GrahamH
Forum Replies Created
- Posts
Those rise-out-of-the-ground toilets (what are they called again?) never came here in the end – they were proposed a few years ago now.
I don’t think kiosks would be appropriate on the plaza, esp if the refrigerated containers of Grattan Bridge and Boardwalk are anything to go by – it’s more of an architectural space than an everyday place for the likes of kiosks to poke up into, and benches I think would look too small and out of scale with the overall scheme – although definitely it would be a nice space to sit if the seating was integrated into a low feature of some kind.
The kiosks (if discreet enough) will be great beneath the (eventual) canopy of the trees further down the median, with shady seating alongside.You hit it there exactly blue about the plaza being like an island – it’s just stranded there, featureless. Whereas by no means all squares have to have centrepieces, this needs one, it feels like there’s somthing wrong, something missing.
And Dublin needs water! Anna suffered from being too far up the street, in a lonely spot, just perfect as a refuse collector and home for a couple of boxes of Daz every week. The plaza is entirely different – such a feature would be exposed and (mostly) respected and enjoyed.My point exactly – every other European capital can treat them with respect.
Even if it was mistreated here, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility to maintain it properly.Frankly I’d agree – it would be pleasant as a seated area, but not in the format of benches scattered about in the windswept plaza of present – one would be embarrassingly exposed sitting there.
What could work, if Dublin would grow up a bit, is a low level water feature designed in an elongated fashion to run along the length of the centre of the median – so that it acknowledges not only the linear nature of the median and the street as a whole, but also acts as an unobtrusive but impressive centrepiece to the plaza. Or maybe it could be divided into two long pools. Of course the primary concern would be keeping it in proportion to the plaza and the width of the median – I think exceptionally crude box drawn on the attached pic below isn’t too bad! (although perhaps the traffic would be too close)
And if course seating in the form of its polished stone wall could run the entire way around the feature. It would be packed on sunny summer days with people relaxing running their fingers through the water etc. And the benefit to the street would be immense – one of the primary aims of the IAP is to keep people on the street rather than it being used as a corridor to get elsewhere.
One can easily imagine the scene on postcards, it would look great – day or night, perhaps even better after dark with loads of low fountains lit up in bright white light, the plaza lit from above and an illuminated GPO as a powerful backdrop.
It could be a great architectural statement in a public space – a space Dublin has always lacked.Suppose there’s no seating there because – well, would you want to sit there!?
And for the sake of a few lamposts it’s not worth obstructing the views of the GPO. They better get rid of those appalling bins soon however.
But certainly yes – it has little other use outside of uncancelled special events 🙂
It was on Sharon Ni Bheolain’s Irish prog the other night too – two good reasons to suffer in Irish!
Surprisingly Frank Allen has a decent smattering of our native tongue. Then again – suppose anyone would cobble a few words together if they heard who was coming 😉
13/5/2004
I passed by the Gas Building on D’ Olier St the other day and WOW the interior is fantastic! I’d forgotton how good it looks – last seeing it around 1999.
The hoardings or paint covering the windows have been removed and the dazzlingly lit interior was nearly jumping out the window – what a fantastic piece of eye-candy for the people at the bus stop there.
The walls are a glowing shade of light green and the fluted coved ceiling stands out spectacularly against it.
The ceiling is covered in glittering glass pendents that are literally dripping with delicate lengths of glass – they make the place look so glamourous and when seen on a dark dull early morning and contrasting with the solemnity of the Irish Times terrace across the road looks spectacular.
And its signiature brown columns in the centre look great too.Heres hoping the windows are left gapingly clear for everyone to see D’ Olier St’s best kept secret.
Well it has the function of addressing the GPO which was as big an issue as the ceremonial function during the planning. Don’t know if you remember Phil the scrawny 80s trees that used to block the view of the building but their absence has made such a difference.
But yes – to an extent the plaza is somewhat obsolete in that most people don’t even want to walk down its median section because of how exposed it is, you feel a bit uncomfortable – and it doesn’t appear to lead anywhere as well.
But the views of the GPO from here, in the middle, are unparalled, and the way the perspective of the building changes as you walk along is fantastic – it makes such a powerful statement now.
It’s difficult to stand back and view the plaza in the context of the street as a whole, as we’re seeing it being assembled all the time, as well as the lead up to it, ie the stretch from the quays that has yet to be finished – but I think it works.
Once the lower stretch is finished and you can walk along the lines of trees approaching the Spire, and then suddenly the whole place opens out, I think it will be felt that you’re somewhere special and that this area of the street is being treated the way it deserves.It is facinating the respect they hold for crossings – I could list countless experiences there.
