Dublin skyline

I’m often surprised at how many people, not least on this site think there is no public access to this, the most celebrated of Dublin’s buildings!
Whereas for the most part is just another prosaic government department, the Custom House Visitor’s Centre in the very heart of the building, accessed via the main Liffey entrance is very much so a public space.
It is also the only remnant of the original interior left (though there may be an odd corridor or two also).

Well worth a visit, it features an exhibition about the history of the building, mainly focused on its previous uses, but also the architecture and Gandon himself – all housed in austere stone-clad surroundings.
Esssentially it’s just the main vaulted corridors at the front of the building including the impressive lobby space in the centre – no grand 18th century rooms I’m afraid. Quite sad to realise this is all that remains.

Opening Times:

Mid March-November:
Monday-Friday: 10am-12.30pm
Saturday-Sunday: 2pm-5pm

November-Mid March:
Wednesday-Friday: 10am-12.30pm
Sunday: 2pm-5pm

Admission Prices:

Adults €1
Family €3
Students free

@emf wrote:

Very few visitors

Now there’s a surprise 😀

Yes a lovely quiet place, the only visitors being the odd Spanish couple that have wandered too far down the quays.
Great views from the windows underneath the portico alright, probably the best part – very strange feeling having seen only the other side of the wall all your life 🙂

Yes…..it looks absolute shite (but its probably just a temporary mock up to see how buildings would look in this situation)

This has already been covered on a multitude of threads. Do you use the ‘search’ at all? (on the top right)

Get out of it!! 😀 That is the most pathetically see-through disguise I’ve yet seen.

Seriously, this business of regulars taking on new IDs to indulge their pet gripe will have to stop! (though it is only a small minority)

The only way is up for high density

– 9th November 2005

The SCS annual conference in Dublin was told that it is time to look in new directions to find housing solutions for Dublin, CON POWER reports

DUBLIN cannot be allowed to continue to sprawl and colonise adjoining counties, the President of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Derry Scully told the SCS annual conference in Dublin. Instead we must turn to high densities through well-designed high rise developments.

“We must look at increasing development densities generally and look to high rise development in appropriate locations as one means of achieving higher densities,” Mr Scully said.

“Dublin suffers from serious problems of congestion with associated costs arising from delays in people getting to work and goods getting to market – these problems are set to escalate as the population increases.”

Referring to the CSO’s projections of the population of the Greater Dublin area growing to almost 2.1 million – as much as 41% of Ireland’s total – by the year 2021 he declared that “clearly, the city and its surrounding areas must plan to accommodate such an increase”.

‘Dublin the Next Phase – High Density, High Risk, High Rise?’ was the title of this year’s conference.

“In following a path of higher density development we must ensure that we provide attractive, well-designed and well-maintained developments that attract a mix of occupiers that fit in with existing communities”.

“It is essential to look for ‘Density by Design’, rather than ‘Density for Density’s Sake'”, he told his audience of over 250 delegates at the conference.

He added that “we cannot have landmark towers everywhere, but sited appropriately they can enhance the urban landscapes and skyline”.

The SCS Annual Conference was officially opened by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government Mr Roche. The Minister spoke of the importance of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area as a driver of national development and its pivotal role in the ongoing implementation of the National Spatial Strategy (NSS).

The Minister said: “We must support and enhance the competitiveness of the Greater Dublin Area so that it continues to perform at national and international levels as a driver of national development.” The SCS conference dealt with future options, the sort of high risks there may be in high rise and high density development, how city housing and transport will be affected in an already congested city, and how high rise design has developed.

Speakers included Dublin City Manager John Fitzgerald who spoke on ‘New Homes for a Growing Dublin – Problems and Potentials’ and chartered surveyor Dr. Brendan Williams, lecturer at the Department of Planning & Environmental Economics, UCD, who dealt with ‘The Emerging Greater Dublin Area: Urban Development Trends & Implications’.

From the UK were architect John Worthington, co-founder of the international workplace design consultancy DEGW and chairman of Dublin Corporation’s Architectural Advisory Panel, London architect Sir Richard MacCormac, chairman of MacCormac Jamieson Prichard and Liam Bailey, head of residential research at Knight Frank.

Hello, there is actually a 16 storey hotel about to begin constuction in the vicinity of the Airport at the m50/m1 junction. Not much but its a start 🙂

There’s been a crusade on the forum over the past few months – I don’t know if the people involved are aware how obvious it is – to ‘put pressure on’ for hi-rise, and try’n create the impression to those in influence who might be looking in that there is a large demand for high rise, and that we need to “catch up” with other international cities by pushing through any high building plans quickly. These sentiments have been made, in the large part, without any accompanying discrimination in regard to quality, appropriateness of location and response to the city’s existing structure and identity.

A small number of people, using multi-IDs (and perhaps organising others here or abroad to register and say the same thing) have been coming in and expressing essentially the same sentiment as ‘Irishatheart’ above.

None of these advocates have presented any rigorous arguments as to why all of the high-rise building proposals presented thus far should be given planning approval and built promptly, as they want. The standard flimsy argument is that ‘other cities have high buildings – why can’t we?’ and (fallaciously), that high rise would stop urban sprawl.

@alpha wrote:

i myself would love to see a small number of big highrises being built in ireland… say 30/40 storeys. i would like to see these sprout up over the coming years. i am not for highrises in sensitive areas though. i truly believe in proper context and location. darkman mentions a highrise near the airport. if that is the truth, it seems ok in my view due to ballymun and the new airport plans. i see a highrise shown in the airport plans too. i have to say i am not happy with people using multi ids. how will one know when to believe the new people??? 😡

I would love to see a few high rises.. i think the problem here is that most of the high rise we have had has been such crap. I am not for height for heights sake but I am for quality architecture whether that is 1 storey or 40. Surely a bigger building offers architects a bigger canvas to work on..maybe not thats for discussion

Ireland and Dublin in particular punches well above its weight, Ireland is a wealthy country and Dublin a wealthy city surely we should be reflecting this in our architecture the Georgians could do it so why cant we?

@alpha wrote:

really? what’s this mate? you have gotten my attention. so is that going ahead for real? i guess that area would be ok for a highrise as it already has ballymun close by. i have only ever seen the new santry hall building from a distance. i would love to see it up close. maybe some day…

Its part of the ‘Airport City’ development. It got permission from Fingal Co Co but someone appealed it to board pleanala. I read the appeal was thrown out. The first part of this development (Bewleys hotel) is well underway and the firat block is almost finished and it is actually quite big. Anyone have images of this development by any chance?