O’ Connell Street, Dublin
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The more I think about this, the more disappointed in the proposal I become – it’s pure Developer Disneyland – in one article in a national newspaper, they draw a parallel with the Guinness Storehouse as if a park on a roof will be as successful in drawing visitors….. Note to developers, the Guinness Storehouse is a really good museum / venue, that’s why people go there, not the view.
And somehow they manage to remove the better buildings in the streetscape…..
Gone Dublin Bus – replaced in proposal with mock georgian dross dating from the early 1990s on the Liffey Quays
They manage to retain the Nos 57-58 but also manage to remove the much better Nos. 43-44 Upper O’Connell Street.
This is architectural pick’n’mix – and as regards the facade of the Carlton – if you cannot use it in situ, just pull it down. Moving it just increases the Disney factor.
Ah it’s really wonderful stuff overall…..for that’s just about the level we can get here in Ireland with these schemes. This is a great tribute to the Celtic Tiger, orange tans, off-roaders, coffee bars and miles and miles of over priced houses and appartments.
(….and as has been said, if it snows they can convert the roof into a piste. Multi-purpose too!).
@Peter FitzPatrick wrote:
So another slating based on what we have so far ? hang on there bth, we always knew there would be a street through from O’Connell to Moore & Henry Streets, so the opening is wider than envisaged, its hardly an earth shattering development.
I’ve seen enough to be personally repulsed. A street is obviously required to open into the new development but how come Henry St. the second busiest commercial thouroughfare in Ireland, can make do with a standard 8-10m opening in the line of O’Connell St? In a quest for a “grand” entrance this proposal deems it necessary to open a gaping hole in the streetscape that will destroy any sense of enclosure that Upper O’Connell St. currently has whilst unnecessarally destroying perfectly decent buildings and shifting around facades like pieces of stage scenery. I repeat. Insanity.
jesus christ, there’s a million posts on this site bemoaning the lack of decent public spaces in the city and now someone proposes one slap bang in the centre of Dublin off our main thorughfare and it’s as if they’d killed the feckin rebels themselves. What do you’s want – another railed off garden? another windswept yard at the back of a converted church where no one goes? Who said O C St Upr needed a sense of enclosure? Why? Why not give it a sense of airiness and connectivity to the west and the new and old main shopping thoroughfares at this new location? As for Dublin Bus et al, jaysus! That block is a fucking mess now, and the only structures worth retaining are being retained
Listen, we all know the 12 storey park and funicular rail nonsense will be conditioned out so put that aside. This looks bloody good in my opinion and we can finally get on with developing the damn street.
Cant understand alot of the comments here – obviously some have a new found yearning to keep the Calton dereliction in place and Quirky’s next door. This attitude has not served us well. I like what I see here with this project and would ehco the comment above.
I’ve been quite surprised at the negativity here towards the scheme given that we’ve only seen two images! It might be worth waiting for the full plans. I think may aspects of the scheme are worthwhile and I dont really have any concerns about the new squares on OConnell Street and Henry Street. They will serve to break up the very rigid form of these two area. The loss of the terrace along Henry Street is regretable though. I cant picture the relevant buildings at the moment.
The ski slope is obviously going to be contentious. The obvious desire of the developer is to allow for southfacing apartments with spectacular views over the south city and Dublin Mountains under the park. I cant imagine it being a very pleasant park given our environment but perhaps that will all change with global warming, It is an interesting idea though. Hopefully the roof level of the various buildings are designed in such a way as to make them worth looking at.
The Carlton facade looks like it will be where the Fingal offices are now. Should we just consider the demolition of the facade for the sake of a more coherent scheme. Not sure.
Can wait to see the finer details. This is one that’s going to keep us occupied for quite some time.
@StephenC wrote:
I cant imagine it being a very pleasant park given our environment but perhaps that will all change with global warming,
global warming is going to make Ireland wetter and windier (it may already be happening) – not good news for anyone planning a park 12 storeys up. O’Connell Street may be a plastic tacky mess, but this proposal is just a glass-and-chrome tacky mess.
I am completely for the revival of O’Connell St and it’s surrounding areas. The decline in the area has been left un-attended for far too long now.
While I am in agreement that most of the frontage to the street needs tiding up (Dublin Hotel). The idea of creating a grand opening and new focal point for the street is wrong.
I agree with many comments here that the street doesn’t need anymore “opening up”, it is one of Ireland’s most famous historical streets and I think it retains a lot of its glory through its elongated presence. As for the “eye-catching” shopping center, is there no way we can just behave more like the rest of Europe and tone it down a little, this is not the U.S of A, and the street’s integrity holds itself well with the GPO just fine as it’s focal point, even the Spire is just enough of an addition to accentuate the street’s core simply because Nelson’s Pillar was there before it.
The idea of Shopping complex is great, it needs it to re-vitalize, but a sensitive approach is required to maintain the proudness I feel O’Connell street alludes to.
Photo in the IT property section shows a Luas going up O’Connell St… Well I guess there’s not harm in making stuff up when you’re mking stuff up :p
Aside from the ludicrous park proposal, it looks to be a very interesting development and, between this and the Arnotts lebensraum, there might be a little bit more relevance to our main thoroughfare once more.alonso: have you thought about a course in anger management? Didn’t realise discussing urban development was a course in expletives. It is allowed to have a different opinion, y’know. Why not just knock all the ‘old’ buildings in the way and go for a bright new 21st century vision? Grand Canal Square, anyone? O’CSt upper has not been developd because of the overweening greed of the capitalists who, apparently, run the show.
