Bridges & Boardwalks
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Im reserving final judgement until they are finished but on first impressions they seem very obtrusive. Its odd though: they look different from Capel St (very in your face) to Parliamnet St (much easier on the eye).
StephenC, that is probably because on Parliament Street (correct me if I am wrong here) you can view them from higher up than you can from Capel Street. Parliament Street is also wider than Capel Street which would make a difference i think.
I was very surprised when I saw them during the week. beforehand I thought they had done an excellent job on the bridge, making a open and clean space. Now it appears this things are very obstrusive on what what i thought was a well done public space. I’ll wait to see them when they’re finished to make my mind up but at the moment I’m wary. I imagined something different when they mentioned a book market – something more in the line of the book market in Temple Bar rather kioskville – but I suppose it is more in line with Europe where the kiosk predominates.
Once they are open perhaps they will become more transparent – although, there’s no provision for windows to the rear.
For once, pedestrians have been given precedence over motorists with the kiosks looking much better from the pavement.
What they look like from the road or from the other side mustn’t be too pleasant.Thanks for enlightening me re Grattan Bridge works.
While I think they look pretty ugly, I’m hopeful it will be different when they open , as I love what the boardwalk has done for the way I experience the city.
It didn’t even cross my mind that it would be a book market. I though maybe a flower stall and a newspaper kiosk from the look of them.Anyway looking forward to seeing how this evolves 😀
From todays Irish Times:
Liffey kiosks are ‘visual vandalism’, council told
Frank McDonald, Environment EditorThe architect of a planned European-style book market on Grattan Bridge has appealed to the public to suspend judgment on the project until it is finished.
Capel Street art gallery owner, Mr Gerald Davis, has complained to Dublin City Council that four new kiosks intended as elaborate book stalls were “totally out of place” and amounted to “visual vandalism” of views of the Liffey.
However Mr Dave Richards, of Gilroy McMahon architects, said the kiosks were “like a piano with its lid down” at present. “They have to be seen with their panels opened out and awnings down.”
Mr Richards said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the reaction so far, even from wisecracking Dubliners. “In general, people are delighted to see this type of thing happening here.”
The kiosks were prefabricated in Spain as part of a €2 million project to turn Grattan Bridge, which links Capel Street with Parliament Street, into a contemporary version of an inhabited bridge, such as the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.
City architect Mr Jim Barrett said the proposed book market on Grattan Bridge was the latest phase of the city council’s plan to enable people to enjoy the river.
The €2 million budget included a major reconstruction of the bridge deck, new granite paving for the footpaths and a set of benches with wooden seats and toughened glass backs.
The kiosks are due for completion by St Patrick’s Day. The first one to open on a pilot basis will be a book sales outlet for the Hugh Lane Gallery.
Mr Richards said the idea was to recreate something which the city used to have – the bookstalls on Bachelor’s Walk and Wellington Quay which brought a touch of the Seine to the Liffey.
© The Irish Times
I think the kiosks look a bit cumbersome, resembling pre fabs or cargo boxes, giving a cluttered effect on the briidge. Maybe they should have been installed at the time the bridge was revamped, would have avoided this reaction now. But we should give them a chance however.
In hindsight, It’s good to see that the Liffey boardwalk has been a good success however despite all the initial nagative talk from An Taisce and the like etc….. Maybe Cork, etc ….could have the same.
O’ Connell Street will prove to be a success too, despite the negative talk from the Green Party etc….I am a fan of the boardwalks myself, but lets get one thing straight here.
Originally posted by GregF
In hindsight, It’s good to see that the Liffey boardwalk has been a good success however despite all the initial nagative talk from An Taisce and the like etc…..Let us be fair here, some people are of the opinion that Dublin city council, like to be seen as their own bosses in everything, the heros. Which often has the negative impact, that they do not always bring in the ideas and people who could really do a much better job in some cases. Of course Dublin city council have a huge bargaining chip with developers, as witnessed by that pedestrian bridge, over to Abbey street rubbish then have just completed. But the insight and understanding they display every time they try to use that bargaining chip, is very suspect in my opinion.
I think that developers are far too savy, and the Dublin city council far to naive in 2004. Frank McDonald painted a very rosy picture of Dublin city council last week, and while in large part it is true – they still don’t always get it right by any manner or means.
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