GregF

The Smithfield development by Fusano Properties looks grand now that it is finished. The tower is an attractive feature and there is a nice finish to the buildings….ie the cladding etc (especially when ye compare it to the standards of other recent schemes around the city and country). I remember all the wrangling about the height of the tower when the proposal was first mooted. Will be good now when the Summer comes and it fills up with people. Too bad the Chinese New Year festival wasn’t held there this year.

I’d have to go with the U2 tower. The image above from that view looks a cumbursome pile plonked on the quayside. It’s not very attractive. The newer rendering of the U2 tower makes it somewhat more elegant, what the building above lacks.

It will be a case of needing a touch up of the Cardinal Red floor polish to keep it so crimson.

Has the new red Liffey barge ceased operating already?

Those renderings are the business. It’s quite futuristic. This will be superb when completed. About time something like this happened down the docks, and a big international name involved too. More pleeze! The DDA have to be complemented in this case.

This area of the city’s landscape will have a few contemporary and visually striking jewels if they come to fruition. There will be this Libeskind piece, the curved glass roof of the new Lansdowne Road, the glass cylindered NCC and the twisting U2 tower. Quite a good little collection of modern landmarks. Include too the glass covered gasometer, the Point Depot makeover and the proposed new Abbey, whatever form it takes.

Maybe if they had likened it with the little mermaid in Copenhagen; might have been a better comparison.

The image in the Metro newspaper looks quite good. Kinda a Canary Wharf/New York look about the buildings . Boats/Barges on the river and all. Looks cool.
But when you look closely and see the 2 ESB chimney stacks placed right among the towers. Its kinda a rushed together whimsical photoshop montage just to catch the publics eye. Nothing will come of it.

I think you misunderstood my comments. I said that the proposed developments of the docks was only a carrot that was being used by the government to win over the electorate in a probable election next year. Ye have often heard of the saying of a donkey being led by a carrot and stick? I did’nt refer to yerself in any way other than saying that we don’t need the Brits or such archaic colonial powers to run our country again. God forbid. Improving the all round calibre and interests of our TD’s is the solution and that will happen with time with our new earned immense wealth. TD’s will develop an interest in the arts rather than just the pig stye!

This is only a ”carrot” as there is an election probably next year. This is hypocrtical of the PDs/Fianna Fail advocating high rises for the docks and all sorts of other much needed developments, when McDowell hindered the Natioanl Stadium calling it a Ceascescu stlye complex and Bertie calling Spencer Dock a monstrosity. They are a long time in government and its a last minute rush promising all these things as there is fuck all to show bar roads and houses.