RaB
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To hear such talk of demolition from environmentally aware Architects surprises me.These developments are ripe for refurbishment and extention. To me they are far mor interesting than the absolute crap thats been built some eighty years on (just stand on the Liffey bank outside the Four Courts and look in every direction !), by the current generation of Developers Architects. The problem here is planning. I proposed a pre-planning design for a building adjoining one of these blocks on the canal at Harolds Cross. I wanted to match the height and give reference to the style and upgrade the open space and boundary treatments of the existing CC block, thus maximising the intergration of both communities and Architectural styles. The planner told me the building was too tall and so the scheme falls on its face.
By the way is it me or are those Circular stair wells a sly reference to Konstantin Melnikovs’ 1928 house at 10 Krivoarbatski ,Moccow, just look at the hexagonal windows ?
ps. most of these CC blocks are dual aspect,and many have three beds. if 20%(dotted within the social tennants) were sold privatley, how many of this sites suscribers would buy in ??heres one to think about.
as a developer i reckon i could build at least a thirty storey building in the city center containing 120 apartments ,give 40 units to the city council for affordable housing, sell the rest (except the penthouse ,thats mine) and make a substantial profit. and thats paying full market price for a brownfield site. this would not have to be the usual developer led design , i reckon that the margins are there to do things properly.
so, the developer gets his profit, the council get a huge contribution towards affordable housing, the architect gets a trophy commision and dublin grows up (no pun intended).
i believe the key to going up is to give the city enough back [affordable housing] so that its an offer the council cannot refuse.
id love to hear your comments.Marie,
im a developer and i agree that there is a market there . i looked at a development recently which was town houses and a purpose designed creche. the client was a creche operator and the Architect was Box Architecture. it looked to be an interesting development.maybe we should talk !slatterys in rathmines has the the snug proper inside the front door, it also has ,as mentioned above the dark corridor at the back of the bar where the old timers can be seen sitting without conversation looking at the wall 1.0m in front of them. another interesting point is that the bar inside the front door has small stools at it, as the floor level benind the bar is much lower that on the public side ! great pub.
quirkeys comments that Architects are powerless i disagree with. who signs the certs for all this crap development ? also i have worked for the biggest developer in the land who uses “cad jockeys” (as they were know on the floor) to churn out all this crap were talking about.when a developer goes to an external bona fide Architect the cost and programme for a development can go up by up to 50%.with sales revenue only increasing by a fraction of that. i have witnesses this time and again.if Architects really want to improve our built envoirement they must develop a far greater sense of cost and buildability and make it easy for the ever hungry developer to retain their services.there is a situation achievable where the developer gets his profits, the Architect gets his/her creative freedom, the client gets a product they like and want and the planners happily police it all.Architects as must lead the way in trying to achieve this in every new development instead of “soap boxing” after the event.
every red bricked ,pvc windowed, infill apartment development with cars parked in the courtyard ,coving in the hallways (to make up for lack of natural light and air),mock georgian doors, windowless bathrooms ,useless balconies,white plastic countrystyle kitchens,nay kitchenettes. soul-less,listless moronic banality that pays real tribute to the ignorant and hungry developer,to his easily whipped and frustrated architect, to our swamped niave planners and most of all to the connoisseurs who bought them like lemmings.
