Reply To: Smithfield, Dublin

OK, Colours to the Mast and all that!.

What I would LIKE to see happen on that particular site is:

A 5 storey scheme with the 5th floor recessed to form a long planted terrace at that level.

A decent sized new boulevard to link through to the Blue Coat School (the link proposed is extremely narrow and actually aligns at a cant towards Marmion Court Flats, such an axial link would finally give the Square a proper Civic relationship with one of the finest pieces of Architecture in the country.

Absolutely right about the tower, it is of course a ‘stalking horse’ however I would have no major problem with it provided that the design was more crystalline to take advantage of he light (did you know that the reason that Weichert used faceted polished steel on the Bow lane elevation to the Distillery project was to refract winter sunlight into shadowey Bow Lane? – works very well and glass would achieve an even better ecffect with the tower).

My wish list would also include the relocation of the Abbey theatre which needs a new home anyway, a third of the current underground parking provision which would in any case only succeed in drawing more traffic into the area, also a group of architects producing a unified composition (eg: the old lags such as Paul Keogh, Niall McCullogh, Valerie Mulvin etc, mixedin with a few of the younger more talented and dynamic crowd such – Grainne Hassett, Niall Mclaughlin etc) as opposed to the ‘hackitects’who have made such a greedy mess of this site.

As to hotels sure stick one in but don’t cater to the lowest common denominator (actually the tower migh be more suitable as a hotel), shops – yes, starter units for business, – yes, offices – yes, apartments – yes (but decent sized, with three bedrooms and a minimum living area of say 750sqft, pubs, fine but no larger than 1500sq ft.

Finally, a developer with a little more vision than that currently on display (has anybody twigged yet the involvement of Zoe Developments I wonder??)

PS don’t worry too much about ‘leaving poor JK alone’ – I am allowed to switch this machine off I my delicatee sensibilities are offended.

Cheerio and have a chew over that!!