garethace
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Beautiful images here: http://www.dezain.net/2002/goyokohama.htm
It is probably worth just including this link, for people who haven’t experienced things like the Yokohama Ferry Terminal in reality – like me – the photos are very, very good, both of the design and completed thing.
Sort of on theme with Aaron’s lecture too.
Apologises for the mess in attaching the above images. But I think it is important to understand the context of this building, in relation to the canal, Parnell Road etc, etc. Places, which at the moment are rather ‘lost to the city’.
Bear in mind that this development is the first thing around that place for yonks! I remember I bought my first bike there too, still using it. So maybe some happy motorists will benefit too!
I meant comparing the Guinness tourist thing, to the Smithfield tourist thing. I was just wondering how much footfall of tourist that Smithfield is getting compared to the Guinness experience.
A little bit similar to what Aaron Betsky was talking about I think.
Designing the Active City: The Case for Multi-Use Paths
By Anne Lusk
Just like I think that the Fluid Spaces projects in UCD were heavily influenced by the idea of Smarth Infill, I also found myself with Betsky’s lecture that US Architects sometimes have a deep understanding of much wider environmental issues than their European counterparts. I guess that is because Planning is consider more of a profession in the United States than it is here in Europe.
Has anyone seen the Discovery Channel documentary about ‘the BIG DIG’ in Boston. Highly recommended to understand a small bit about how complex designing in American cities really must be!
Sometimes problems of living and working too close together get too much to cope with!
Too centralised, too dense, too connected?
I saw a short piece about the debate currently raging in the British Museum in relation to the purpose of a Museum and its collection in modern times. It appears that the curator Neil MacGregor is hoping to increase his funding from a Labour Government, by advertising the Museum as a space to appreciate simultaneously different worlds, different cultures in the context of one building. A lot of other notables, disagree with this use of the British Museum in a game of political idealisms.
Interesting debate, I am sure it is well covered on the web.
But isn’t there a big huge development down near Grand Canal Dock and a very large landmark building U2 comp going up too? I mean, that area could draw more people down in that direction. I remember coming to Dublin as a wee garsoon and trying to find Rory’s fishing tackle shop in Temple Bar, was ‘really doing into dodgy territory’!
That has changed, even if not for the better! 🙂
I am just going to add another building to the list of dinosaurs here. What about the Central Bank in Dame Street? I know from one source that a lot of its operations exist out in Sandyford, yeah, the same place where LUAS is going to. Have many of you seen Sandyford lately? That seems to be where larger scale developments are now happening, and serviced by very expensive transport systems like the LUAS lightrail. How appropriate is the Central Bank Building in Dame Street to its function these days?
A lot of bank buildings have been going haven’t they. Isn’t a lot of these just down to web connectivity? That technology boom we all just witnessed? What I do find scary is how many cameras point at you out in Sandyford. You cannot come even within a 50 foot radius of most buildings, without some gerk security guy getting his knickers in a twist, stuck away in some security facility somewhere. Just look at what happens to Sandyford at weekends – it just becomes a space for a few overly-diligent nerd geeks working for MicroSoft overtime, and the whims of the security companies.
At least the Central Bank in Dame Street did exist within an environment of selling records, burgers and booze! Now a fitting environment for an public or financial service seems to be a heavily managed ‘office park’ environment. With separation of where people live and work. Connections are made using shiny looking LUAS trains.
An interesting walk to make some day is to start from the Civic Offices and walk as far as Grand Canal Docks. It is counter, perpendicular to ‘the grain’, but it provides a different view or cross section through Dublin City Centre to the more well trodden north/south path from Parnell Square to St. Stephen’s Green.
I have problems myself with the way the north/south path actually stops at those two terminal points. But working in an East/West route or emphasis could be another way to diversify the experience of Dublin City Centre.
But as I have said this east/west route isn’t very well trodden at all.
