What about a "Grade X" list in Ireland
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The Financial Times on Saturday had a big article about RIBA recommending to the English Heritage (who take over preservation listing in the UK next year) that a “Grade X” of the nation’s ugliest and most inappropriate buildings should be compiled. RIBA suggest tax incentives should be applied to encourage their being knocked and replaced.
The FT’s own architecture critic rather tendentiously nominated Heathrow and Buckingham Palace as candidates for such a Grade X.
Anyway, should we have one in Ireland? What would you include in it?
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Very much so,
It is time the local authorities got off the fence and have their city architects state what buildings they would like to see revamped.
Given the way buildings were designed in the 1960’s there is plenty of scope for developers to prosper greatly from this due to the amount of land often wasted on surface carparking.
The example of Liffey House on Tara St illustrates my point perfectly, it doubled its site coverage added a couple of floors i.e 140% additional floorspace and now it is a posative contribution to the Built Environment.
Personally I would like to see the entire Block of
Tara St
Poolbeg St
Hawkins St
Townsend StRedeveloped in a unified proposal, it would eliminate
Appollo House
Hawkins House
College House
Screen Cinema
Long Stone Bar
McTurcailsNothing could look worse than the combination of the above
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Grand Canal Dock railway station.
The ticket office concourse at Dun Laoghaire DART station. -
although I agree personally on the choices of individual buildings (the ones I know anyway) and generally agree with the British establishment’s idea of good design, I think that these kinds of policies are verging on fascism. This policy along with the anouncement last week that only houses of outstanding design quality will be given planning permission on the countryside are straying into a dangerous area where government is dictating design.
It’s OK now when the labour government thinks that contemporary modernism is cool, but what about in 15 years when a Tory government might think that neo-georgian-hacienda is cool and has the regulatory precedents to enforce it? Don’t forget that John Prescott also thinks that Celebration and Seaside are the way to go for mass housing…
Maybe it’s lucky that the Irish cabinet don’t give a toss about design quality after all.
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What is wrong with ESB HQ?
Location aside… it is not at all bad – esp when compared to the buildings mentioned by Diaspora.I would like the Ulster Bank on Georges Qy destroyed (note that is not the moderately tall pyramid tower thing behind – but the building on the quay – and most of the north docklands.
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Yes – the Ulster Bank should be razed to the ground, it has to be the ugliest non-Brutalist building in the city.
Other buildings that should go would be ones that wouldn’t be on such a list, the terrible red-bricked rubbish that makes up so much of Dublin and regional towns, like that monster on Nassau St, which I find so much more offensive than concrete slab blocks – at least these are so bad they’re almost attractive, one onto themselves, but the bricked stuff neatly skips over the line into acceptability and avoids all popular criticism, enabling them to destroy streetscapes for decades to come.
A Grade X list would be welcome, not only for ugly buildings, but inappropriate ones too. As to who decides what is another matter, taste police and all that.
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