Trinity College Dublin

[notjim]

Can I start a TCD thread, a thread for that glorious island whose traffic licked shores circumscribes my working day and whose, sometimes shaky, dedication to higher purpose anoints our great city.

First off and most importantly, beautiful, or at least uplifting architecture was once expected of many institutions, local banks, Garda stations, schools, hotels, in the case of universities this expectation persists. Although the fullness of time will weigh accurately the fruit of our scholarship and research, in the short term, day to day, academic life is about a lot of ambitious, arguementative, opinionated people expressing their opinions and trying to win arguements. To win, to be listened to, to be even noticed, you need respect and, well, respect is partly about where you work, its history, its reputation and its appearance.

How does TCD do: pretty well, the location, a fine Georgian set piece for front square, the Berkeley library is one of Ireland's finest modernist buildings, the New Museum Building has fine carving and the Calder is a great piece of public art, beautifully sited, the conversion of the Provost's stables is a dream. Where does it fail, well there are lots of trivial buildings too, the houses on the perimeter are poorly maintained, some of the grounds, the same, too many cars, the Pearse St disaster and most amazing of all, the college doesn't routinely buy small pieces of property off but near the main site for student accommodation, leaving it very vulnerable to landlocking and leaving students with an incomplete university experience.

Anyway, here is the newly polished Sphere within a Sphere, about to be remounted on its repaired revolving stand.

<img src="http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg300/mijton/PomodoroRepair6Jul2008.jpg" width=400>

[gunter]

You know the front range at Trinity, Parliament Square, or whatever it's called, there's a lot of space between the top floor windows and the roof and the roof itself is very steep.



There must be an awful lot of space up there!



What goes on up there?

[ctesiphon]

If those walls could talk, eh?

If you happen to be passing, say Hi to Angela (two floors up, to the right).

[alonso]

If those walls could talk, eh?

If you happen to be passing, say Hi to Angela (two floors up, to the right).

and her friend Betsy. She can leaf through my notes any time

[tommyt]

I think 'island' is the right term for the campus with all its accompanying strengths and disadvantages.

I'm actually only sticking my oar in here to recount an American buddy of mine who was convinced Aras an bPiarsigh was actually pronounced 'Arse Piercing' when we cruelly sent him to the front security desk to ask for directions one day!

[Paul Clerkin]

I have to say that the last day I was in TCD, the place was a mess. Litter everywhere, and the weeds growing out of Grafton Architects podium was disgraceful.

[notjim]

And worse, until last week there was weeds growing on the stone base around the Calder; I suppose money is tight, but the lack of care given to small acts of maintenance really bugs me. As for the Ussher podium, have you seen the state of the drawbridge; there is a drawbridge, which I have never seen used which should connect the Ussher to Nassau street, it is gradually decaying.

[notjim]

You know the front range at Trinity, Parliament Square, or whatever it's called, there's a lot of space between the top floor windows and the roof and the roof itself is very steep. There must be an awful lot of space up there! What goes on up there?

Well the boring answer is, I think, that the windows are quite low and so the top floor extends up further than you would expect, not a great photo from the top of house 5, note that the sink actually cuts off the bottom quarter of the window.

<img src="http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg300/mijton/Image005-1.jpg" width=250 border="0" alt="House 5">

and here is the view from the same window.

<img src="http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg300/mijton/Image003.jpg" width=250 border="0" alt="House 5">

[gunter]

Wow, you can see a lot of grass from up there.

[notjim]

Wow, you can see a lot of grass from up there.

I seem to remember winning this argument in a different thread.

[Paul Clerkin]

Who were the architects of the Pearse Street buildings? Drawing a blank unless I guess.

[cobalt]

Who were the architects of the Pearse Street buildings? Drawing a blank unless I guess.

Seems that several folk were involved.

[notjim]

RKD architects working with Wilson Architects:

http://www.wilsonarch.com/index/portfolio?projectsid=30

(posted simultaneously with cobalt above)

[gunter]

Is it true that there's an unrepealed Bye-Law on the books to the effect that, if you're in the possession of a sword and you ride into Trinity on a horse demanding a 'snifter' of whishey, they're obliged to give it to you?

