New Streets of Dublin
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I’m just curious as to the planning of new streets of Dublin. In particular I woudl like to raise the example of Cork St. and its new extensive, the relief road to The Coombe.
Is there anyone out there who would know whether there is a grand plan for such a street? At the moment a large percentage of this street is vacant and prime for development. Its a major approach into Dublin city centre from the southern suburbs of Crumlin, Walkinstown, Tallaght etc.
I’m wondering will its development be hap-hazard (with what seems like the inevitable poor quality apartment buildings already showing their faces on Marrowbone Lane, just off Cork St) or could something really be done to make this approach into town really something.
For example the relief road is has no buildings on it at present apart from the abdandoned burnt out shell of St. Lukes church and the Watkins St. brewery buildings. Is there any plans to do anything with these, the only historic buildings on the street?
In fact, are there any plans to deliver architecturally special streets, new or redeveloped, for any part of the city? The last new street in Dublin I can think of must be Cow’s Lane though I suppose I can’t really classify it as a street, give its a lane.
I’m thinking more in the style of something like Lord Edward St. – when in the 1880’s the city fathers (or whoever) decided to build an architecturally significant new street within the city to link Christchurch to Dame St. and something which still looks good to this day.
HKR architects have a looker planned for down there.
I hope it sets a new tone
that donnelly centre is a filthy lookin hag
As for the gaps it is more of a question of the standard of what fills them rather than will they be filled.
http://www.hkr.ie/proj_corkstpge1.htm
I’m not surprised that such a revoltingly ugly building would please a member of An Taisce. It is, after all, only five stories tall, which evidently excuses its hideousness. Did AT lodge an appeal against this beauty?
I couldn’t tell you, I don’t work for An Taisce I am consulting to them. In an area that has little to do with urban planning.
Easy to knock HKR’s effort but it is a lot better than anything done in that area before.
Quote: Only Five stories’
“Cork Street
This redevelopment proposal provides 3,650m2 of offices; 90 residential units; ground floor office/retail units, above basement car-parking. The accommodation varies from 3 to 6 storeys in height, with elevations composed mainly in stone and glass. Construction is scheduled to commence in 2003″You could at least read the web link you supplied.
I think the building is hideous but I suppose it is better than the flats at the end of Cork St. just before the relief road. At least it obeys the street line but I’m not too impressed by it all the same.
I think its a building that tries to be a landmark (but fails) as opposed to a building happy to take its place within a streetscape – something which many new buildings can be accused of. So i would say the answer to my question seems to be ‘no’ – buildings planned will not try to craete a streetscape but instead will jostle to stick out the best.
that hkr building is mindless filth. it is more offensive than a mock georgian facade with shiny sandstone ground floor.
there is a new street just opened on the north side of the millenium bridge ‘quartier bloom’ no less. they made an interesting move in retaining the facade and pulling a corner of the new building back from it to allow for easier pedestrian flow around the corner. pity the rest of the new buildings are struggling to meet the lofty quality of the hkr design.
Accept my apologies. I found it difficult to focus too long on the horrible rendering, which on a second look does appear to actually contain six stories on top of each other at some point.
What?, I think that the retention of the facade in that case was unussual aswell. I think it looks a bit like a film set though.
well the practice of retaining facades and rebuilding behind them is as facile as a film set to all intents and purposes. i think that the intention was to make this apparent. like a commentary on this kind of thing, or planning laws. it seems at odds however to the rest of the building which has as much thought in it as a night watching kirstys home videos. i always think that some good architect must have been working in a shit office and let work on the project for a week or something.
That is a good way of looking at it, as it does seem to be taking the mickey or something. I wonder if that pedestrian way will last for too long without a gate at either end as well?
Who is Kirsty?
Sounds a bit tasty, I’m sure I got her email through the other day with an offer I had to turn down in case it was monitored by the FBI
Are you sure it wasn’t Kirsty McCall a bit closer to home?
On a more serious note I would have like to see you develop a number of projects here.
The real pity in many developments is the total absence of original thought.
And worse apartments designed by engineers with the standard spar shop at ground level.
I am sure we’ll see you again fitter than ever
I think the new buildings in that quartier bloom development are fine. What should they have been like??
As for the retained facade, the applicant chose to retain it. In fact I think an earlier application approved its demolition. It was worth retaining because of the nice granite piers and the value of old grain on the Quays.
It should never have got to the point of facade retention anyway. It was a pair of circa 1800 buildings, amalgamated in the mid 19th century. It survived – badly maintained – until the 1990s, when Dublin Corporation served a Dangerous Buildings Notice reqiring the roof to be removed, and that was that.
i’ll take it that by ‘fine’ you mean adequate and not ‘fabulous’ devin?
my problem with these buildings is the same one as with the vast majority of new developments in the city. they are mindless applications of brick or re-con stone facades onto the standard office or appartment layout. irish people have never seen what a bit of innovation or thought (not money) can do for a street scape or environment. our society doesnt have the cultural capital to begin to criticise or even acknowledge the quality of new developments in the heart of our city. the developers make all the cash at the expense of the city. im growing increasingly weary of the irish publics apathy towards their built environment, unless it is to object that something is too tall.
here we had the opportunity to create an entirely new street, a new route and new buildings to surround it. what did we get? some mind numbingly bland and cheap throw-ups by (most likely) Reddys. because it is marginally cheaper and less hassle than the alternative. and no one objects because it is ‘nice’ brick.and directly accross the river we have an example of where developers wernt in the driving seat and what did we get? temple bar.
Agreed
The Millenium Bridge bldg looks derelict without it’s sashes – it simply doesn’t make visual sense not to have them in an urban context.
Lots and lots and lots of lovely red brick going up on the new buildings on Talbot Street – which is turning into a ‘new street’ in itself.
Hmmmm – wonder what’s going to replace Mall Mart…
Take one guess
Is Mall Mart Going?
Prime case in point of desirable higher densities
I have always liked that end of Talbot St during the day, maybe it is the bridge
Mall Mart is well gone at this stage – they are working on foundations now – anyone know whats going in there
Don’t agree with you What? about the quality of Quatier Bloom or about brick. The shapes and massing of the buildings are good. It is the quays. A Gehry wouldn’t do it for me here.
There is an interesting new Dublin view, from the ‘square’ of the development out to the quays, across Millenium Bridge and up Eustace Street to the ’50s building on the George’s st. cnr.There’s nothing wrong with brick per se, just the way its used. Brainless red brick and PVC Zoey facades gave brick a bad name in the 90’s.
You cite Temple Bar as an example of quality or innovation. The whole of the award winning Temple Bar West End is in brick.
Incidentally, three years after its completion the streets and pavements in Temple Bar West End have been left in an unfinished state, with bumpy tarmac surfaces and a mish mash of broken temporary pavements, whereas the Quartier Bloom development has been completed with integral, high quality warm-coloured stone paving in the new street, that – unlike the wretched Chinese white granite everywhere else in the city – reflects the tone of the historic Dublin paving.
(And, no, I had absolutely nothing to do with this development)
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