bitasean
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I’m jumping back to the Ranelagh School here but I pass it twice a day on my cycle into work and sometimes when I’m coming from the canal (and you see it as you turn the corner) I wish it was extended to form a terrace twice or three times its current length. I just find the proportions f**king lovely! And its the only building that I know that I wish there was more of, which I reckon is as good a compliment as you can give an inanimate object. So while some of the comments regarding bad detailing may hold water (pun intended) the overall positive effect is has on the city far outweighs any negatives.
I’ve never seen any shots of the interior, are there any on the net? I thought that the timber addition along the gable was interesting (it’s gone now isnt it?) and very de Paorish with it’s diagonal boards, the finish left a lot to be desired however and it was never a million miles away from the work of a stoned wood work student with average joinery skills. My favourite part of this building is the subtle skewed entrance on the other gable with the fetishistic use of the traditional black and white door bell. I heard that the house next door is for another member of the Irish rugby team ( didnt Shane Horgan buy 0 or minus 1?). But for a true abortion of a mews development check out what’s just gone up around the corner, I’d love to post an image of it but that particular skill eludes me on this message board (any tips?)
You’re not referring to the criminally detailed house on the corner are you? I’m a big admirer of Tom but that house is really hard to defend aesthetically
Regarding the fact that its new owner was singing its praises in last month’s Irish architect and is now selling it made me a bit suspect as it now adds to the list of unique designs commissioned by private clients (and presumably tailored to their particular needs) which ended up in the property pages within a matter of months. I’m thinking here also of Boyd Cody’s Mountpleasant Ave. brick house which was put up for auction soon after its completion. I’m not sure what this could be an indication of but perhaps the punters are wising up to the added retail value of a starchitect designed house. It begs the question who are architects designing for and will such trends lessen the desirability of designs which are fine-tuned to the living habits of a particular person/family, something which I believe should not be abandoned in favour of generic marketability.
bugger, my attachment doesnt work, how do I insert an image into the body of the text as Devin has done above, it keeps asking me for a URL but the image is on my desktop,
advice anyone?
indeed great post Breen,
incidentally as an architect working in the countryside do you ever find yourself contributing to the blight simply because of the overwhelming amount of debilitating factors which affect rural development, such as road engineer guidelines, setback distances etc.? I’ve just convinced a client who’s building in Co. Sligo to rotate their house so that the gable faces the road but I’ve no idea what the planner’s going to think yet, it may be simply against the regional policy despite the fact that most vernacular farmhouses are orientated this way.I’ve included some images I put together of how a one-off is perceived in rural Tipperary where they’ve somehow been allowed to keep the roadside ditch, a rare occurance and probably semi-illegal but it greatly reduces the impact of the development.
also, just to bug the townies (graham), I find that rural living calls for very little beyond a hi-viz vest and some water-proof boots, and my most enjoyable moment of this Christmas was probably walking down the road to a neighbours house for a drink not being able to see my hand in front of my face and not a care in the world for drink drivers, that’s what grass verges are for.
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try the RIAI website for new job vacancies, other than that, you can just blanket email all the architects listed on the RIAI website, that’s what most new graduates here do and there’s a 100% employment rate for young architects, I think. I doubt that you’ll be the first Lithuanian working as an architect in Dublin either, in my office we currently have 2 Czechs a Pole and a Slovak.
Aparently that Douglas Wallace building was modelled after the Thunder Cats Lair:D
Any of you familiar with Galway and its environs must know the Miesian house located roughly half way between Oranmore and Galway city, it’s raised up on what I think are I-beam pilotis and has a completely glazed facade (albeit protected with several acres of curtains.) I’ve only ever caught glimpses of this gem from the window of one of Bus Eireann’s finest but it would be great if any of ye could organise a few sneaky snaps of it for the thread since, ironically, its modernist (perhaps anti-contextual) approach leaves it hovering very nicely on the marshy banks of the bay.
Kevin Donovan is better than either Frank or Shane in my opinion but maybe if he had to write for the general public it would be a different story.
I’m surprised that anyone who isnt a full-on professional is using a student version of a programme when copies of the full version abound among students and the net.
In relation to the above comment
“Every reward they ever receive, or recognition seems to reward them for being individuals which ‘stand out’ from the rest of the crowd, at a time, when it is more incumbent upon architects than ever before, to get back to being part of something, anything,… just to integrate more. “
it seems to me that in order for architecture to integrate more with its auxilliary technical professions, it needs the experience of someone who has worked with these people/crafts/skills. In saying this I am thinking of Aalto’s close collaboration with furniture makers when he was exploring the possibilities of bending wood, or Gehry’s alliance with the CATIA tech guys. But my point is that in each of these cases, the profession benefitted from the experience of a mature architect rather than simply the celebrated imagination of someone who “stood out.” And to me it seems a bit silly to limit this prize to young architects when they are not essentially the ones making the break throughs. And this is coming from a recent graduate.
this is a great thread, I’ve learned more about windows here than I did during my five years at college. What’s most impressive is the before and after pics., these should be broadcast every day with the angelus, I’m sure there’d be enough examples to keep going for a good few years. Actually come to think of it, has there been any exhibitions like that in Ireland showcasing bad developments?
Wouldnt it be great if every town council had an image database showing the changing facades of its streets, at least then public opinion might be roused against the destruction being carried out on their built environment. Surely this wouldnt be too much to ask in the age of the digital camera. Also, why is it that Ireland in particular is so subject to the tyranny of PVC? having lived in Paris and Oslo I find it confusing as to why I never remember seeing it anywhere there.
In relation to non-timber alternatives, I was amazed to find out how energy efficient aluminium was when used as a recycled material compared to other materials, but how does one go about doing this in Ireland, and is there a whopping great fee for one’s efforts to be environmentally friendly?
I tried to catch the exhibition, the standard of which I’m sure is every bit as good if not better than UCD, but when I arrived at 8pm on Friday evening expecting to be plied with free wine I was met with surly porters locking up for the long weekend. Is this Calvinist spirit typical of DIT? Whatever happened to the big end of year bash? Do DIT students and staff not have blow outs? If this is the case then I am glad to have attended UCD where the year’s hard work is duly acknowledged and celebrated by staff, students and their families.So prospective DIT students be warned…..