Im not really against the square on o’connell street as itll draw people up there and with a few benches and cafes would be a great place for people to hang around as opposed to o’connell street where lets be honest you just dont stop walking along unless your waiting for a bus. Also this square will be in the place of the carlton facade and a vacant lot so we’re not loosing anything but i am totally against the idea of yet more buildings being torn down on henry street, theres just no need.
This park in the sky is a blatant publicity stunt to get support from easily impressed people and draw objectors attention away from other travesties in the developments design.Back to the drawing board in my opinion on the little ive already seen
I dont blame Alonso for his frustration. It just seems that ANYTHING involving an element of creativity gets automatically shot down on this forum. I mean, look at this particular thread on O Connell Steet, 120 odd pages of pure bullshit. I mean , what development of any worthwhile significance has occurred on the street over the last few years? SFA in my opinion. Living in the UK, I’m sick to the back teeth of people coming back from a Dublin weekend trip asking me whats all the fuss about ? Let me tell you, Dublin, and O Connell Street in particular is perceived as a kip. Ok this proposal might have certain elements to it that wont appeal to everyone, but its refreshing in my view. Bring it on, and so the Arnotts development, and so the GPO, Ambassador , and the rest. It cant be any worse than it is now, it will give the city/ country a focal point and maybe, just maybe ,move us in to the 21st century. Not everybody views the world through Architects eyes.
Fair play to Alonso !@johnfp wrote:
I mean, look at this particular thread on O Connell Steet, 120 odd pages of pure bullshit.
Do you really expect your opinions to be taken seriously when this little nugget of poo is lodged in amongst them?
When the roof of your house is leaking, painting the walls gold won’t fix the problem.
@notjim wrote:
I have to say I will be sorry to see the Dublin Bus building go: don’t get me wrong, I can see that it must go in the context of a redevelopment of this area and I am not arguing with that, but I will be sad, it is the sort of logical building I have always had a fondness for, respecting building line and grain while being unashamedly contemporary to its own period and willing to sacrifice meretricious beauty for a modest charm on the edge of ugliness.
Thought I was the only soul that liked that Dublin Bus building.
@johnfp wrote:
I dont blame Alonso for his frustration. It just seems that ANYTHING involving an element of creativity gets automatically shot down on this forum. I mean, look at this particular thread on O Connell Steet, 120 odd pages of pure bullshit. I mean , what development of any worthwhile significance has occurred on the street over the last few years? SFA in my opinion. Living in the UK, I’m sick to the back teeth of people coming back from a Dublin weekend trip asking me whats all the fuss about ? Let me tell you, Dublin, and O Connell Street in particular is perceived as a kip. Ok this proposal might have certain elements to it that wont appeal to everyone, but its refreshing in my view. Bring it on, and so the Arnotts development, and so the GPO, Ambassador , and the rest. It cant be any worse than it is now, it will give the city/ country a focal point and maybe, just maybe ,move us in to the 21st century. Not everybody views the world through Architects eyes.
Fair play to Alonso !This thread is not “bullshit” and if the Brits hate O C St and Dublin they can stay where they are. Which they don’t. Because that statement is a lie.
I’d like to respectfully refuse your support for anything I say.
Didn’t realise discussing urban development was a course in expletives. It is allowed to have a different opinion, y’know. Why not just knock all the ‘old’ buildings in the way and go for a bright new 21st century vision? Grand Canal Square, anyone? O’CSt upper has not been developd because of the overweening greed of the capitalists who, apparently, run the show.
johnglas, apologies for offending. I was pointing out the hypocrisy of screaming for public space and then tearing apart the first proposal for some in decades.
Anger management ? schizophrenia more like.
It is noticeable you couldn’t make reference to one single development of note on the street since this thread began and it is probable that nothing worthwhile will occur for donkeys years because DCC, ABP and Taisce will see to that.@darkman wrote:
Cant understand alot of the comments here – obviously some have a new found yearning to keep the Calton dereliction in place and Quirky’s next door. This attitude has not served us well. I like what I see here with this project and would ehco the comment above.
i can’t understand the anything will do attitude, from the people who created the dereliction
@johnfp wrote:
Anger management ? schizophrenia more like.
It is noticeable you couldn’t make reference to one single development of note on the street since this thread began and it is probable that nothing worthwhile will occur for donkeys years because DCC, ABP and Taisce will see to that.Using a mental illness as a slur? Oh that’s good, that is.
And your second sentence shows a breathtaking lack of familiarity with the planning system. But please, carry on! You’re saving the rest of us from having to show up your nonsense for what it is.
@johnfp wrote:
It is noticeable you couldn’t make reference to one single development of note on the street since this thread began and it is probable that nothing worthwhile will occur for donkeys years because DCC, ABP and Taisce will see to that.
ah yes the hackneyed cry of the emigrant railing against the mother island. :rolleyes: Here just for a laugh, compare O’Connell street of 2008 to O Connell Street of 1988 even 98. You may have sort of agreed with me but you then (with all the weight and wisdom your 26 posts have given you) slagged off this thread which comprises the most thought ever put into our nation’s main thoroughfare in the virtual and real world. Play the ball not the man.
@johnglas wrote:
the Carlton site could have been developed at any time during the boom, but wasn’t. That was not the fault of the planners, but of greedy developers.
Really? I thought it was because the council CPOed the site two days after a bank and a joint venture partner had confirmed they were coming on board. Must have missed something there.
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