Dublin: New & Ugly!
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Okay I know that theres already a thread entitled “Dublins ugliest building”, and some of what appears here will have already appeared there. But apart from that thread being like so last year, its far too predictable as to the old favourites that crop up – ie Tom Bennets Apollo/ Hawkins House, O Connell Bridge House etc. A lot of those date from the 60s/ 70s, which would almost seem to imply that we are no longer able to create new and up-to-date horrors, which we most certainly are!
No I thinks its might be much more fun to identify the contemporary monstrosities, so without further a do – heres a few to get the cranks going:D1) Capel St junction, where it meets Abbey St and Marys Abbey; The Ugly Sisters, Mrs Pink and Mrs Gray. Hmmm “The Capel Building” – lovely. Particularly nice given it replaced a couple of Georgians that were still standing in the 90s , and now it has its gray sister opposite.
2) Just 200 metres away from the above, The toilets on Grattan Bridge; you know the ones where you cant take a piss. Ah I see theyre kiosks:rolleyes: Why oh why oh why did the powers that be need to reinvent the wheel, when if they had wanted kiosks, the green ones in Paris would have made a perfect template.
3) Gray brick building on Nth King St. Pseudo-60s design with windows having horizontal emphasis. Like the way patches of the wall have diiferent shades of gray. Nice. Why oh why do some designers bother with gray brick? All the cost of brickwork, and all the aesthetic appearance of an unadorned breeze block.
4) Also on Nth King St/ Bolton St junction, the red brick apartments over Centra. Just look at the size of those windows. Think of all the love and attention that went into the conception of this :rolleyes:
5) QuarryVale/ Liffey Valley. For all the reasons that you know already.
So what are your Celtic Cub favourites? Wiil the Capel building win? Add your thoughts now! 😀
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I l think the Burgerking at Lower O Connell Street takes some beating. I`m referring in particular to that horrendous semi circular window on the first floor. Ok I know it`s only another crappy burger joint but in view of the otherwise wonderful improvement works on the street it sticks out like a sore thumb.
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@johnfp wrote:
I l think the Burgerking at Lower O Connell Street takes some beating. I`m referring in particular to that horrendous semi circular window on the first floor. Ok I know it`s only another crappy burger joint but in view of the otherwise wonderful improvement works on the street it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Wasn’t it supposedto be newish buildings only, it’s pretty old.
Anyway seeing how it has a thread of its own my vote goes for the giant blocky mess on the corner of bolton street and henrietta st.
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My offer: The row of faux-Edwardian apartments on Dorset Street, resplendent with their memorial plaques recalling “Cosgrove 1998”, the famous statesman no doubt. The brickwork and faiencing on these masterpieces are exquisite, while the many vents and alluminium fenestration make for such a varied and interesting streetscape.
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@Bren88 wrote:
Anyway my vote goes for the giant blocky mess on the corner of bolton street and henrietta st.
Exactly. This is the kind of vile shite that should make the list….So the Henrietta St Horror or the Capel St Cathastrophe…. Come on lads/ lassies, more suggestions needed! 😀
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The last few pages of this thread were beginning to touch on some newer buildings:
https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?p=40169#post40169I reckon the pink building on Burlington Road has to be up there. I am still in complete disbelief that it was built.
https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?p=27107#post27107I would also give a vote to the IIB building on Fenian Street. There is something about it that I really dislike. Particularly the North elevation and the way in which it joins the rebuilt Archers garage, which also looks fairly poorly finished.
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Try the apartment block which is souless, bland and a grey concrete square which sits uncomfortably directly opposite the medieval St Maelruains church on the Old Blessington Road in Tallaght.
Case study of use of a design style which will clash completely with its surrounding landscape and its neighbouring building styles and the village streetscape.
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Come to UCD, the bland soulless rubbish that’s being knoecked up everywhere is quite depressing. Identikit faculty buildings with little to distinguish them…
Whoever UCC are employing, if only they could send them here.Obviously a great deal of Parnell St must be included in this list too. So much crap.
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@Devin wrote:
Here’s one for the list hutton.
In Ranelagh you start to see the vernacular architecture of a country town. But it has also just recieved a standard country-town new building … an engineer-designed, white PVC-guttered, brown PVC-windowed, arseways-roofed ‘traditional’ building 🙁 :
.Look at the DIY Signwriting on the shoe shop too ….euggh!…..Sums up the attitudes of many shopsowners in Ireland …aka amateurs.
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@GregF wrote:
Look at the DIY Signwriting on the shoe shop too ….euggh!…..Sums up the attitudes of many shopsowners in Ireland …aka amateurs.
Now, now, leave McCarthy’s alone – its where I was always brought to get shoes when I was a chisler ]disaster[/U] it almost merits a thread onto itself! How and ever, ftr some of my thoughts on it are this:
Parnell Centre & cinema – Blank wall with no interaction with the st; this building is worthy of an academic study onto itself as to how poor design and financial difficulties coincide. The lack of resolution in the traffic management outside speaks volumes as to DCCs commitment (or lack of) to the area. How many more years will the now defunct dual carraigeway be left as is (with traffic going one way only); the existing arrangement directs some motorists to break the law by having to cross over a continious white line.
New apartments at corner of Moore St/ Parnell St on top of Ilac centre:
I keep on reading as to how standards in apartments are now much better than what they were 10 years ago; go and have a look at these if you think thats the case. I did + I was appalled. Endless (and damp smelling)corridors, poor detailing, cigarette burns left by builders all over the place – particularly on the way into the penthouse; and if you want a real laugh, have a look at the “penthouse” for which they are looking for €2500 per month – the floor to ceiling ratios etc – not a location for anyone looking to have a cat-swinging competition. The windows in the lobby areas do not appear to open – nor do they appear to be of self-clean spec; Im sure theyll be a lot of fun. And then there’s the lifts… No I wont bother going on, just go and look for yourself. (I was really astounded at the poor quality given the profile of the practice involved)A general disappointment that I have, not confined to Parnell St, is the lack of utilisation of the roof areas as roof gardens; where they do occur, they tend to be tokenistic – I just find it baffling given the amount of flat rooves that are being erected anyway :confused:
Anyway thats my rant over for today! 😉
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