Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

The trend toward demolishing buildings and replacing them with bigger and better ones goes on. Mark Kavanagh's company Hardwicke is about to lodge a planning application to flatten the IBM building on Burlington Road, Dublin 4, and build a six-storey colossus in its place. If he gets the nod from the planners, he will be able to increase the floor area from 28,000 sq ft to almost 85,000 sq ft - a worthwhile exercise in today's market when space in the area rents for over £30 per square foot. Mr Kavanagh also plans to play his part in reintroducing cycling to the city - he applied for no less than 83 bicycle spaces in the development and just 67 car parking spaces. Look out for some fast-pedalling execs on the street before long.