Dublin’s Ugliest Building

How about the appaling Apollo House on Tara Street, or that red brick thing opposite it, absolutely everything on Lower Mount street, the gang of three on Harcourt Road. That building on Ushers Island that belongs to a lift company (another one set back for traffic) is particularly unappealing. Findlater house (Telecom Eireann) O’Connell Street, the (corporation?) office block on Wellington quay (you know the one that has a particularly nasty gate on essex street in temple bar). The old Irish Press building on Burgh quay. The extention to the telephone exchange in Temple Bar (Anglesea and Fleet street facades). Of course the worst has to be Hawkins House, but rumour has it that the building has “Concrete cancer” and will probably have to come down anyway. Yippee.
Am I the only one who thinks that O’Connell Bridge house is Okay (well if you cleaned it up and got rid of the Harp Bar)???

As John W’s reply demonstrates, there may be good things to say about any building, and therefore I think that this search for the ugliest Building in Dublin should be wound up.

First, it is not at all positive looking for the ugliest building – it’s like looking for the ‘sickist’ man in a hospital! I think that the fad for league-tables and such like is always highly tendentious, and since someone has to come last, it is always a loser’s prize.

Second, if one regards the urban fabric as a continuity, then buildings contribute to (and detract from) bigger entities – streets, squares, districts and so on, and such larger considerations can negate the woeful presence of many blots.

Finally, we all have to use and live in the city, so there is little to be gained by dumping on a particular area or street – we all might agree about the poverty of a certain area, and therefore enough said.

Far better to try to generate more inclusive criticisms of buildings and not encourage instant put-downs and dismissals, though one can appreciate the strength of feeling behind most of the denunciations in this forum.

If criticism was more detailed and urbanistic, perhaps developers and their protagonists in the design professions would think very hard about what they wish to do, and the Corp. could be encouraged to control matters with more confidence. So let’s drop the ‘Search for the `Ugliest Building in Dublin’ – after all, it’s really unworthy of your still fine city, and Archeire too.

My top 3 has been for a while:
* Liberty hall (new)
* Dublin Corporation, Christchurch
* Central Bank on Dame Street
If the UN are ever to have one of their bombing campaigns here, please put these buildings on their hitlist.
After these I have to agree on that shoebox behind Screen Cinema and Harp bar. Before it’s even built I think any high-riser across from the Customs house should already be included. Anything over 7 floors in Dublin really. Just look at Rotterdam to see how things can go wrong.
Has anybody been blinded by the new architecture on the site of the old Jameson Distillery? Probably not. Blinded by reflecting sunlight from all those hideous silvery panels? Surely…. (I’ll go into build quality later if anyone’s interested).
Did anyone already mention Ballymun?

Guess this is enough for a first posting….

Duq

After 5 years abroad I came home to be utterly shocked by what has gone on!! Previous nightmares include the Central Bank, Liberty Hall, the Arts Block T.C.D. I had thought people had got it together…but alas no!! All these plans without substance. Take the Smithfield Project…enhancing the cultural and social history of Jameson while creating a living space for people in a historic site. Take a look at the construction and the square metre potential of people living there. The building is already crooked. Is this to be a weird crooked circle of the leaning Tower of Pisa? Also knocking the back of Mountjoy Square and creating a cardboard jungle?….Liberty Hall, Busarus, the top of Parnell Square-towards Mountjoy Square is now demolished. What do they plan on putting in place? What about retaining our dignity in Irishness and building and who the hell are these planners and what are they planning??? Watch this space for yet another ugly building. We not only have to look at these eyesores…we also have to live and work in them. Where’s the enthusiasm and atmosphere or is it the innocent bystander who only has to get a headache looking at them? Remember before an ugly building gets started people should have a say instead of nightmares appearing overnight that will taint us for centuries !(ha!Ha!..not likely with the lack of craftmanship)

how about:
UCD
Trinity Smurfit Institute
Trinity O’Reilly Institute
Every Apartment block in Dublin

Somebody should close this stream.. it’s becoming banal and embarrassing

It is important to see the apartment building opposite the Four Seasons on North King Street to have a real understanding of how bad Dublin architecture can get.

If this was described to someone with a very poor visualisation ability they might be tricked into believing that the building is a sensitive addition to a largely 18th century area – it has all the ingredients: brickwork, not too high a parapet, imitation sash windows (white), ‘feature’ buttressing. This must be what happened to the planner involved.

Please let everybody take a look at this recent building and swear – NEVER AGAIN.

Nah, I reckon it’s revolting. All I can say in it’s favour is that I like he green tiles and pillars a la Liberty Hall and Busarus – big deal, and that the roof line has an interesting shape. But I’d still like to see it demolished.

It’s really horrible.

John

The ugliest building in Dublin is beyond the shadow of a doubt the average 3 bed semi, in “towns” (and I mean that in the loosest sense of the word) like Lucan, Clondalkin, Blanchardstown, Tallaght etc. They are truely awful (In the majority some older ones in areas like Terenure look good – Bushy Park road etc) but the majority are boring, White (invariably) with uniform everything, they destroy the soul. The entire greater Dublin Region (Now from Arklow to Drogheda, and west to Enfield & beyond) are blighted by miles of Rubbish Architecture, yes people have to live, but why in such mediocrity.

RORY W

busaras, in my opinion is one of dublins uglist buildings.