harsh on the Royal Mile. I love it. I'm saying that Dublin city council could learn a lot from it when regenerating Dame Street.

Why would the regenerate Dame St? It's probably the most lively street the city has!
They will only make a mess of what has naturally become our real main street if the stary interfering with it.

[rumpelstiltskin]

Why would the regenerate Dame St? It's probably the most lively street the city has!
They will only make a mess of what has naturally become our real main street if the stary interfering with it.

Because it's literally packed with historical buildings of national, even international, importance that you barely notice because of its tiny broken up pavements and ridiculous amounts of traffic - as well as a lot of the shopfronts and facades being uncared for. The whole street smells of neglect.

[ac1976]

Because it's literally packed with historical buildings of national, even international, importance that you barely notice because of its tiny broken up pavements and ridiculous amounts of traffic - as well as a lot of the shopfronts and facades being uncared for. The whole street smells of neglect.

I actually think thats all part of the charm and character of the street which makes it unique. But it certainly could benefit from some improvements as long as the character is not destroyed as they (DCC) did with the entrance to Dublin Castle, they should be ashamed of that mess.
Dame street always reminded me of typical Manhattan streets with the intresting collection of shop fronts and heavy traffic, it would be a shame to steralise these natural features from the street.

[gunter]

I mean if you think about it, Dame Street . . . . . it could rival the Royal Mile in Edinburgh for grandeur. That's a depressing thought.

I wasn't being harsh on the Royal Mile. I love it. I'm saying that Dublin city council could learn a lot from it when regenerating Dame Street.

Sorry rumpel, I was detecting irony where there wasn't any.

Archiseek will do that to you!

[GrahamH]

The litany of disasters that are the bus gate 'improvement' works at College Green continue as ever.

The latest ravishing addition of an industrial-girth galvanised steel pole right next to John Henry Foley's exquiste representation of Henry Grattan flanked by those iconic seahorse lamp standards. My, how municipal pride in the public realm has simply collapsed in just a century.



And don't ya just love the flourishes of tarmac. It's these little touches that make all the difference eh?

And of course the pole lends an additional column to proceedings at the Bank of Ireland. Pearse must be rolling in his grave.




And as for these yokes.



I thought I'd leave all the other (many, many) scenic delights for a decent camera.

[missarchi]

If anyone ever wants and argument they could look at SOL, Madrid it used to be god knows how many lanes

would it be an offence to cut the trees down? all at the same time and make them fall on the road just before morning peak hour?

That might raise awareness...

[rumpelstiltskin]

That's a good idea. Anybody interested in some guerrilla gardening in College Green?

[missarchi]

we just need to eat bento box's before we go...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonkraft/2338797423/sizes/l/

[StephenC]

There's a few of those poles around. Probably for very helpful signage.

The whole bus gate project is a disgrace. A real example of Roads Engineers in full flight and not an urban designer in site. You would have to wonder why we pay for a City Architect (and department)

[missarchi]

before before



before



now (except the glass madness?)



not the best but better...

[Devin]

There's some some unfortunate roof plant boxes and other clutter on the crescent buildings in Puerto del Sol.
They should really try to restore roof sillhouettes in that job, given Sol's prominence.


The College Green job is horrific. The Herald reported on it on Monday:
http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/calls-to-halt-digging-up-of-antique-granite-pavements-1807781.html

[rumpelstiltskin]

I know it's only pavement, but in all honestly the members of Dublin City Council should be brutally tortured to death one by one. I call on all civic-minded psychopaths to start the ball rolling.

[DjangoD]

"A spokesperson for Dublin City Council said that they would not cease works and they are not reviewing the situation at the moment."

Good old City Council. Heads in the sand.

'Sure why not just review the whole situation after we've finished making a total disgrace of the area, eh?'

[tommyt]

I know it's only pavement, but in all honestly the members of Dublin City Council should be brutally tortured to death one by one. I call on all civic-minded psychopaths to start the ball rolling.

a public stoning perhaps:confused:

[missarchi]

Drivers warned over College Green
In the long term this might actually decrease pedestrian traffic because before people would hope off early and walk?

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0720/breaking47.htm

[fergalr]

Drivers warned over College Green
In the long term this might actually decrease pedestrian traffic because before people would hope off early and walk?

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0720/breaking47.htm

Well the air is unbreathable enough now with the current level of bus exhausts. I await the re-routing of more buses through CG.

[missarchi]

Well the air is unbreathable enough now with the current level of bus exhausts. I await the re-routing of more buses through CG.

The Department of Health don't seem to bothered either do the EPA...
I remember there was a black slick slurry lurking around around until they resurfaced the area.

[Devin]

What about this? The city council's Roads Maintenance Division have just laid those studded pavement tiles here in the middle of Temple Bar to help the visually impaired cross the road .... even though this is a PEDESTRIAN AREA where there is NO TRAFFIC.
.. really ...

[DjangoD]

What about this? The city council's Roads Maintenance Division have just laid those studded pavement tiles here in the middle of Temple Bar to help the visually impaired cross the road .... even though this is a PEDESTRIAN AREA where there is NO TRAFFIC.
.. really ...

While I agree those studded slabs are ridiculous, that street is actually in use by vehicles at certain times of the day, so I'd say that was their reasoning.

[Devin]

Yeah I know, some deliveries movements in the morning. But for perspective there are umpteen crossings in the city with none at all ..



And another thing. The lower end of Temple Lane has been closed off like this (below pic) for weeks while they are relaying cobbles ... in the middle of the peak tourist season.

Instead of costing businesses money and disrupting movement through the streets in peak season, it shoulds be done in the winter. There's all bloody winter to do it. Wasters

[rashers]

What about this? The city council's Roads Maintenance Division have just laid those studded pavement tiles here in the middle of Temple Bar to help the visually impaired cross the road ...

Seems like they're leading the visually impaired into a pole!

[missarchi]

maybe its under the 100k barrier... so they can get away with it hush hush...
honestly they I don't know what's going on? vandalism...
Everything should have to be approved by the CAD...