New Public Space for Docklands
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some pics taken by ‘ake’ today … nearly finished by the look of things …
Hey i was down at this new space recently, it quite interesting that they’d go ahead and finish this before the theatre has even started. Havnt made up my mind whether its tacky or kinda cool..only time will tell i guess.
Can anyone explain to me though what the stairs going under the plaza lead to? a public toilet perhaps? The stairs are in the steel feature on the right hand side of ake’s first photo?? (obviously not to clear from such a distance but anyone who’s been down there should know what im on about)
Also can anyone explain the type of construction being used on the 5* hotel in the background of the photo above-its a huge steel frame around the concrete cores
@shed wrote:
Can anyone explain to me though what the stairs going under the plaza lead to? a public toilet perhaps? The stairs are in the steel feature on the right hand side of ake’s first photo?? (obviously not to clear from such a distance but anyone who’s been down there should know what im on about)
Theres an undeground carpark under the square.
for the glass bottle site and surrounding development land, could they not extend the interconnector or metro and use a cut and cover method, before the land is developed?
@stira wrote:
for the glass bottle site and surrounding development land, could they not extend the interconnector or metro and use a cut and cover method, before the land is developed?
They’re planning on extending Luas to it instead
Nobody’s commented on that redbrick block, it destroys the whole north view of the basin. Why have a block with a 100% glass façade beside a block with 80 redbrick façade ? It looks terrible.
looks fairly cheap alright, it actually looks like the stick on kind … just to clarify ake took pics. 😮
I was down there the other night, and it looks great on many levels and dubious on others. Obviously there’s a heck of a long way to go yet, but a few things do stand out as odd. The raised flower beds/seating blocks break up the space in a big way, acting as major impediments to pedestrian movement. They may make sense from a helicopter or a rendering, but at ground level they make the space feel a bit chaotic and disjointed – at the minute at least you get no sense of a plan or logic to these yokes. You can’t appreciate their role in the square from ground level as some are quite high, creating a warren of walkways like a maze. Maybe when we get to see a clean sweep of them they’ll make more sense.
The same can definitely be said of that horrible car park shed though, as pictured above: a major blockage at the entrance to the square from the south, and concealing the view of the new theatre and wider square as you round the corner. It’s bizarre that it has been dumped where it has.
But the lighting sticks are very cool, and the chequerboard pattern in them is a nice subtle touch. The underseat lighting is also very sharp, if a bit too bright and the green a bit gaudy. Of course the big concern with all of this is maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. How often are these LEDs going to be assessed and replaced? Once a single unit blows out of the thousands upon thousands in use, the entire host sequence is ruined. Indeed already there’s a walkway light blown outside the new supermarket. And one need only wander down the quays afterwards to observe what this place is going to be like in a few years time – there are tends upon tens of LEDs blown and units untended, while there are countless numbers of the older incandescent tree and walkway uplighters blown all round the c.2000 campshire walks. Is this going to be the fate of the plaza too?
And the thing about the plaza is that its whole crisp effect relies on a pristine maintenance of the public domain and technical features. Without this it’s going to end up an embarrassment, akin to a an 80’s shopping centre in Milton Keynes or a once-proud decrepit town centre ‘civic regeneration’ project. It’s essential it’s kept looking good.
Yeah, maintaining the lighting on this square will be a big job, and let’s hope the DDDA will look after it well. You don’t seem to have much faith, Graham – This isn’t the DCC Lighting Department!
…some 50 of these light sticks will be scattered across the red carpet, the designers also want to program in various lighting effects.
The colorful lighting will add a theatrical experience to the space. Around the segments of the red carpet will be red LED light bands; around the base of all the planters will be green LED bands.
There will also be a series of stone block benches at the waterfront edge with linear white LED bands leaking out of the cracks where they are split.
Free summer concerts in the outdoor disco!
(FYI- Konono No.1 know how to bring the party. Pray for sun.)
if the lights are actually LED’s they shouldn’t need much replacing … most tree up lighters aren’t.
Doesn’t look like the the old LED’s do so well 120m up though.The Irish Times said the square is open, so does this mean it is complete? If it is, I think it’s a major disappointment. By day it looks tacky, and by night it is at best unremarkable. Some of the stonework is nice though. The “red carpet” of resin-glass looks like someone just painted the ground red. What looked spectacular in the rendered image has zero impact in real life. At least that’s my impression. I read about one of her designs in the UK that used blue resin glass that turned out greyish, but I haven’t seen any pictures. Has anyone seen this design? I wonder if this material might have been considered unsuitable, and if the red paint is here to stay. At least the light sticks look ok at night, but overall, this is really unimpressive.
The hotel seems to be coming along nicely and the floor plan on the upper floors is taking shape. Still no sign of the cool stonework. I hope the theatre looks good when it appears.
With regards to the hotel, and courtesy of Manuel Aires Mateus website, here are some details of the hotel:
The aim of the project is to create an urban site, more than just designing a building. The proposal searches to found a brand new distinctive place, inside this vast area of future and sudden growth.
The project strategy is to establish a clear and powerful mark in the city. This mark is on the one hand a reference to Ireland’s topography and geology, and, on the other, a precise proposal for a unique urban settlement at Dublin’s Docklands.
The project is therefore simultaneously bonded to a primary natural condition and a refined civic ambition. But, most of all, the project takes an opportunity for reflecting on human life, its necessities, possibilities and wishes.I think their text speaks more about the project than their imagery.. what is going on in this cavernous space.. will it be secure?.. heated? controlled -i.e. no skateboarders – ? or is it just a hotel lobby, with them having left the furnishings out of their admittedly cool renders.
So what is the story with the purple woman, has she just been trysting with the suited dude or did she fall off a balcony?
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