I suspect that a 'snifter' wouldn't be the most generous of measures, but nonetheless, if you could slightly up-date the criteria from 'sword' and 'horse' to 'fountain pen' and 'bicycle', this could still be a useful clause.

[notjim]

You know the funny thing is I was in Trinity in Cambridge for a while and they had the same, almost exactly the same, story there. I doubt it is true there and I am sure it is not true here, the statutes have been rewritten relatively recently.

[notjim]

And worse, until last week there was weeds growing on the stone base around the Calder; I suppose money is tight, but the lack of care given to small acts of maintenance really bugs me. As for the Ussher podium, have you seen the state of the drawbridge; there is a drawbridge, which I have never seen used which should connect the Ussher to Nassau street, it is gradually decaying.

The Nassua Street drawbridge with rust visible.

<img src="http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg300/mijton/Image009-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Nassua St Drawbridge" width="300">

[adhoc]

Well, there's no mention of horses, swords or whiskey in the consolidated statutes of 1966 and I doubt they were reinserted in the recent amendments.

http://www.tcd.ie/Secretary/Board/Other_Papers/Statutes-Current.pdf

[alonso]

there's also the story that if you are a scholar you can demand a glass of port during your exams. That'd be nice

[gunter]

Well, there's no mention of horses, swords or whiskey in the consolidated statutes of 1966 and I doubt they were reinserted in the recent amendments.

Thanks for that, I had the feeling I was being set up.

[GrahamH]

Trinity during the light show back in February.








Custard cream anyone?












And during a quiet weekend morning - the perfect time for a nice contemplative sit.












Also the extraordinary crown, cylinder, and modern float glass contrasting in a window of the Chapel - one of the delights of the Trinity campus.

[notjim]

Great picture GH - thanks! Common sense would have that radiator replaced by something wit a lower profile! To continue my photographs of less well photographed parts of TCD, the CS banana tree:

<img src="http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg300/mijton/Image010-1.jpg", width=250>

[missarchi]

...

[Sarsfield]

Can anyone tell me what's the story with the Luce Hall? Is it still in use? It's a godawful looking thing and doesn't really make good use of the site it's on, there being a large but unusable gap between it and the Pearse St. boundary, as well as to it's east towards Westland Row.

Any plans for something new to replace it?

Birds-eye view

Can't seem to get the above link to centre on the building in question, but top left.

[notjim]

It used to be the sports hall and at the moment the squash courts are still in use. Some of it has an ancillary use related to research; the plan though is to convert part of it into a student center, some societies in TCD are well provided for, others are not and there is no student run venue for small concerts, discos etc. Part of Luce Hall will be converted for those purposes, when the money has been raised, I guess through philanthropy and a student levy. There is also planning permission to build student accommodation between Luce Hall and the street line. I amn't sure if that is going ahead, probably, it will be considered as part of the larger Pearse Street development.

Although I initially disliked it, I have grown fond of Luce Hall over the years, its rigor and honesty is appealing and like many unloved buildings of its era I think half the problem is that it isn't maintained. It is at least a building that was designed with some aesthetic ambition, unlike say the Simon Perry building beside it. The thing I hate about Luce Hall is the gap between it and Pearse Street, that's the bit road widening was supposed to take.

<img src="http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg300/mijton/Image006.jpg", width=300>

[Sarsfield]

unlike say the Simon Perry building beside it.

Well, Prof. Perry was an engineer not an architect.

I'd much rather see the Luce Hall replaced rather than reburbished & built around. I didn't realise the squash courts were still in use. Was the new sports centre built without squash courts?

And speaking of the new sports centre who designed the drainage at the pool level? 3 showers with 2 drains, neither of which drain fast enough. 3 people showering results in ankle deep waste water from whoever is showering next door Oh and the changing village is often so hot & humid it's almost impossible to dry off.