Reply To: Cathedrals of Commerce

I didn’t really want to express too strong an opinion of those modern buildings myself. But the main point, I was making, is that usually a bunch or architectural student know-it-alls pass out the Shell garage one, and just throw their eyes up to heaven and go ‘ugly thrash’.

But in fairness to the architecture, if you just take the actual time and effort to recognise its context and significance within the environment – then, you can at least begin to build up some real picture of how good/weak a response a building is, in a specific context.

But my fear is that, most people will just reach for the Irish Architect, look at the photography, either go ‘ooh’ or ‘aah’ and just arrive at an opinion based on looking at a magazine, sitting on one’s ass, while drinking coffee, than actually giving things a chance.

Goes back to my point, about this nation here, being ‘afraid’ of space, of walking, of movement or anything like that. We always reach for the Frank McDonald page, the big photo and the few ‘words of wisdom’ which Frank may have cobbled together to sell a paper.

The fact, these ideals are often enshrined in schools of architecture too, is shameful IMHO.