jdivision

@Paul Clerkin wrote:

Architects are being told to assume that all the existing buildings, except the protected structures will be demolished to make way for the redevelopment.

Which is precisely the opposite of what they were telling the media three weeks ago!

@Satrastar wrote:

For me, the colour is a big disappointment. That dull pink stone may as well be concrete.

But maybe in the future, they can re-clad the building…

Having been up close and personal with this I disagree, the stone looks quite well, especially on a bright day. The glass is also impressive – they can light it any colour they want – and based on observations by friends the glass drum can be seen reflecting the sun while flights are circling around before coming in to land at Dublin Airport. I don’t think the building’s amazing or anything but it’s a solid addition. Having been inside, it’s damn impressive and vertigo inducing from certain places!

So I was told by somebody involved. If you see it from above it’s pretty much done

The lift will be able to bring up an arctic truck container so don’t think they’ve been installed yet

@hutton wrote:

Re Wax Museum – where so would you put it?
…. signs on as to poor Paddy Kelly going to the wall… I wonder if the wax museum suggestion was also a sign of desperation?

I think they came up with the waxwork idea because Kelly’s son and Donie Cassidy redeveloped the old wax works site and were looking for somewhere to put the things afterwards. It wouldn’t bother me if they never saw the light of day again, they never impressed me. If you had to have a venue, is the old church on Essex Quay in Temple Bar in use now or still vacant? Maybe there? http://ireland.archiseek.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/southcity/templebar/essex_quay/church_lge.html

hutton, as far as I know the cultural use was always the subject of discussion between both parties and nothing was ever decided for definite until the lighthouse was agreed upon. I could be wrong. Having said all that, the idea of putting the wax works in there was always a dreadful one.
At the same time, the council should have asked to see the agreements in principle with the retailers, looked at the reasons for their reticence and granted permission accordingly. There’s a whole swathe of empty retail units around the city that have been unoccupied for years.

Apparently Mr Quirkey himself is behind the signage

@d_d_dallas wrote:

Weren’t Harvey Nic’s interested in taking the whole thing pre their Dundrum outlet?

Yep but car parking issues meant they said no. In addition, rumour has it the DDDA didn’t want to give them the whole thing, so Harvey Nicks felt they wouldn’t have enough space to make it worthwhile.

@johnglas wrote:

jdivision; maybe in the current climate (economies everywhere imploding, not just in your neck of the woods) owners will get more ‘realistic’ about rents and tenancies and value occupancy over empty. Saw this place in Dec; thought it a waste that the great space was compromised, but thought the sub-division had been done in the least offensive way. One of Dublin’s great interiors, surely.
When will the basement open? That will be a tour-de-force – anyone any pics?

One of the city’s great interiors? Yes. Does it even begin to live up to what was promised in terms of retail mix? Definitely not. Does it even get close? No. Questions have to be asked about how it was handled, and the fact that the DDDA was willing to sell it off to a developer for less than what it cost to develop is illustrative. The fact he pulled out of the deal even more so. How any project can have 25% of its build cost go on professional fees is beyond me.
shopping centre landlords are proactively taking steps that you suggest. Rents are being reduced by many owners for those retailers who can produce documentary proof of their struggles. That would be a lot of them these days.
They can’t find anyone for the basement, terence conran pulled out ages ago

In its documentation it claims that it’ll provide a bookend to the tall building that will form part of northern quarter on the other side of the road.