Sir, – Frank McDonald’s excellent article (“Dublin City Council insisted on moving to Wood Quay. Now it wants to spend up to €500m to leave. Why?”, March 28th) described how the discovery of the hidden Viking and Medieval city at Wood Quay was a thrilling event in the history of our capital city.
The archaeological excavation revealed a unique and intact physical record of the foundation of Baile Átha Cliath. Unfortunately, the site stood in the way of the proposed new offices for Dublin Corporation.
The first phase – designed by Sam Stephenson – was of a more “defensive” nature: solid buildings presenting closed facades broken by recessed horizontal windows.
The second phase was won by Scott Tallon Walker. Ronnie Tallon followed a more contextual approach, with the new building reinstating the line of the Dublin city quays. The new offices were more open and accessible, entered via a wide, canopied threshold leading from the Liffey’s edge into a light-filled glazed atrium.
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The Civic Offices were positioned at a splay in the river, making users aware of the importance of the historic location, looking west to the Phoenix Park and the Four Courts and east along the Liffey quays to the Custom House, the port and the bay beyond.
The setting of the building gives it both a civic and engaging presence. A range of city managers used this quality over the years, with public events and exhibitions occupying the atrium space.
The buildings combined to generate a civic presence, a “window” to Dublin Corporation, as it were, where citizens could engage with local government rather than feel excluded from it.
It now seems both a terrible shame and wasteful to throw all of this away. The Civic Offices are in the right place within the tapestry of the city and they work well both formally and functionally. They can be refurbished, upgraded, extended if needs be, and enhanced to meet the changing needs of the local authority.
On the other hand, Camden Yards at Kevin Street is perfect for a mixed-tenure housing scheme to respond to the accommodation needs of single people and families alike. Situated so close to the city centre with little need for parking, the site would add to the quality and range of housing, creating homes for many.
Many office buildings are being converted for housing. What is already built can be reused as the basis for the regeneration of the Kevin Street community.
Another important aspect of this debate is time. Time will be saved if there is limited demolition, archaeological investigation and excavation.
By working with what’s there and remaking and reusing the existing, both much-needed new housing and improved Civic Offices can be delivered rapidly and efficiently. – Yours, etc,
GERRY CAHILL
Architect/director,
Macca Architecture,
Baggot Street,
Dublin 2.
