Dublin Historic Stone Paving disbelief

3/7/2007

Well, like clockwork, poor old Parks and Planters have been called out to save the day yet again in the case of the City Hall Plaza – only even their usual sensitive works aren’t safe from the blight of meagre resources. We now have bloated leafy wedding cakes fashioned from recycled 1980’s McDonald’s chairs dumped about the space in an attempt to enliven this sterile ‘civic amenity’.

The finesse and consideration for the historic setting is striking.

They’re utterly awful. Whereas I’d welcome any softening of the space, these just hammer home the point of how this area has been appalling designed from the outset. Can you just imagine a similar, supposedly tailor-made, architect-designed space in any other European city being scattered with frumpy floral planters? It’s akin to labouring over designs for a Meisian-inspired house and then putting up net curtains. And even the type of planter chosen here speaks volumes: I’ve seen better local authority models in regional towns! Not even half-decent timber or stone models used.

Meanwhile on the historic granite paving fronting the plaza, further incisions have been made in the stone to accommodate more of these ghasty yokes generously termed litter bins.

So not only are they hideous in their own right and in the historic setting, they also damage the paving on which they’re sited, are located in the wrong place for users of the plaza seating to avail of, and are plonked right in the way of pedestrians on this often crowded pavement! And why three in a row – in case you don’t see the first two?!

What a mess: even after all the controversy over Robocop and the sterile square they still can’t get it right. And the place isn’t even finished yet either – the railings are still there shielding the sticks that were planted ages ago.

Just as an aisde, as some consolation, there’s been a lovely job done with the planters on the Boardwalk. They’ve all been stained a more elegant dark shade, and have attractive architectural ferns with floral displays planted in them.

A faintly exotic, Victorian whiff has been added to the Boardwalk. Nice job Parks Dept.

Did anyone see the plans for the plaza prior to construction ? I find it hard to believe that what we have now could have amounted to any kind of coherent landscape design for a major public space on paper;

bland granite paving (poorly laid in some odd random pattern)
raised granite seating (some merit in themselves but for fuck sake, more granite)
4 carpinus trees (these twigs have to be an after thought, they wouldn’t cost more than 50 Euro each)

and thats it ?

I imagine DCC abandoned ship on whatever was proposed for the plaza once the botched new landmark emerged from the scaffold … the plaza, in fact the whole feckin project, really is dreadful.

Boo hoo.

Oh, wait…

*** *** ***

I noticed on Dame Street today that there must have been one of those cascading planters left over from their insertion in the ‘plaza’ as one has landed at the top of Cow’s Lane. Or maybe it was making a break for freedom…?

@GrahamH wrote:

3/7/2007
What a mess: even after all the controversy over Robocop and the sterile square they still can’t get it right. And the place isn’t even finished yet either – the railings are still there shielding the sticks that were planted ages ago.

Nice photos GrahamH – As if the new building wasn’t bad enough, it’s poor design is complimented with egually poor ‘landscaping’.
The attempt at a tree lined avenue leading up to the rear entrance flight of steps flies in the face of aescetic values. A child with a decent range of lego pieces could make more of this space.
What’s missing?
1. A decent bench with back support. I suppose the idea with the square blocks is that if enough people sit on them and all lean back at the same time they can use each other for support!
2. A focal point of interest – the central area here has been dedicated to spotted ‘seats’ and wedding cake planters. There could have been a central feature of interest around which the seats etc could have been arranged.
3. An ashtray stand for those who have the consideration to use them – there should be one there at least
4. Materials used should suggest a welcome atmosphere not cold bare industrial sanitised hardness on the eye.
5. An overall shape which dictates the placement of individual elements – the seats are in a square matrix pattern yet the planters are randomly placed out of sync making it look disorderly overall.

Also, the area between the seats and the wall to the right (incl. the tree lined avenue) space has been wasted here. More mature trees should have been introduced and dotted over the entire public area not kept to the back in a cluster

As for bins……….
The capacity of the new bin is quite small compared to the old large black type – One larger is better than 3 smaller, it’s unecessary triple maintenance and further clutter of our fine hand crafted flagstoned streets. The damage done to the granite in introducing these grey daleks is irreversible and criminal.

Further, these flagstones should be worthy of protected structure status – which would in theory then require a planning application to carry out work on them. Then at least the public could participate in the decision making process!

ah sure who’ll notice … :rolleyes:

slightly off topic, but have a good look … !

well maybe not so off topic … they’ve made shit of the place, while installing the shit bollards, never mind the shit paving.

now ye have it 😀

is that photoshopped????

if not they really live up to the sterotype of a council worker…. thanks for the laugh…

Where is that Peter

@Peter FitzPatrick wrote:

ah sure who’ll notice … :rolleyes:

slightly off topic, but have a good look … !

[IMG]http://www.webeireann.com/archiseek/bollards_ifsc.jpg[/IG]

well maybe not so off topic … they’ve made shit of the place, while installing the shit bollards, never mind the shit paving.

now ye have it 😀

That’s a photoshop job. 🙂

Am I the only one who doesn’t get this? 😮

I still don’t geddit.

Is the sand supposed to have fallen out of the van or what?

(lol)