Reply To: Ugly buildings

I don’t want to turn this into a slagging match. I expressed my opinion and did not attack any of the other members.

This is a thread about the building, which by the way I do like but agree that it is somewhat out of place. The plaza is part of the overall architecture of the building and at that I do not think the railings suit the original building very well. One thing I always thought about the railings is that they certainly could have been designed with a very wide opening at the front. This would have made it less intrusive and left the view of the steps unobstructed when left open during the day and when closed at night still met the requirement for which it was erected in the first place. The railings should also have been closer to the building to preserve the size of the plaza.

I am not small minded (I started my post with “Correct me if I’m wrong……”). I agree that the railings do detract from the overall plaza but I don’t think it is totally ruined. I am thankful that the whole plaza was not closed off. That does not mean I am happy about what they have done, but surely there should be some recognition that there is still a (smaller) plaza there.

I don’t claim to know Sam Stephenson, I have never been to one of his lectures, I’ve probably never sat beside him on the bus, I have not extensively toured the placa’s and plaza’s of Europe, but I do not consider myself “unenlightened”. I live and socialise in the city centre. I spend as much time as I can here and that in itself can be enlightening (for good and bad reasons), but I love it dearly and will regret having to leave if and when that days comes.

The segregation of the classes is becoming more and more obvious as time goes by. This is caused be a wide number of influences not by any one set of railings however symbolic or prominent they are. The segregation of classes is caused by society itself and we are all part of that (banks, architects, skateboarders, drunks, all classes, colours and creeds etc. included).

But that is another thread, this one is about the Central Bank.