GregF
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OK……although the building style may be debatable…. it’s on a par with what’s going on elsewhere throughout the city but it is not as bad as a lot of recent schemes that could be mentioned in the heart of the city. It is a difficult one…..blending architecture that holds a sympathetic view of it’s established surrounding areas with something that’s new and radical and of the time….without ending up with something bland and mediocre.
But as you mentioned the developments of past saw the heart torn out of the city many intact old buildings were torn down to make way for the modern buildings……..
……but not in this case, the proposed site is a ‘field’ with one warehouse/factory.
Besides developments need to be of a more substantial nature today ….curbing the urban sprawl. The appartment complex wiil bring people into the area too ….people with money….A corporation development would be a far worse fate would it not.
Also the Gaol itself will not be touched, one would think that the Gaol itself is to be demolished and perish the thought. The ‘development to be’ is across the road and will be act as an anchor point balancing the Gaol.
I would’nt worry about views from the magazine fort…it’s not that spectacular in the first place….a bit of height is needed….and well if you compare the photos of before and after there is not that much of an infringement….
The John’s Road too acts more like the gateway instead,a dual carriageway that cuts savagely in part through the viking cemetary and the Memorial Gardens with an overblown bridge junction. The view of the houses is not a particularly interesting view in the first place either from the bridge,is it …with the railway line running by below.
Our architectural heritage is precious,the bit we have (and have left) but I think there is a zealous streak of anti-development
running through everyone today (read the visitors guest book on the site)….and our little bit of modest architectural heritage does not merit a halt or hinderance to new developments….because of shadowing, or whatever as trivial.The city must live…[This message has been edited by GregF (edited 22 May 2001).]
….see that a notable listed house with historical links to C.S. Parnell has just been gutted by fire in Avoca……the ballroom has been totally destroyed……any plans for this to be redeveloped…..I bet there is.
The mirrored dome in the Parc de la Villette looks amazing….I very much doubt if we would see anything like that in Ireland.
Looking at the photo of Hawkins House people seem to have missed the wart at the front….that being the former Irish Press offices now under reconstruction…..look at roof …it’s a mess.
The ugliest building in Dublin ….that ramshackle garage along the quays…you know the one on Usher’s island and the corner of Bridgefort Street across the way from the Liffey Wharf pub (not the filling station…although that’s misplaced too)…what a disgraceful contribution in such a prime area of the city. Please do something about this area of the city ….FAST!
To reply about the Ulster bank on College Green…..it’s style, it’s positioning and the fact that a fine building was sacrificed makes it an ugly building, awkward and obtuse in it’s area.[This message has been edited by GregF (edited 15 May 2001).]
….once the sarcasm creeps in one detects the defence stragedy….the siege mentality.
How anyone can give a general populace an oppinion on architecture…….. the same populace who sees alluminium/PVC doors and windows, stone cladding et all as ‘tres chic’ who identifies with Man Utd, Coronation Street,and yet who could’nt tell you where the National Gallery of Ireland is…is way beyond me. Fashion and Pop culture is so fickle. I am of such stock too but I had gumption enough to learn…….
don’t patronize me James …my views are as valid as yours….and the truth hurts too…..as I can see.In years to come we will have regretted what we have done in our building boom now….please don’t lament then….when the penny has finally dropped.Cheers!
I would’nt say Hawkins House is just the ugliest…there are far too many unsightly piles to mention….Let’s say there are far more uglier buildings than attractive ones. How about the Ulster Bank on the corner in Dame Street standing next to a fine 19th century piece…..and don’t forget the now partly hidden bunkers of Wood Quay…lest we forget….and those ESB offices up FitzWilliam Street and that bank up Baggot Street awkwardly fitting in the streetscape and all the boring bland recent appartment blocks as far as the eye can see. Well done An Taisce.
It appears quite difficult to fight such cases now especially when the ‘locals’ play the auld trump card of ‘us, we poor natives born and ‘reard’ in Dublin and we’re not gonna have outsiders tell us what to do’…Blah! Blah! (hence the racist attacks on foreign nationals too)and especially when you have the likes of (as I have said before) shitty local TD’s who are maybe of a rural stock too spurring such people on for the sake of a few votes. The ‘locals’ what an enigma….all recent developments of a considerable height have been turned down due too ludicrous complaints such as shadowing…this is a bloody city do they not realize that and now Caltrava’s bridge down the docks is threatened due to ‘car pollution which may cause asthma’ in the locals….Jesus…..any excuse. Such major schemes which would benefit the whole of the city are been jeopardized by handfuls of people. I am a true blue Dub and I would love to see the city develop into something of international renown not a mediocre post colonial third rate British town…which at the moment is taking on all the trappings of such. Shame on you.
