Simon
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My advise is to stay clear of the least architecturally aware nation in Europe from goverment down to the ordinary Joe in the street.
The commom angle used here is 90 degrees for everything….but if you reckon you can change and influence the norms come quickly but as you were warned it´s a very very expensive country.Frank Mc Donald in today’s Irish Times:
…It was to consist of a large shed-type building, two storeys high, with a neo-Georgian front, flanked by surface car parking….
Sounds like a National Conference Shed… full stop is right… let’s hope Frank is right by saying.. It WAS to consist …
Another hotel / superpub. The wise men of DCC should take a train upto Belfast and inspect and view how the old St. George’s Market has been restored and operating again as a genuine thriving city market.
I worked in Stephenson Associates in the late 70s early 80s. It was the most unique design office in Ireland at the time and it has not been equalled since. There we were in a unique building, the old convertred Molyneux Church (Molyneux House) along Bride St, the only inner city design office in Dublin at the time. We were all young excited graduates in architecture, structural eng, building services eng, civil and the QS boys. Sam broke the mould by doing the whole package and broke the ultra conservative set up between separate architectural and consultant engineers. I must say the site meetings were pretty civilised affairs with the usual warfare kept for the office. We were the Celtic cubs of the time, working all hours and only stopping to go to the first Mc Donalds on Grafton St. or party in White Horse, the old Underground bar or Nicoe’s of Dame St. and we had the best Christmas parties in town thanks to Sam.
As a young engineer I have to say I worked with the finest of young architects on some great projects- Fieldcrest in Kilkenny (the biggest project in Ireland at the time). Those two years on site in Kilkenny were the most exciting time of my career. All young engineers and architects with big responsibility and all doing a great job and having great craic in Kilkenny after work. Coming home each weekend like a sailor from sea and my Cavan parents who worked so hard to get me through college “waiting and wanting to hear all the news†and them so proud of their son who works for the architect Sam Stephenson !!
Also Bord Na Mona head office (now Esat Digifone) on Baggot St and all the Westinghouse plants from Shannon to Dundalk, Great times, great projects, great experience, great responsibility and great friends we were the original band of brothers wearing our distinguishing flashy silver coloured safety hats !! and we were in awe of Sam and had a great loyalty to each other and Stephenson Associates. I have to thank my tenure in Stephenson Associates for instilling in me great confidence and an awareness of my built environment and introducing an inner city Dublin kid into a social and professional scene that I would never have experienced otherwise.
So thank you Sam for thrusting youth and I only wish every young architect and engineer could experience the so special feeling of working for Stephenson Associates.
Great facility at last but as it has to cope with the whole country…I can see lines awaiting entry and pool gridlock.
Probably some pipe laying and the mosaic was simply in the way. Just the attitude here of could’nt care less or who will notice or even care. Paths in general around town and the suburbs are a disgrace. Cracked concrete, filled in lumpy channels of concrete and tarmacadam. Try pushing a toddler in a pram around town or on either path of the SCR for example it would be easier getting round the jumps at Cheltenham.
Spot on Charlie.
Legacy = Office blocks, gated mansion type developments, miriad of private golf courses, holiday homes and 18,000 one off houses in 2002 alone – not one ‘grand project’ ala Waterfront Hall, Odyssey Areana etc.
Or simply visit Hillsborough in NI and view a Georgian gem of a preserved town..ask them how they have managed and protected it so well. Luke would be impressed if he visited Hillsborough today..he might even bang a few heads togeather at the castle talks !!
Suffice to say the two Lukes left a legacy that could be the making of a great architectural tour of Georgian Dublin if it was promoted and marketed by Dublin Tourism but after the Ceol museum fiasco in Smithfield I would not hold much hope – its time the Gardiners were recognised by some feature or monument in the city I mean if they had blown up Georgian Dublin rather then build most of it it there would be commerative marches and unveiling of plaques every year. Well done the Gardiners.
Cost of Tunnelling in Dublin 9 times !! that of Madrid, RPA asked to explain. – Today’s Irish Times.
It’s gas the GAA have no problem wishing to play GAA in soccer grounds – as in trying to divide and conquer Rovers unfinished ground, also all the matches they have played in the old Wembley over the years and will continue to play in the new Wembley. Imagine the English FA had refused them – there would be howls and petitions asking Tony Blair, Ahern and Amnesty International to support them been discriminated against.
Too late for the Special Olympics I see the Morton ‘Stadium’ !! is to be the venue for all the track and field events because there is nowhere else in the Capital – some advertisement that neglected kip will be for a world event – even Rovers refuse to play there.
Thanks a lot LOB for the above very informative leads… great info on laser cleaning and those great Cathedrals..little did Dr David Lewis realise he would be getting the laser treatment some four hundred years after they bricked him in !!
I believe laser cleaning (heard it on BBC Radio 4) is the latest method of cleaning stonework without the blasting effect of sand. Some firm in Northern Ireland has perfected the process and does a lot of work on Cathedrals in Britain…anyone any info..has any building been laser treated here?
Paul show us a few metro stations, another airport, a finished Luas line, hospital extensions, more police on the streets and for good measure a football stadium.
By I’m sure glad Ian Ritchie insists he is on the panel (for life) to oversee this great idea (by the way its his idea). As like the great promises of the Lotto for sporting infrastructure God knows where the monies generated by the Spire would end up ( someone must have wised him up) The man was really upset and could not understand all the whinging and small mindedness about ‘the waste of money’ and is determined to show the doubting Dubliners (where have they all gone ?) that the Spire will generate more than its so minimal cost considering its posetive impact on the city and the spike moaners ala our Lord Mayor (now Lacey insists!! he ‘unvail’ the Spire) typical bandwagon politician- Get up the Yard Lacey!! Yes copyright of the Spire to DCC, only if Ian Ritchie is on the Trust committee for life!! By the way well done to all the forgotten engineers (Arups / Radleys) who made the Spire happen.
Ian Ritchie should be given the freedom of the city and free drink for life for his unique world’s tallest sculpture ..he has put us on the map. He is a most wanted man by all accounts from Milan to Paris and beyond
Also the greatest book ever written about the development of the city and the only developer with vision and a love for his native city ..the book DUBLIN 1660~1860 by Maurice Craig and the developer the one and only Luke Gardiner.
…thank God for some modern British influence on this city (Dublin) like Benson & Forsyth and their striking architectural contribution to Ireland’s National Gallery….and which would never have built but for EU money.
Listen to today’s paper – now we are bottom of the league in our e / digital planning infrastructure.. most thought we or rather our goverment had at least a handle on this..all the waffle about digital hubs MIT gateways etc.. not enough shouting and protesting goes on in this place compared to other places..we are getting a raw deal in every direction and swallow so much waffle.