But a couple of years back I was in Weston-Super-Mare (on a fleeting visit I assure you) and was at a pedestrian crossing to get to the promenade. And as far as the eye could see down the road in both directions there wasn’t a car to be had – to the extent one would have expected some tumbleweed to bumble along. And yet the grouping at the crossing just stood there like gombeens/civic minded-citizens waiting for the Green Man Himself.It was extraordinary, like standing at O’ Cll Bridge with all of the quays deserted on both sides.
And when you think of the headless chicken chaos that prevails here every second of the day – you’d wonder…Yep – they’re going way to fast – I was in the car on O’ Cll Bridge yesterday for the first time in years (it was really scary being sandwiched in the middle of the acres of traffic!) and when the lights turned green the surrounding traffic just booted it away up the street – and if the plaza is empty ahead with the lights green at the Spire, they race to make them too, esp motorbikes.
With regard to the distinction between roadway and pavement, this was obviously going to be a problem from day one – it’s so tempting just to walk across the usually vacant plaza roadways, indeed to such an extent that the crossings at the Spire look almost ludicrous with half the street empty, often with traffic held up at the Abbey junction.
Certainly the tripping factor from not noticing the change in levels is an issue, but then again if you use the crossings as we should be – there isn’t a problem!The bikes tied to the trees look awful, and they will damage them over time. This must be stopped but a partial explanation is that the bike-park behind O’ Cll Monument has been removed for the moment.
What is completely unacceptable is the parking of massive motor bikes in the middle of the median, which is happening all the time. Indeed when taking the earlier photos I was restricted from taking a few wide shots because they were in the way.
The cheek of them, it’s the same as parking your car there. These must be clamped, that’ll stop them pretty smartish.Ah Sky – where would we be without them?
Did you see that Master of Ceremonies introducing the various people – a Father Ted caricature or what!Didn’t the Aras look fantastic – all hail the steadicam!
Very proud watching it on BBC News, even if they built it in the first place!
The temporary porch attached to the pillars was very tasteful – not that it was needed in the end.It’s the (limestone?) portico contrasting with the white that makes the building look so elegant – it was added by Francis Johnston (of GPO fame) in 1815 or 1816 I think. Fantastic proportions, and the dentil detail really sets it off.
And the white chimneys look so good too – even the chimney pots are painted, and it all ties in with the ceremonial white ‘colour scheme’ of the park, with the white railings, the white gas lamps, the magnificent white entrance gates etc.Which is more than can be said for the State Drawing Room where all the Prime Ministers were greeted – always hated this room – so vulgar, drab and frumpy.
A right-hand turn onto Merrion Row would entail fairly major work in removing that island outside the BOI on the corner of Merrion Row and that sculpture and a substantial bicycle park.
Still, there always seems to be a lot of excess capacity on Green East, surely enough to accomodate two-way flow other than the bus lane – hence allowing the Cuffe-Merrion Row link?Sorry I said it was two-way earlier, it was all on Pat Kenny on Monday morning – I was very sleepy. On Tuesday the week before he was talking to Frank Allen of the RPA and suggested that Green West was going to be hell when finished. And so this Monday Keegan came on and it was put to him that the CC were listening to the programme, and decided (perhaps on the Thursday as Sue says) that they alter the traffic flow as a result. Nothing but a nervous laugh from Keegan!
I’ve read the Sunday Times since – they’ve got it right.This should pounced upon as the long-needed opportunity to widen the pavements on Green North around Grafton St – whatever about traffic congestion, pedestrian congestion should be considered for once too – this area is chaos at the rush hours, similar to Nassau St.
They’re interesting figures about the numbers coming from Cuffe to Merrion and Dawson etc – it’s extraordinary how one route alone can contribute to much traffic, like the left turn at the bottom of Dawson St resulting in the clogging up of O’ Connell St not too long ago.Was it just the animals it prevented from coming near 🙂
It’s a brilliantly simple idea – it was used all over Britain too to protect ornamental gardens near the house from the wilder parts of the estate.A feature that has come into view since being able to walk in front of the GPO portico is the top of the two tall bollards at either side, where the holes from the lamps which used to be perched atop are now evident. The right-hand one has been long blocked up but weirdly the left-hand one hasn’t.
There’s a pic here of the hole – it’s difficult to say if the lamps were ever converted from oil to gas and hence if the hole is the result of a gas pipe. I’ve seen a pic from 1900 and the lamps appear to be gone already.
You can see too in the pic where the plinth of the lamp used to sit.
Those bins all over the place are temporary.
And finally finally – Mansfield Chambers with the Luas power lines passing by – what a pity, in front of one of the street’s finest.
Suppose every other European capital lives with it.The greatest Irish photographic cliche, Larkin silhoutted.
Don’t worry chewy – it’s still possible to take a half decent pic of him!The LED sunken lighting – these are going to look fantastic when lit – I’m guessing the inner or outer ring of lights may be a different colour:
