Reply To: Cathedrals of Commerce

Originally posted by Diaspora
There was a plan to build a complex on the old freight yards of the Harcourt rail station. Which are now occupied by the Ericom switch centre on Adelaide Rd and DIT music school on Upper Hatch st.

DIT another building? DIT have some beautiful historic buildings around the city, but I am really beginning to question the notion of ‘Dublin as our campus’. I mean, given the ability of University development uses, to add real variety to urban territories – I mean, places like Trinity college. Imagine Dublin without Trinity college, what would it be? Or is that just too frightening a possibility to even consider it, the type that would give you nightmares? Just thinking of some of the office stuff around molesworth st, kildare st, townsend st, pearse st.

Then there were sites around Christchurch too, and areas of thomas st, which have contributed little to the city at all – because of the way and the uses they got developed with – I mean, when you put a whole college together, and really make something cohesive that generates a kind of identity for a part of a city. I kind of like that development in Angier St to be honest, as that site could have been much worse – developed as blank faced apartments and another island of the urban core, becomes mostly a gated ‘community’.

But at least in that case, DIT pulled something together, and actually renovated a part of the city, is a fairly positive way. Still I would like to see ‘a real campus’ too, something which behaved as a positive urban space, as an outdoor room and a collection point for all DIT students. It doesn’t have that, and that feeling runs through any course you will do in DIT too. You wouldn’t believe the arguments it generates between staff and students, ‘not feeling quite part of anything’.

yeah, I know what kind of an organisation VEC was/is. I works on some levels, but it does seem pretty inefficient and ‘bloathed’ in many other ways. I just always seem to be ‘bumping’ into DIT badges stuck on doors all over the city, like some hobo symbols or something. I question, weither it is justifiable to keep that whole bueracracy afloat – or channel resources into providing something cohesive and more useful? Something infinitely more indentifiable with too – I often think DIT is like one of these DOT bomb companies, which only exist on a web site page.

In another organisation like Burger King, or Subways, or a Cafe chain or some kind, this kind of widespread distribution of your ‘brand or product’ might be a positive advantage. I just question, how that is so with education.