High rise buildings in Dublin - Yeay or nay?

some_dose · 29-01-2013 01:34PM #1

What are peoples opinions on this?

With the continued increase in population in Ireland it is inevitable that cities will continue their urban sprawl across the countryside. We supposedly live in a modern country but crazy planning laws have prevented us from building high rise buildings i.e. we'll say over 30 to 40 stories high.

Do you think that the lack of such high buildings adds character to our cities or do you think (as I do) that it's time to halt the unnecessary urban sprawl and start build some of these if needed?

BraziliaNZ · 29-01-2013 01:35PM

some_dose wrote: »

What are peoples opinions on this?

With the continued increase in population in Ireland it is inevitable that cities will continue their urban sprawl across the countryside. We supposedly live in a modern country but crazy planning laws have prevented us from building high rise buildings i.e. we'll say over 30 to 40 stories high.

Do you think that the lack of such high buildings adds character to our cities or do you think (as I do) that it's time to halt the unnecessary urban sprawl and start build some of these if needed?

Who's going to pay for these projects and who will buy the space when available?

Fromthetrees · 29-01-2013 01:36PM

I've decided that these are now allowed.

/thread.

29-01-2013 01:36PM

some_dose wrote: »

What are peoples opinions on this?

With the continued increase in population in Ireland it is inevitable that cities will continue their urban sprawl across the countryside. We supposedly live in a modern country but crazy planning laws have prevented us from building high rise buildings i.e. we'll say over 30 to 40 stories high.

Do you think that the lack of such high buildings adds character to our cities or do you think (as I do) that it's time to halt the unnecessary urban sprawl and start build some of these if needed?

There's nothing crazy about protecting the skyline and cityscape, they help maintain the character of a city. That's why there's no modern skyscrapers in Venice.

KungPao · 29-01-2013 01:38PM

But are they needed? Plenty of empty buildings out my way (D18) including a skeletal eyesore in Sandyford and empty office buildings in Leopardstown.

Looks like the urban sprawl has halted for now.

Adhamh · 29-01-2013 01:40PM

It's not crazy planning laws that are the problem (the plan is to make Dublin denser and more high rise)- it's the crazy and insensitive proposed developments. Instead of building honest and decent buildings, developers a;ways want to put their stamp on the building by making it look as retarded as possible (cough, cough the childrens hospital).

o1s1n · 29-01-2013 01:40PM

KungPao wrote: »

including a skeletal eyesore in Sandyford.

That always reminds me of the Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea before they put the glass in.

Also plenty of empty shells down towards The Point. Do something with them first before considering changing the city centre.

ScumLord · 29-01-2013 01:43PM

Dublin should have started building up a long time ago. There's nothing to the Dublin skyline, I think at this stage a "skyline" requires some tall buildings or it might as well be any towns skyline.

1ZRed · 29-01-2013 01:56PM

Yes. It's about time Dublin started building up instead of out. It only makes sense for a capital city, and is well overdue.

Now, I'd actually want well designed buildings instead of the likes of Liberty Hall, or even the ugly planned building to replace it.

I swear the amount if architects that should be shot for lack of talent, but yet are hired for the job anyway, is unreal.

Dublin is like a blank canvas for high rise buildings and there's loads of apporunity to design modern and unique buildings that could make the city stand out a lot more compared to many other European cities.

BraziliaNZ · 29-01-2013 02:11PM

1ZRed wrote: »

Yes. It's about time Dublin started building up instead of out. It only makes sense for a capital city, and is well overdue.

Now, I'd actually want well designed buildings instead of the likes of Liberty Hall, or even the ugly planned building to replace it.

I swear the amount if architects that should be shot for lack of talent, but yet are hired for the job anyway, is unreal.

Dublin is like a blank canvas for high rise buildings and there's loads of apporunity to design modern and unique buildings that could make the city stand out a lot more compared to many other European cities.

