Re: Re: Liberty Hall redevelopment

@colmmac wrote:

Spot the difference?

Very interesting images; when Frank talks about Liberty Hall in DoD he makes the point on the reflective bomb film on the windows added in the 1970’s which destroyed much of the attraction of the see-through nature of the building. To use a clothing anology it changed a see through top for a shell suit; if the form of the tower wasn’t so elegent it would be a complete horror story which thankfully it isn’t; but reversing an intervention made on security grounds when the security situation is now normalised could add to both the attractiveness and the marketability of the space.

What these images do display is that it is clear that the union changed the original design quite a bit no doubt in an effort to cut budget. I would be fully supportive of DCC’s stance on quantifying the cost benefit of a refurbishment option as any project that may go ahead may suffer from the same fate as the original proposal and not be what it now purports to be. This site is far too high profile to take that risk and given that there are stalled projects such as the proposed Anglo offices within walking distance you have to ask the question could the elevated construction costs of a tall building be matched by a premium rent?

Something tells me Siptu would be better off sticking to their core business of national wage agreements and by taking a pragmatic view on their core mandate they could help create the conditions that could lead to a significant uptick in employment levels and by implication the demand for grade A office space; such a recovery would enable their membership to buy unit trust investments in Commercial Property in larger numbers and capitalise on what is now quite a discounted asset vis a vis medium term averages.