Reply To: Smithfield, Dublin

Re: Smithfield

Too much talk about extending and increasing the overall area of Smithfield!!.

The real problem here is that the works carried out to date eg; monumental lighting standards, subdivision of the public square by a myriad of bollards and slip roads not to mention the poor standard of finish (eg; galvanised folded plate on the standards and hard cement grouting to the re-laid cobbles) have caused a disimprovement in what was a very intact urban space, not to mention the removal of horse troughs without replacement.

I live and work in a building overlooking the square and am not at all happy that the ‘revitalised’ square is all that its cracked up to be.

Granted the intentions of all concerned were good but the result are all too typical of the ‘architecturalisation’ of existing urban space. Resulting in monumental ‘pomp and splendour’which really achieves little.

However if you think that the footprint and lauout / design of the elements within the square are the only problem think again.

Horan Keoghan Ryan and Simon J Kelly architects have submitted planning applications fro two of the the most aggressively overscaled and ill conceived schemes to have been seen in the centre city for the west side of the square, elements include a 24 storey tower, an eight / nine storey ‘museum’ six, seven and eight storey apartment blocks, a 10 storey office building.

Overall impact upon the square, not to mention the skyline of the city will be disastrous, overshadowing of the square will occur for most of the day from mid afternoon, the three storey scale of Queen street will be overwhelmed and the existing Heritage Homes Distillery development on he opposite side of the square will be of ‘toytown’ scale by comparison.

If you want to see a really ‘greedy’ schem and weep, don’t miss this one!!!.