But we're an economically dead backwater. What's going to drive this upward growth?

ScumLord · 29-01-2013 02:14PM

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

But we're an economically dead backwater. What's going to drive this upward growth?

Bigger buildings can be more economical in the long run. Urban sprawl is making it hard to get around. We could have better infrastructure. There are a multitude of reasons for building up.

Richard Hillman · 29-01-2013 02:16PM

There is still plenty of space in West and North Dublin, with small sections still available in the South. There will be a day when it has to be seriously looked at but its a bit early now. We need to work on Public Transport that isnt City Centre orientated.

BraziliaNZ · 29-01-2013 02:16PM

ScumLord wrote: »

Bigger buildings can be more economical in the long run. Urban sprawl is making it hard to get around. We could have better infrastructure. There are a multitude of reasons for building up.

Where would you build them? City center? To make it even more congested? In a city without public transport, maybe we should be spreading out so as cars can get around easier, and not congest in the city center.

squod · 29-01-2013 02:16PM

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

But we're an economically dead backwater. What's going to drive this upward growth?

Think the OP is talking about Dublin City Centre. It'll be the people who live there. The Chinese, Eastern Europeans and Africans who'll have to worry about funding IMO.

Conmaicne Mara · 29-01-2013 02:17PM

Conditional yes, one really big unstable one beside the Dail will do.

Lapin · 29-01-2013 02:20PM

Candie wrote: »

There's nothing crazy about protecting the skyline and cityscape, they help maintain the character of a city. That's why there's no modern skyscrapers in Venice.

Comparing a UNESCO world heritage city built around canals with Dublin is hardly compating like with like.

I don't have a problem with high rise buildings in Dublin as long as they are concentrated in one area rather dotted around the city in a haphazard manner. Apart from being more asthetic, such a concentration in one place would also provide a location with the critical mass required to sustain other services in the area.

I often consider the docklands to be a lost opportunuty in this regard. The place could have been used to showcase the best in Irish architecture with some landmark high rise structures that are unmistakably Dublin.

BraziliaNZ · 29-01-2013 02:25PM

Lapin wrote: »

I often consider the docklands to be a lost opportunuty in this regard. The place could have been used to showcase the best in Irish architecture with some landmark high rise structures that are unmistakably Dublin.

But who would occupy them? There are already lots of unoccupied buildings there

ScumLord · 29-01-2013 02:26PM

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Where would you build them? City center? To make it even more congested? In a city without public transport, maybe we should be spreading out so as cars can get around easier, and not congest in the city center.

If you have to drive through 20 estates to get were you need to go it's not easier to get around.

Most city don't plonk there high rise district in the centre of town either. Dublin would need better public transport but having high density hubs for that transport to go to is needed to make the most out of the public transport system. It's hard to justify making a public transport stop outside of an estate were 4 people might get on board.

staker · 29-01-2013 02:28PM

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Who's going to pay for these projects and who will buy the space when available?

Lease Dublin to the chinese as a strategic military base in the west,let them take it high rise if they want.
And clean the ****in place up while they're at it.

syklops · 29-01-2013 02:29PM

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

But we're an economically dead backwater.

We really aren't.

But who would occupy them? There are already lots of unoccupied buildings there

There are buildings and buildings. There are lots of unoccupied, badly built, badly insulated shoeboxes. High-rise does not automatically equal small and pokey.

markpb · 29-01-2013 02:32PM

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

But we're an economically dead backwater. What's going to drive this upward growth?

WTF. I can't stand this kind of overly negative sh*te. We're in a recession, it's happened before (to us and others) and it'll happen again. It's not the end of the world.

Plenty of people in Ireland still have good, well paying jobs. The IT sector in Ireland is positively booming. People are still immigrating into Ireland because it's a good place to live.

squod · 29-01-2013 02:33PM

staker wrote: »

Lease Dublin to the chinese as a strategic military base in the west,let them take it high rise if they want.
And clean the ****in place up while they're at it.

