GrahamH

Prairies as it were.

What sort of densities are being achieved at the moment with housing estates, considering how in most cases the houses are being built on top of each other – you can usually put you arm out the bathroom window and touch your neighbour’s window – or even worse see into it 🙂

Frank you make a good point about communities fragmenting in housing estates, but then this is the case across the board if not more so with apartment living and higher density developments. Just the way people are nowadays.
But is this all about the environment – either way the oil’s gonna go eventually & more sustainable modes of private transport will have to be developed. So in the long term is this simply a traffic congestion issue rather than an environmental one?

21/12/2004

Well some restoration work is finally underway on the main 1844 facade of Connolly after many months of water pouring down from the roof above the right-hand colonnade, destroying the external ceiling beneath, rotting timbers in the roof structure and causing horrible green slime to proliferate all about the walls beneath and run down right out to the street walls. Scaffolding at last went up and work started a few weeks ago.
Still not sure though if this is just a problem fixing job or related to a wider restoration of the facade which is still needed.
Stephen C’s earlier comment about it – a building – needing to be weeded, just about sums up its condition.

Also quite major works are underway inside to update the terminal – how soon it’s being done I think an IE acknowledgement of just how poor the initial job was. All the silver structural supports have been painted white, and the cladding on the walls looks set to be dealt the same brush, as are the parts that were covered in that green 80s colour wash. It looks so much better already.
Large magnolia-coloured tiles are also going down on areas exposed to pedestrian trafic, notably ‘The Pit’ exit down to Amiens St, which incidently was cleaned it seems for the first time in 4 years recently. The difference a bit of maintainance alone makes is remarkable.
A bit of seating wouldn’t go amiss now, as well improvements in sanitary arrangments.

Here’s a pic of the facade outside with scaffolding. The recent extention of an outside area for the Oslo Bar above the left-hand colonnade is an unwelcome addition.
A spectacular floodlighting job could be done with this building, there are so many different elements to it that would look great lit up, esp the Italianate towers lit from within, as well as the areas above the balconies, and below, behind the columns.
You should be able to see that tower illuminated all the way from the Spike.

Not to be so negative all the time (IE just bring it out in most people :)) one good point is the shed platforms, which are always immaculately clean – although, that’s only noticable from the amount of times you fall flat on your face from slipping on them 😀
Oh I give up….

And the neighbouring development – predictable stuff:

21/12/2004

Here’s some more pics of two neighbouring developments on the street, the contrast in quality between the two is notable. Both are across the road from ‘Independent House’.

This one is the better of the two, a very good quality red-brick has been used in this building and the overall standard of finish is very high. The over-use of brick recently has recieved a lot of criticism and justly so in most instances, but it still has a role to play and is more than suited to attractive pieces of infill such as this. The timber detail is equally fine.
Perhaps one criticism to be made here is why red brick had to be used – brown could have worked equally well next to the stock brick of the neighbouring Victorian pub.

I saw the new sunken lighting recently – it looks great, can’t wait to see it after dark.
As part of the project, 4 micro-LEDs are also being installed at the base of every tree, about half have been done already with the remainder currently being put in. They are exceptionally neat, indeed so much so they look rather strange inset into the frumpy 80s style metal grids surrounding the trees.

The bridge piers look great, being so new and clean. As was mentioned before, this must be the least vaunted infrastructural project in the city; it’s exciting to suddenly see development taking place – no one’s had a chance to whinge about how long it’s taking 🙂
Interesting to note how the city is gradually creeping eastwards, it’s funny how it seems so reluctant to go beyond certain points, first the Custom House, then IFSC Phase 1, then Phase 2, now it draws the line at Spencer Dock, though the southside has been that bit more daring, venturing out to the Grand Canal Basin.

Calatrava’s bridge is really needed now, there’s nowhere for pedestrians to go after the Matt Talbot at present and it’s a heck of a walk round, what ever about vehicular traffic. Even so, you can really appreciate the purpose of the current bridge under construction and the difference it will make. I’ll be great to be able to stand in the middle of one of the widest points of the river.

So what will it be called?

This is such a broad topic that it is impossible not to generalise and get up someone’s nose – which is the problem everytime planning is raised on this site, everyone starts bickerng despite the fact that most people broadly agree with each other.
The article was clearly tongue in cheek from the perspective of putting an arguement across, rather than a detailed and balanced attempt to reflect reality in every regard. As Sue mentioned, car garages are hardly a crime, likewise gasp shock horror, Dublin having out of town shopping centres is not exactly a revelation for any major city.
On a closer level, we do have problems in specific areas, notably building bypasses to towns and then constructing retail parks around them to choke em up again.

Regardless of what people think of the article, it is still always useful to get an outside opinion which I got recently on the train sitting next to an American couple on holiday. They were looking out the window for about and hour before eventually commenting on ‘how very strange’ it is to come across clusters of housing in the middle of nowhere – having just passed an estate of low-grade day-glo pebbledashed two-storey houses replete with feature soil pipes, stranded in a field somewhere.
I just felt like saying saying, YES IT’S VERY STRANGE ISN’T IT – bet you didn’t see this in your glossy brochures.

Saying that, there are large tracts of unspoiled countryside, and most of what is built is not it not Georgiana, but none the less is of a decidedly rude variety of design. It’s only when the problem areas get so bad in so many places that it seems the country is being destroyed. The problem is of course is that what has happened thus far will soon invade unspoiled areas if the current planning continues. Then we’ll have a real problem. I think that’s the concern most people have – if things don’t change.

That end facade of Busáras is one of the best features of the building I think, the stark simplicity and quality of material complements the Custom House so well, and as mentioned continues the parapet line of the houses. Wasn’t there a scupture planned for here?
The other gable wall facing the IFSC is even better though, often ignored but by far my favourite part of the building. The contrast between the clean cut Portland stone of the upper floors and the gently curved brick wall of the ground floor is fantastic, as are the bricks themselves, almost Tudor in shape, and the colour is great.
The wonderful chimney yoke on top is a real givaway as to the building’s age though – Victoria still clinging on 🙂

I agree – there’s something of the forbidden fruit about Fitzwilliam Park. It’s the mystery shrouding it that makes it desirable – trying to get a peek through the railings at the outrageous antics of the upper classes 😀

You almost expect there to be a mini-Georgian world in there – there may be Mercs all around, but inside it’s still 1810 🙂