Too add I work with many foreign people of all walks and all complain that Dublin city ‘lacks infrastructure’, ‘aesthetic beauty’, ‘landmarks and features’, ‘is far too expensive’…….and the only form of entertainment to do on a rainy day is ‘go to the pub’ …which not many of them do as they are not alcoholics like a considerable ammount of us Irish.
(Pity the Romans never landed in Ireland…we may have had a good grounding in civics and architecture)….True![This message has been edited by GregF (edited 09 May 2001).]
….and to add it is a ‘city’ which supposedly is full of noise, hustle and bustle, not the gloomy silence of Connemara.
Ah James, but what a boring city we’ll live in……..perhaps you’ll never understand…..ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
…….and to add the Dublin docks is developing into one big boring shithole thanks to the complainers and Scott Tallon & Walker the now appointed architects ….. (which I foresaw) ……even Kevin Roches bombastic overblown scheme would have been far better.
(Just too add……. did anyone see the locals who had objected to Roches scheme…the handful were nearly all over 60 years of age ….they’ll be dead in a few years time ….and what a ”great”legacy …not….they have now left the city of Dublin.)Im off again…………………………. but I can’t help commenting on the air of ignorance and pessimism that fills everyone regarding new developments in Dublin/Ireland. Anything of an ‘unusuality’ gets the thumbs down ….full stop. Not only was the Smithfield scheme scaled down and losing it’s only outstanding feature (ie the tower) but Calatrava’s bridge down the docks is in jeopardy now because of some stupid ignorant locals complaining spurred on by the stupid ignorant vote catching councillors/politicians. It looks now as if everything that will be planned will be scaled down…. ending up like run of the mill shit. Are Irish people so thick. It is a stiffling air of pessimism and ignorance and Dublin city the capital city of Ireland will lose out in the end. So amidst a building boom as I have said already we will develop a rather insignificant mediocre city on a par with secondary cities found in the rest of the world and we have only our stupid ignorant Irish selves to blame.
(Please give us a job regarding such I could do a damn lot better). I only hope too that a wave of architectural students with flair and a great understanding is on the way up……otherwise we are lost.
We now supposedly identify with a mythological past (in part) who produced the likes of ‘Newgrange’ or the newly found colonial past who produced the likes of Georgiana and Victoriana and all it’s trappings (at least such a people built), but we are so stupid and scared today to put a mark on the landscape representing our generation. An Taisce can kiss my arse ….what a futile stick in the mud organisation ….you don’t count when it really matters……..Food for thought? Reply if you can.Is’nt it turning out to be a wonderful stadium now however,and we really need it but it would never get the planning permission today if it was starting from scratch, such is the air of pessimism.
Looking at the image reproduced it would have made a good focal point……and it’s not that big either. We really are elf like here….in mind……..’Lilliputlians’
[This message has been edited by GregF (edited 03 May 2001).]
I’ve said it time and time again, amidst a building boom, Dublin instead, is getting a colection of visually boring buildings…all low rise, all ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! What a missed opportunity……….and what a crap mediocre city it is amounting too …..all designed by accountants and people who left school at the age of seven or don’t have a spark of ingenuity. ….Oh dear, no renaissance for us then. Lord save us…from the dopes!
I think Jackie Healy Rae TD may have a say in having it all or some of it moved down to the Bog of Allen or somewhere thus aiding ‘de Wests awake’. You’re right we have far too much in Dublin….which is why they are considering moving the Dail down there too. That way the politicians will not have to travel very far to their place of work.
Ah… an Irish pub…..too bad ‘a decent pint’ is becoming a thing of the past in most Dublin central city pubs, especially these newer trendy ones…..with all chrome, glass, pale beechwood and scantily clad young ladies…… all stylishly great…. but unfortunately a pint of flat dishwater is the order of the day, the stuff that will turn your stomach over and give you the scuts….plainly speaking. One has to frequent a crusty auld kip to get a decent pint. True!
What a broad street….infact it’s buildings are indeed too short for it’s span and let’s say quite mediocre and grotty too bar some.
