developments in cork

It all seems pretty low dentisty. There is a lot of green space.

Its a shame that all the space isnt used up as much as possible. Most of country is low dentisty and we have enough green spaces. It probably wont but Cork has the potential to become a city of high rises (well only a few and compared to dublin). We really need a counter balance in this country to dublin and cork should be it !

@Maskhadov wrote:

Its a shame that all the space isnt used up as much as possible. Most of country is low dentisty and we have enough green spaces. It probably wont but Cork has the potential to become a city of high rises (well only a few and compared to dublin). We really need a counter balance in this country to dublin and cork should be it !

I’ve no problems with high-rise (including buildings that are much taller than proposed). If anything high-rise should allow for some open space between buildings. Although the country as a whole has a large number of open spaces, they are a rarity in the centre of Cork (more so than Dublin even).

Also, from large cities like London or Paris to cities more similar in size to Cork, like Cardiff or The Hague, you’ll find that the areas of cities that have significant green space available are the ones with the highest value residential and commercial properties.

@A-ha wrote:

Just because it’s tall doesn’t mean it should be given “landmark” status, especially if you’re suggesting that the design is crap. Everyone in Ireland must have some belief that if a building is tall, then it’s a landmark that everyone should love. But it isn’t the case and I’d prefer to have a beautifully designed bungalow as a landmark rather than a 100 storey pile of rubble. And I agree jungle, green space is good in a city like Cork. The city is turning into suburb after suburb and it’s only in a few years down the line that we’ll realise how lucky we are to have wide open spaces in our city centre.

Good or bad design. a tall building is a landmark, either way: its going to stand out. But of course, better good than bad.

A city councilor informed me that RTE were interviewing members in the City Hall last week on planning issues in Cork.
RTE it seems are researching planning in Cork at the behest of the CSD after visiting their website at http://www.corksouthwest.com and hearing of the building height cap vote passed by city councilors some weeks ago.
Might be no harm to e mail RTE at http://www.rte.ie and let them know that there is more than the CSD that have an opinion on planning in the city?

It would be nice however to see a skyline of signifance. Especailly near the water.

Maybe they can incorporated the highrise in other parts of the city.

@PTB wrote:

I’m actually quite surprised that anyone would bemoan the fact that green space is being created. Cork is a city without a great amount of green, open spaces. I quite appreciate the fact that the architects have decided to allocate that much parkland rather than cramming the site with buildings and making more money out of all the office space.

If the Cork docklands are to become an extension of the city centre then development should be urban in form, i.e. there should be streets, squares etc. This building while quite dramatic seems to be set in a business park/campus setting. Green space can be incoporated in the form of parks or a linear park with cycle ways along the river bank. The docklands needs to be developed in a high density manner if things like light rail linking it to the city centre are feasible.

Cork city lacks parks that’s true, Fitzgerald park is just a bit off city centre to be Cork’s Stephen’s Green and the peace Park is a bit small. I’m not sure low density office blocks surrounded by a few acres of lawn are much use though, look at City West in Dublin!

High density needs a master plan and great design.

@Maskhadov wrote:

It would be nice however to see a skyline of signifance. Especailly near the water.

Maybe they can incorporated the highrise in other parts of the city.

Again Maskhadov I disagree with you. This development is proably the first part of the docklands developments that you would see on your way into Cork coming in by Tivoli. Were a large structure to be built here it would, I believe, appear very harsh, coming fron the low trees to a large structure. The current design would ease a transition into taller structures, yet would maintain a landmark look.

I was trying to add it up in my head how many genuine tall building (i mean 12 storeys and up) proposals Cork has got so far. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Eglinton street which is 17 storeys and 70 metres.

Water street which is 17 and 58 metres (is that right or was it changed again??)

Crows nest which is 15 and 50 metres i think was said

Sunbeam which is 18 and 63 metres

Metropole which is 12 and I don’t know how many metres.

Think lex said before that there could be another high rise out along the Straight road the other side of County hall but it wasnt known yet.

Though I don’t think there should be high rise everywhere there def should be some more of a higher density along the south docklands at least. There should be at least one or 2 defining structures (ya know like 20 storeys or something) which DO act as proper landmarks and are not just tall for the sake of tall. As for Cork’s track record so far i think Eglinton street and Water street stand out as the best, the other designs have little to no flair about them at all and seem to me more like flashier Ballymuns. I think the high rise, in Cork, should not be balcony ridden tower blocks, they should be smooth tall and narrow structures which maybe internalise their balconies like Eglinton street. Balconies sort of make high rises look like holiday apartment blocks and i havent seen many blocks like that which i’m fond of!!