O’ Connell Street, Dublin
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I walked over the new paving for the first time too yesterday – the quality is impressive but thats about it.
All round the base of the Spire is littered with access man-holes for traffic signals and earth rods, and the big clumsy galvanised steel cover for access to services of the Spire is far from attractive, plonked but a couple of feet away from the base.
I don’t know if ‘normal’ people would notice these things, but it defies my logic that so much money and effort and disruption go into this repaving and for it to be tainted in this way.
One of the details in the plans for the street was to remove all of the ugly silver traffic signal boxes from street level and put them underground – but surely not scattered around the base of the focal point of the street!And the bronze base is far from interesting – although yesterday all of the ridges filled with water creating an attractive circular pool around the sculpture.
The bollards look well now in the context of the new paving – but should be arranged in a circle.
The whole area at last provides an attractive and accommodating pedestrian crossing for this major junction. Some snazzy ‘chromed’ traffic/pedestrian signals of the type at the James Joyce Bridge are now required.And the new dark paving as part of the plaza looks fantastic, it must be basalt or something – it turns jet black in the rain with the slabs of white stone or quartzite in between contrasting brilliantly. The monochrome colour scheme should make it timeless as it were, immune to Grafton Street Syndrome…
I wonder had the placement of the bollards anything to do with protecting the Spire from a collision as they protrude further along towards the direction of oncoming traffic.
Any of you guys heading out to Ian Ritchie’s lecture on the Spike Saturday week, then?
It’s on 11am in Pearse Street Library, and costs €20 to get in…
half the lights on the spike aren’t working, it has been like that since before the storm. please, someone fix them.
It said on the paper the other day that they have to ship in engineers from across the water to find out whats wrong with them!!
What a disaster! I cant believe the lights have gone out already. This will probably be an ongoing problem from now on.
The lights look a lot more impressive when there’s a decent wind to sway the top, the sparkling affect makes up for the relative dimness of the it.
Perhaps they could modify it so the internal lights would sway even on a still evening.Or perhaps just tape a few fairy lights to it, they usually last for a few weeks aswell.
This is due to happen, presumably when the ‘dressing’ of the st gets underway ie, lighting, trees, benches etc.
i like the way it dissapears into the nights sky. i dont think it should be floodlit at nighttime. its an absouloutely magnificent project, its just a pity that the finish and light at the top were a done with such poor quality
spike for the stirling prize!!!
why dont they stick an angel on top and decorate it like a christmas tree…come on people not a very exciting project if u ask me… im in town nearly every day and i look more at the ann summers shop across the street than i do at the spike.
why dont they they strap some air horns to the side of it and employ people to scream in your face if you dont look at it.
the scheme executes a very difficult feat in being both modern and timeless. it is extremely simple, layered with meaning and has many subtleties which give it a quiet richness. i see it a few times every day from mary street (one of the best views of it) and still marvel at its elegance and changing appearence depending on the light conditions.
i will agree that close up on o connell street it is let down by staining and that rubbish pattern at the base, but i think the spike is a monument we should all be proud of.I’m afraid to say that the new paving which was only unveiled lately around the Spire has already been destroyed by chewing gum!!
I’m afraid I find the finished result of this long coming Sprike a mere dirty pole topped with faint and certainly unspectacular (in spite of all the promises and what was talked about on this noticeboard) lights.
I pass by it every single day as I work on Abbey St. and just wonder could they not have come up with something better (they certainly had the time to).
I’m not impressed and apart from those opinions expressed on this noticeboard, know very few who are.
As for those who say it is layer in meaning – I’m afraid I find such a statement laughable.
Where I get the bus on Parnell Sq. has to be the worst view – even worse than the actual view from O’Connell St.
It is an incredibly beautiful structure and its design has been hugely successful – although I always thought it was a bit too stout, should be taller, hence slenderer.
It’s problems lie with the finish and the lighting.
I saw the lit tip for the first time in ‘real life’ yesterday – oh dear, now I know what you’re all talking about.I see what Jack means about the lights (what ones are working) glittering as it sways – very effective.
It was lashing rain yesterday evening and there was 3 rivers of water plummeting down the 120 metres of its profile, and I’m such a child – had to go over and put my hand underneath one of them, it filled with water in about half a second! (and then overflowed over my feet)
Incredible, esp as the torrents then disappear down the tiny gap between it and the base, on top of the LEDs beneath.what oportunitis do you think were lost with the spire?
Those five or so random pillars in the image are’nt going ahead are they? The ones which are facing opposite to the GPO!
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