Andrew Duffy
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I pass under it twice a day. It’s a pity I didn’t take photos of it as construction progresses but I only got a digital camera recently and stopping there in the morning would be hard anyway.
It’s amazing how much box section can hang unsupported off those piers.I unearthed The Destruction of Dublin from its hiding place and got the details:
The initial permission given for the Dame St site was for a 176 ft, 13 storey tower. Planning appeals were upheld. Permission was then granted for a 120ft, 8 storey tower looking rather like the current building but with a lower parapet and a flat roof. Sisk were given plans for a 149ft, 8 storey tower looking exactly like the current building, copper-clad roof and all.
In order to compromise, the roof was left unclad to slightly reduce the height. Later, to remedy rainwater problems caused by the building having no roof, the copper cladding of the plan presented to Sisk was put on. Thus the Government confirmed that they could break the law if they wanted to.
Thankfully the resulting building is better than the Civic Offices or the Fitzwilliam St building. I’m not sure about the (former?) Bord na Mona HQ he designed (according to The Destruction of Dublin) since I don’t know where it is.Going by the planning decision, the apex of the curved glass bit will be about a metre taller than Liberty Hall. The evaluation by an Bord Pleanala shows their surprising lack of data about the heights of the surrounding buildings:
http://www.pleanala.ie/REP/128/R128164.DOCThat came out a bit confused – I meant that the GAA complain about foreign games, but they really mean English ones. Games like soccer and rugby have been played in Ireland for a long time, longer than Gaelic football in fact (but not hurling or handball), but American football is virtually never played here. Thus it is distinctly more foreign than soccer, and just as foreign as baseball or volleyball.
Hear Hear.
I always thought the hypocrisy of the GAA accepting payment to exhibit such a WASP-dominated sport as American “football” in Croke Park was laughable.
American football is certainly more “foreign” (read – “English”) than soccer, perhaps even more so than rugby. The GAA should by rights consider banning Gaelic football from Croke Park since it was created by combining aspects of Association football and rugby. Cuchulan played hurling, not football.Old rendering, looking roughly down Tara St:
New rendering from similar angle:
Notice how the dark section facing Tara St is now lower but the clear section is the same? I’m not sure which looks better though.
This shows how prominent it will be, and also how it certainly won’t be 61m:
Notice how much it hides “One George’s Quay Plaza”.
The incorporation of Kennedy’s Bar into the glass building looks really awkward. I hope it’s just bad compositing.
It did unfortunately suffer the haircut that An Bord Pleanala insist upon – two floors are gone. My bet is that the top floor restaurant will be sacrificed for office space.
I’m fairly sure the Irish Times got the idea that the building will be taller than Liberty Hall from the original height of 61m rather than the revised height (about 55m, presumably).
The likelihood is that the building will be built; part of the frightening-sounding masterplan is that transport hubs in the city be more recognisable, hence the rather horrible Harbourmaster House that sprouted out of the side of Connolly station last year.
The cluster of groundscrapers in the area might start to look good when this is built and Hawkins House reclad. Any chance of College House, Apollo House and Liberty Hall getting a makeover?I did think of the pool but the construction seemed to be a tower, very close to the N3 but behind some trees. Apartments seems the most likely.
After years of waiting Connolly and Heuston are linked
Sickening that they have been linked by a double track for a long time (100 years maybe) going under the Phoenix park and eventually up to Glasnevin junction but only freight can use it.
…indeed they are. The planning permission was granted in 1990 wasn’t it?
The original plan had darker glass and looked a bit like a Las Vegas hotel.Part of the Spencer Dock plan that just got approved is a tower with a viewing gallery.
http://www.ddda.ie/uploads/pdfs/Overall%20Design.qx.pdf
Have a look at page 49:
“A tall building, up to a height of 100 metres … If exceeding the 60m minimum height it shall incorporate a public viewing area at the top floor”
Now 100m isn’t that tall, but the intention is pretty clear.
Does the tower with permission at John Rogersons Quay have a viewing deck?
I just remembered that the Tara Street Station proposal incorporates a restaurant floor, but I’m not sure where in the building, or if it survived the beheading it got when the height was reduced by two stories.
Oops. It is part of the Harcourt Centre. The fact that another part of it appears to be called Europa House confused me.
It’s not those either, but they are ugly! The one I can’t find the name of takes up more than half of the block between Harcourt Street, Harcourt Road, Upper Camden Street and Charlotte Way. The Dublin Metropolitan Garda HQ is beside it.
It really is an ugly thing, but very imposing.It’s opposite that, but the black glass faces onto Harcourt street.
Has anyone noticed the height of buildings around Harcourt Station swelling upwards a bit? Maybe we’ll get some big ones there someday.
I noticed that view this morning walking down the ramp from Connolly station. If Busaras were a bit cleaner that would make a nice postcard – “Modern Dublin Without Anything Really Ugly”. Unfortunately as soon as you turn the corner the Houses Hawkins and Apollo come into view, with Liberty Hall and the Irish Life centre (not as badly) spoiling the view to the right.
