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    Meinung: Warum mangelt es Irland so an architektonischem Ehrgeiz?

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    31 Kommentare

    1. circuitocorto on

      Before major projects I would like to see house interiors properly laid out with the crazy idea that people will actually store their belongings in there. 

    2. Hrohdvitnir on

      Simple answer is grandeous architecture costs money, all of our projects lose the plot on budgets. We have cheap and overpriced projects that „do the job“.

    3. NocturneFogg on

      Ultra conservative nimbyism … „It’s like Manhattan!“ (in reference to 5 story building). Everything’s ‚out of keeping with the character of the area“. Everything will „destroy the skyline“ (which does not exist)… it’s endless.

      Ticky tacky boxes is what we like – nice bit of bland, with magnolia paint inside and some of that nice fashionable grey paint on all the metal work outside.

    4. Expensive-Total-312 on

      Every somewhat ambitious architectural project I’ve seen in Ireland leaks terribly after a few years and costs a lot to repair, also being the first to build in a new way often comes with early adopter issues, cost overruns, expensive maintenance etc. Also to be a bit of a stick in the mud modern architecture is often fairly ugly, especially when its been around for a few years and not been maintained to a high standard, you end up with these concrete and glass monoliths with green moss and algae growing all over.

    5. HmBeetroots on

      I’ve dealt with some ambitious architects in my time, and man, it costs time money, labour, materials.
      So much now I’d rather see simple stuff done right. Yes it’s an art firm, but I just want a roof to keep the rain out, it doesn’t have to shaped like a sail and flown in from Japan. I get it. I think bespoke Architecture thrives in a booming economy. States need to have money. Capitalism doesn’t plan on having states with money.

    6. AUX4 on

      You can spend years designing something only for it to be refused by the council as it doesn’t fit the character of the area. Then you are left with a years worth of wasted work.

      By contrast, you can design a rectangle, and the council will say it’s perfect cause it fits in with the area.

    7. CthulhusSoreTentacle on

      We can’t manage to build enough homes for people to live in. What chance do we have of building anything with a hint of architectural flair?

    8. Ronoh on

      Because all projects see their cost explode and get delayed. Adding ambition is adding complexity and the certainty of cost overrun.

    12. SeriesDowntown5947 on

      I think cost. Example UCD wanted a statement building to represent itself. A landmark. Objections where made and the project cancelled. Money been the main issue eg value etc.

    13. Loud_Tank_5074 on

      If you want to see a lack of architectural ambition, look no further than the new train station being built in a prominent position on the waterfront in Waterford.

      They didn’t bother to put any windows on the south facing side with river views (as they may build apartments there in future).

    14. standard_pie314 on

      Ireland did ambition in the 60s and 70s: Liberty Hall, Stephenson’s bunkers, Busaras, UCD… All of them should, I think, be judged as failures (even though I have time for some of them). That’s partly because modernism was a uniquely unattractive movement, but it underlines the fact that ambition alone doesn’t guarantee results. For every Bilbao Guggenheim, there are several Zaha Hadid mega-projects that no one’s heard of besides the countries that spent hundreds of millions building them.

      I’d prefer to see ambition at a lower level. More ornamentation on the identikit apartment blocks that are going up at the moment, for example. But I appreciate the article. It’s nice to see people talking about such things.

    15. DesmondOfIreland on

      I’ve been wondering why nearly every new building lately is the colour of a cigarette packet?

    17. CaliGurl209 on

      Why is Ireland so lacking in… (fill in the blank, architecture, public transport, mental health services, housing, etc.)

    18. Bighead2019 on

      Try to build a house that looks different from everything else in the neighborhood and the council will soon put a stop to it. Your concrete misery box must match everyone else’s concrete misery box of the world will come to a swift end.

    19. whooo_me on

      I’ve seen a few very ambitious proposals here in Cork (the old Atlantic Quarter proposal with up to 30 floor towers, and the Custom House tower with 34 floors would have been amazing, surrounded by water on 3 sides and with the lovely stone Custom House and warehouses surrounding it and cobbled quayside.)

      Getting approved is generally not the issue here. I’d guess it’s a lot easier to put forth an ambitious proposal than it is to fund it, and we don’t have people willing to fund projects like that.

    20. Successful_Cod_8904 on

      Because builders will take you to the cleaners. Outstanding architectural buildings will cost significantly more to develop, build and maintain. Every element becomes bespoke and likely needs to be sourced from abroad due to lack of skills here.

    21. Dennisthefirst on

      You mean thousands of plain, five storey apartment blocks with bolt on balcony’s doesn’t do it for you?

    22. ItsTyrrellsAlt on

      I’ve said this before, particularly about the new high rise in cork that looks like a white capital dock. The answer is that developers are cheap and the architects themselves are shit. I think O’Mahony Pike should be banned from practice. They manage to get all the most prominent projects and produce total shit.

    24. jaqian on

      Hard to be inspired by a white box, which seems to be the inspiration for the new St Stephens Green shopping centre.

    25. TheGaelicPrince on

      Seen the plans for Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, keep it as it is.

    26. YoIronFistBro on

      Probably the same reason it’s so lacking in every other type of ambition.

    29. YoungWrinkles on

      Didn’t Jack Chambers (or someone) say recently that public buildings will be pushed through and aesthetics were not a consideration?

    30. NotAnotherOne2024 on

      It’s hardly surprising, up until the mid 90s Ireland was economically deprived. Underwent a period of economic recklessness and then spend a further half decade economically deprived until the corporate windfall profits came along.

      Due to this we never developed a development financing sector akin to other western countries, instead development financing was debt funded from the pillar banks during the Celtic Tiger.

      Without ample funding options developers won’t take architectural risks and will stick to tried and tested designs that will make for functional usage and will stack financially due to the high costs of all aspects of development here.

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