QUB Site Visits

Sorry but you have offended….

I do my best, but I have no car or transport so I personally never leave the city….

Unlike Arcsoc who are funded by QUB and so have money… we get none from no-one… a concerted attempt last year to find a corporate sponsor got nowhere and took about a month of my time….

This site costs ME personally… out of my pocket some 3500 per annum…. thats not counting the 20-30 hours (thats nearly a full job on top of my dayjob) a week spend on getting new information and updates…. if i billed that out to a client, it would cost over 50,000 euros per annum to keep this site running…..

I am constantly appealing for more information from outside the pale, and few have answered…. so whatever buildings that are featured are based along the railway from daytrips….

I also always carry information on architectural events from outside the pale but again someone has to get me the information or I have to find it…. it just doesnt appear in my head by osmosis….
http://www.irish-architecture.com/events/webcal.cgi

Most people do not have a clue how much effort it takes to persuade an architecture firm to provide information … they are most relunctant….. and as for the RIAI, I cannot even get on the press release mailinglist….

hear hear Paul. fair play to you for doing what you do, many would have given up the ghost with such prolonged adversity. for what it’s worth, i haven’t seen a more professional and content savvy one-man-show site.

I’m just seconding a “well done” to Paul for the whole web site on own thing. They really can be a LOT of work, and are particularly good when they carry out a service to a community (which this site does).

fjp

ps – although I really hope that 3500 pa isn’t on hosting – as it might then be time to change!!!

and have you ever considered a “tip-jar” for people to contribute to the site’s upkeep??? just a suggestion that I saw on my fav site: http://www.lileks.com

Regarding NI commissions, as an active architect, I have no problems working in NI or the “border Regions”. Being based in Dublin, is certainly less of a problem than being based in the England. There appears to be few opportunities to partipate in commissions, since there is a lack of competitions and even these are subject to the same vagaries as Irish competitions.

Me being that member of the ‘soc.
Queen’s a wee bit unhelpful with the website so as you can see it is on my own hosting. Has proved very valuable in its first fledgling year and I intend to have a proper stab at it when I have time this summer…any advice on setting up discussion boards most welcome!
keep in touch mail@arcsoc.co.uk

As for Letterkenny council offices: We have had Tarla as a tutor in level 5 for all of this year and he was very happy to show us around his building. Being a regular visitor to that end of the country I had watched the building rise in all its stages and been intrigued as to who, what and why? As with the McCullough Mulvin building in Dungloe, the Letterkenny building was borne out of enlightened procurement and an innate understanding of value over worth.

The main reason why Southern (and a lot of Northern) architects don’t like working in Northern Ireland (particularly working with public bodies) is the hangover of the Thatcherite era of agressive fee tendering above all else. As a consequence buildings invariably look if though they have been procured in this way, resulting in a tragic lack of quality in many of NI’s key public buildings.

“know the cost of everything and the value of nothing,” a well worn phrase up here.

I think that there should be an archeire night out – food, drink and good conversation, price of the ticket to include food and a contribution to the upkeep of the site. Nothing spectacular like a Fianna Fail £500 a plate meal – just a bit of a laugh.

Any takers???

Just had a look at that QUB Arcsoc site. Not much to it, really – a sparky student site, totally Queens-oriented, and why not? But it tells you very little about architecture – Irish or anywhere else. It’s not one I’ll be bookmarking.

Then I had a flick through Archeire, which is a great deal more than a Dublin-oriented discussion forum. I reckon Archeire as a site/portal is international class, and I’m based in London. As a labour of love, it’s awesome. Rock on, Paul.

…..Second that

third that…

Yes excellent site. A long way from yellow and black boxes and shopping trolleys ….

[This message has been edited by RicardoSmith (edited 19 April 2002).]