Re: Re: Limerick Boat Club ~ Wellesley Pier ~ Poor Man’s Kilkee ~ Sarsfield Bridge

13th June 2008
@massamann wrote:

The more I look at the proposal to replace the Boat Club in the river, the worse it looks to me. If ever a site called for an “iconic building” – hmm, I hate that term – let’s say an example of considered design, then this is it. Get it right, and it will raise the look of every single other building that looks out at it over the river. Get it wrong, and we’ll drag everything down.

Who is the land owned by? To me, it’s a no brainer. We need a new site for a library, and we need (in my view) public access to this area. Let it be a public-private partnership on a build-lease basis, or let it be fully public. But this site is important enough to mean that the “economic imperative” should not figure. We don’t need to squeeze 20,000 sq ft of office space onto a thin strip of land. Less is more.

And with that it mind, how about something stripped down to the minimum, 2 or 3 stories high, almost transparent. Something not a million miles away from….

13th June 2008
@CologneMike wrote:

justnotbothered

Rent out space to the city council for a new city library, guaranteed money packet for as long as he wants.

massamann

We need a new site for a library

Sure the city requires a representative municipal building for its library. We once had one i.e. the purpose built Carnegie Library at the Peoples Park. A library building here on the Shannon in my opinion would be “too introvert in nature” to fully appreciate the river.

One must bear in my mind that Wellesley pier is an island serviced by the Sarsfield Bridge and is positioned between Thomond Bridge and Condell Bridge. It is also situated where pleasure boats can leave the estuary part of the Shannon and enter the Abbey weir / Ardnacrusha waterway to make their way up to the upper parts of the Shannon. It is also situated at the entrance of the city centre. Most importantly of all it lies in the middle of the riverfront / promenade landscape with views in all directions.

Its proposed use should take water sport and local / visitor recreational needs on board.

16th June 2008
@Fairy wrote:

Not for a moment am I suggesting that this is the best design, but God it’s at least innovative! Recall the enomous ructions/damming reactions to the inconceivable design of the Sydney Opera House (similar situ). Looking at the design put forward it sure is inavative – loooking into a much smaller concept imigne taking all the the Bell Table has to offer and (add add some flash) move it into the Boat Club it would be – a winner in IMO, a place to take in a play, lunch, bite of lunc h while talking in the majestic Shannon, We so desperately need a ‘centre of the equivalent RIGHT IN THE CENTRE OF LIMERICK CITY. See it all in my dreams, ‘lights,steps, etc, ect.. Then

20th June 2008
@CologneMike wrote:

Proposed Limerick Boat Club Redevelopment (2008) and Cologne Chocolate Museum (1993).

I thought I post this as both have some similar characteristics.

• Both are positioned on the head of river piers. (Shannon / Rhine)
• Both piers are intersected by bridges. (Sarsfield / Severin)
• Both have similar glass front facades at the head of their piers.
• Both riverfronts are in the process of major redevelopments. (Arthur’s Quay / Rheinauhafen)
• Both locations have mooring facilities for pleasure boats.

The Chocolate Museum is built around a former custom and excise building on both sides. The large usage of aluminium might give a factory feel to it. In fact the museum contains a working chocolate production line from start to finish. Of course it has gastronomy facilities (Café / Beer Garden) and a shop (Chocolate). It is a commercially run museum and a very popular visitor attraction.

Obviously there also many differences between the two locations especially scale of size. The 1993 exterior design might look somewhat cumbersome and could put some people off in supporting Fordmount’s proposal for the Boat Club. However it is just a practical exercise at comparing this proposal with another one elsewhere.

Any thoughts?

Images from susemueller ralpe mikepirnat

20th June 2008
@Tuborg wrote:

You would have to say that Chocolate Museum has aged fairly dramatically in 15 years. Theres probably a serious lesson for Limerick in this. I presume that building is maintained quite rigourously seen as its Germany and all that? Contrast this with Ireland where the standards of maintenance and upkeep are questionable to say the least. In this context how would the current proposal for the boat club look in 15 years time? Pretty tired and dated I would say!

2nd July 2008
@bonzer1again wrote:

Article in Limerick Independent………Nice to see that the Planning office seem to be on the ball……………..time will tell!!!

Boatclub developer to consider ‘changes’
Written by Rachael Finucane
Wednesday, 02 July 2008
The developer behind the proposed controversial building for the site of Limerick Boat Club said this week that he is “actively considering” a raft of suggested changes to the ultramodern design, including a reduction in the scale of the project.

Senior Executive Planner, Dick Tobin, told a city council meeting this week that his department has asked Fordmount Developments “for further information specifically with regard to obtaining a redesign and if possible, reducing the scale”.

“The scale is too large and there are also matters to do with protected structures that we were not aware of that are very relevant and must be looked at. We are asking them to examine these and many other elements of the plans,” he said, adding that there is a “very odd structure” underneath the proposed main building that must be explained and the level of the building may have to be raised “due to the danger of flooding”.

Developer, Michael Daly, said that “in general terms, we are very happy with and open to everything that the planners are suggesting” which are “without exception, very reasonable”.

“We’re going over what the planning department has set out in its request for more information. It has reservations about some items and we’re going to take that on board. We regard it as a very good letter and the planners have spent a lot of time on it,” he added.

“It’s obvious that the planners see the project as being of merit and we will certainly be going back to them with changes to the design,” he said.

City councillors have already voiced strong objections to the design of the proposed four level, 4,215 square foot structure on Wellesley Pier, deriding it as “appalling” and “a monstrosity”.

The new building design includes offices and a restaurant as well as civic space and a new home for Limerick Boat Club—which has been based at the site since 1870—and has emphasised that it can “secure its future with a new and improved rowing facility and the city will get an iconic building on the river”.

For the project to go ahead, elected members will have to vote to remove the current boat club base from the list of protected structures and re-zone the site for mixed use.