Bridges & Boardwalks
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Graham,
I was in the southern capital yesterday and remarked the same thing crossing the new pedestrian bridge there – A CARPET of droppings. Must be the season for it!A new bridge for Merchant’s Quay in Dublin: – what do you think this is about?
The picture accompanying would seem to me a subway station in Washington DC.
Looks like a mistake to mehttp://www.dublincity.ie/press_news/news/new_pedestrian_bridge_over_liffey.asp
Strange image alright. Do those architects have a web-page? Aswell, as StephenC just said, what is the point in this?
Yes – any decent pics anywhere?
This is a highly highly sensitive location – it is Dublin, the image of the city presented to the rest of the world, whatever about our own enjoyment of the location. It is more Dublin than Merrion Square or the Custom House or the Spike will ever be.
That classic river view with O’Donovan Rossa & Fr Matthew bridges and matching balustrading along the quays ought not be touched with a bargepole.
Whereas it is generally accepted now that striking modern architecture works well next to older structures or locations, this should not be an excuse to build anywhere, supposedly because we’re so ‘enlightened’ now.Leave the location alone. I know it’s a typical reactionary response but really, what is wrong with the existing bridges? It seems to be something of a CC hobby now to litter the riverscape with ‘striking’ new structures…
That must be a mistake. You wouldnΓ’β¬β’t want to go putting a bridge there Γ’β¬β enough damage has been done over the past 25 years with putting bridges in the wrong place on the Liffey. Leaving aside the folly of the Loop Line Bridge (which I suppose was just a reflection of the power of the railway companies at the time), the consistent spacing of bridges along the Liffey had always been observedΓ’β¬Β¦for hundreds of yearsΓ’β¬Β¦until Frank Sherwin Bridge was stuck in a few feet away from Sean Heuston Bridge in 1982.
Then the Millenium pedestrian bridge which of course Γ’β¬Λenhances criss-cross movement across the Liffey blah blahΓ’β¬β’ but also compromises the spacing of bridges again.
Then James Joyce Bridge – Yes, coup for the city get a Calatrava bridge etc. etc., but this one is definitely in the wrong place; Because it was squeezed in between two older bridges, it messes up the quay length/river width ratio again. ItΓ’β¬β’s also very close to the oldest and most beautiful bridge on the Liffey, Mellowes (aka Queen Maev) Bridge.
I wonder if its a misprint and the CC mean a new bridge at Eden Quay across to Hawkins St. This has definately been mooted before and is part of the IAP for OConnell St. I have never heard a bridge at Merchants Quay mentioned before. And I stand by my comments….what will it connect? Four Courts with SFX? Very odd.
Elsewhere….the new extension to the Boardwalk opens on March 17. I say this every year but can DCC hire a steamcleaner for the rest of the Boardwalk and the bridges and give them a bit of a spruce up for our National Holiday. All those tourist should not have to see a years worth of grime as they promenade. Also (from today’s Irish Times) is news that the Liffey bat service should be in place by April. The new pedestrian bridge at chq arrives in March and opens in May while chq itself is still shrouded in letting uncertainty. Pity really…Im dying to get in and have a look. The DDDA are also to announce an upgrade to Custom House Quay to complete the new Liffey walkway and are apparently vacating their awful building and demolishing it later this year.
There is so little detail on that page that it must be a mistake, there is no way that the corpo would commission a bridge and not announce an image heavy press campaign to sell it. Then again they did the fridges in sneakiest possible way.
‘The Fridges’ – so the title’s official then π
O’Connor Crowe Architects don’t appear to have a site which is strange…are they imaginary too? π
On the issue of the older western bridges, their paving is often in appalling condition, esp at the corners with the quays. Certainly this needs to be improved for pedestrians – bit cheaper than any bridge too.The chq bridge is exciting – it’s great the way bridges take so little time to go up after planning; this one is taking shape quite fast.
Is there a need for that ped bridge at Hawkins/Marlborough Sts, esp so close to O’Cll Bridge? More clutter, not least when combined with the new Boardwalk. Even if Marl St is improved as per the IAP, there’s still not going to be the attractions to make people go there. Perhaps in light of the Hawkins redevelopment though…Good news about the DDDA huts.
heheh
Nah, fridges is still the more accurate term, even if less humerous πHere’s hoping their offspring won’t crop up on O’Connell Bridge as part of plans for there; their breeding like rabbits along the boardwalks is quite enough thank you very much, albethey the more fashion-conscious wood-clad generation π
@Graham Hickey wrote:
heheh
they’re breeding like rabbits along the boardwalks is quite enough thank you very much, albethey the more fashion-conscious wood-clad generation πThe boardwalk can take these type of structures quite well as at least half the height is mitigated by the Quay walls and the kiosks are framed against terraces of buildings behind the Quay thoroughfares. The fridges in contrast stand out for the egotistical flight of fancy that they are. The market has spoken http://www.lisney.com
I hope for the individual traders (2/4) sake that they hold them on no more than short term licences and I would be examining my break options very closely. π
Wonder if the open ones are doing any decent trade – I passed them today and the man in the newsagent one looked bored senseless; then again staff tend to in most stores so maybe that’s not the best indicator…
Agreed about the boardwalk kiosks, they do work well – just being flippant earlier – however the wood cladding is in an very poor state on both of them and requires immediate attention – they look so tatty.
Have to laugh at the contractors working on the Boardwalk – they’ve just covered the most recently erected handrail in sheets of plastic and parcel tape to protect it from The Attack of airborne detritus π
so according to the ddda newsletter the new foot bridge, the _sean o’casey_ bridge, is arriving this week and will be open by may.
Looking forward to that. The Boardwalk extension was finished to a good standard…even managed to stick to the contemporary theme with rubbish bins. Nice shiny stainless steel bin attached to the quay wall. A better solution that the cast iron ones on the original. Its a pity the phone boxes at the junction with OC Bridge are still there. Next step can I suggest they are removed and the outer paving relaid. Maybe even some new bus shelters.
All telephone kiosks should now be removed around Ireland. No one needs them any more. We use our mobiles. They are just targets for vandals, and invariably unsightly heaps of broken glass and rubbish.
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