Re: Re: what now for Irish Times D’olier Street buildings?
From the far end of Pearse Street the hulking mass of incoherent clutter of clip-on cladding, services and railings rears its head to double the height of the low Wide Streets Commission curved composition in front.
The new building’s crumpled facade to Fleet Street has admirable sculptural qualities and is well detailed, but again is at least a storey too high relative to its surroundings.
The view from the street in certain light is striking and elegant. Quite clearly this solitary element sufficiently bedazzled the planners in typically flashy fashion to wave through the entire scheme unhindered.
It gets cheaper looking when the sun catches the television set cladding.
The new building is linked to the WSC terrace by means of an atrium: a common ploy that generally works well with tight sites and historic buildings with unremarkable rear elevations.
Formerly intended as a signature corporate entrance, it appears this has been significantly downgraded over the course of construction. The humdrum entrance as built.
It leads into, well, this.
Er…
Returning to the wider composition, this was the site as proposed.
And as built. Damn you skip.
There is of course one glaring difference. Two red brick houses slap bang in the middle of the terrace.
Complete with that penthouse storey.
