davidarthurs
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The idea that ‘oh its the recession’ doesn’t hold water if the streets and surrounding streets are dragged down as so clearly has happened in O’Connell Street and surrounding streets like Westmoreland Street and is being allowed to spread out as a general policy.
Perhaps a group should get together to report illegal banners to avoid the problems of reports coming from an individual.
I’d be generally interested in what the Councils reply is to as to why they aren’t enforcing things, and allowing banners to run amock across the city.
Saw a big banner in Rathgar covering Superquinn only yesterday.http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2012/0901/1224323461522.html
Sir, – One of the shared virtues of the shops featured in the “Best Shops in Ireland” feature (Magazine, August 25th), other than excellent customer service and distinctive produce, is the almost universal high quality of their shopfronts. Whether the delightful Victorian frontage of Lilliput Stores, or the immaculately presented Hickey’s Bakery in Clonmel, most fronts exhibit the basic rules of good shopfront design and presentation, based on restraint in signage, sophisticated use of colour, and a complete harmony with the upper floor facades of their buildings. It is remarkable how simple interventions displayed by these businesses have contributed so much to their respective towns and streets.
The art of good shopfront design across Ireland was made almost extinct during the boom years, with retailers clamouring over each other to shout loudest on the streetscape with over-scaled fascias, garish colours and signage plastered across upper-floor facades. Similarly, the scourge of ignorantly detailed reproduction frontages did a disservice to the design intuition of genuine historic shopfronts, while many contemporary models failed to accommodate signage adequately or relate to their wider host building.
The simple, classically informed vernacular architecture of most Irish towns demands a greater understanding by shop owners and a guiding hand on the part of planning authorities to maximise the potential of our commercial streets, especially in these recessionary times when supporting local trade is so important. This is also true of Dublin, where the main streets of the city, some of which have been experiencing a marked decline in quality presentation, could benefit enormously from greater shopfront design guidance as part of a city-wide initiative to improve the public face of the capital. – Yours, etc,
GRAHAM HICKEY,
Dublin Civic Trust,
Castle Street,
Dublin 2.Hard to keep up with the nosedive Dublin Shopfronts are taking lately.
True. IMO the best of Dublin as an identity is as a Georgian City. I’d hate to see what they are doing around the North Docks encroaching more and more into the whole city especially the relatively small Georgian spaces that are left.
I was in the ESB building offices many years ago and it a maze of small cubicles with no air – truly hideous. I’d imagine it is horrible to work in.I’m not so sure the DCC would allow actual public seating 😉 They seem to be against it in most areas of the city. And they made a right mess of the square opposite the Olympia.
Really don’t like all the brushed steel stuff in that 3D sketch. It looks hideous in most of Dublin.
A nice simple green canvas cover design and seating more appropriate to the rest of the street would be better I think.I doubt there is even more need for a food outlet either. It’s a bit noisy for a long sit down spot. Perhaps changing book stall, or feature with seating.
I was cycling a long ring route from Dorset street to Drumcondra taking photos recently – and it is interesting the way the main area of eyesore today in Dublin do center around the grouping of shopfronts – typically the newsagent, fast food joint, cleaners etc., and mainly because of the incredibly tacky generic signage, and now the proliferation of illegal banners as well, and mainly it has to be said by the brand named stores, as opposed to shops with character – like say Frank’s off Dorset street and a few others.
I say this in contrast with the attitude of earlier generations when one was attracted to the shops, not repelled by them, and the signage was carefully considered to the environment, as opposed to being a generic garish color for wherever – the priority being maintaining the brand. Also the designers of these shopfronts it should be noted seem to follow no particular tradition of shopfront design, or either care or know about what it is they are designing. It begs the questions – where are all the shopfront designers? Did they all just die out? why? surely there was always a demand for decent shopfronts. And where exactly are they all coming from now. Educate the shopfront designers and solve the problem?