You have my vote!!!!

BraziliaNZ · 29-01-2013 02:39PM

markpb wrote: »

WTF. I can't stand this kind of overly negative sh*te. We're in a recession, it's happened before (to us and others) and it'll happen again. It's not the end of the world.

Plenty of people in Ireland still have good, well paying jobs. The IT sector in Ireland is positively booming. People are still immigrating into Ireland because it's a good place to live.

Right but why do we need skyscrapers? Take somewhere like Munich, I'm not aware of any there, but it functions great as a city.
Dublin is just badly planned through and through, you'd nearly need to bulldoze the entire place and start from scratch to get any type of order going.

quad_red · 29-01-2013 02:43PM

Been attempted. Didn't end well.

Ask Sean Dunne.

1ZRed · 29-01-2013 02:54PM

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

But we're an economically dead backwater. What's going to drive this upward growth?

So what're we supposed to do? Nothing and just continue sprawling out to fit the population and so straining transport systems and infrastructure?

That's quite short sighted and the reason why Dublin is so badly planed as it is, there was no foresight put into things. You have to plan for the future, and work towards it gradually.

Recession or no recession, things are going to be built and have to be built regardless, so it's very shortsighted to plan for now instead of investing slowly into something more long-term that will ultimately benefit us more.

There'll be another boom sometime and then what are we stuck with? More crap planning that'll end up costing more long-term to correct, if there's any real effective way to do it at all then.
That was the whole problem with Dublin and how it ended up so badly laid out to begin with.

Capt'n Midnight · 29-01-2013 02:55PM

what Dublin needs is a better mix of residential and business use.

At present almost everyone has to commute to work because they are in different areas. It also means that the business areas are completely dead at night.

IF there are to be any high rise then they must have commercial activities on the ground floor that can attract passing trade to get people out on the streets.

Other wise it'll be vertical ghettos in empty streets.

Pilotdude5 · 29-01-2013 03:15PM

It should have been encouraged initially. Dublin could have half the footprint it has now. The suburbs feel like sprawling, dead, lifeless wasteland.

conorhal · 29-01-2013 03:21PM

Unless you want to bulldoze the entire center of the city to get rid of the Victorian streetscape you'll never have the road infrastructure to accomodate high rise, and the center is pretty small anyway. Highrise is already permissable in certian zoned areas like the dockland's and Hueston South Quater and other areas.This is the most sensible option and it's already in place. Unfortunately these places are wastelands, as are most high density developments bucause they were built with no appreciation that people would ever have to live in them. They are small glass goldfish bowls with a total lack of amenities for families or living in general. In the US you'd have to have a laundry room, storage rooms, parking etc. We will never get density righ until developers are forced to make them livable.

admiralofthefleet · 29-01-2013 04:03PM

yes, we need high rise. its going to have to happen eventually so sooner rather than later. the whole port should be moved up to balbriggan and a high rise [bigger] financial/business district built, a lá canary wharf

Bad Santa · 29-01-2013 04:07PM

Is the U2 tower being built or what. Walked passed it the other night parking on route to the Grand Canal Theater were we had champagne and caviar and it looks like a right eye sore. International U2 fans have begun to deface the gates with names for their upcoming album though.

pabloh999 · 29-01-2013 04:12PM

We will never ever have rise rise districts or anything of the sort.
Reason - An Bord Pleanala mafia have an anti high rise agenda
http://www.businessandfinance.ie/index.jsp?p=164&n=406&a=1694
http://www.thejournal.ie/bord-pleanala-liberty-hall-refused-676532-Nov2012/
http://www.rte.ie/news/business/2009/0130/113378-dunne/
http://lhra.info/wewon.htm
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0130/113371-ballsbridge/
http://buckplanning.blogspot.ie/2009/02/how-bord-pleanala-shot-down-dunne-plan.html

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