post updated 06/10/17: image credit for O’Connell St & Kilmainham

Dublin City Council is the principal custodian of the city’s public realm; ‘it co-ordinates and permits development by others’ and this is guided through policy documents such as the 2012 Public Realm Strategy (Your City Your Space) and City Centre Public Realm Masterplan 2016.

Every City Council department commissions work which impacts on the public realm. From an architectural perspective, buildings are critical components from which urban places are made, both in terms of function (active edges) and form (design and construction). However, this post focuses on project work relating to ‘the space between buildings’.

Over the past number of years we have developed a collaborative working relationship with our colleagues in other departments and this is most evident with the delivery of the City Council’s own Public Realm Projects.

Our Public Realm Team undertakes projects on behalf of the Environment and Transport Dept. and in general, acts as design team lead on in-house projects up to City Council approval (Part 8).  Typically we will engage with many other departments in the development of a Part 8 proposal: Planning, Roads Planning, Roads Design, Roads Maintenance, Roads Traffic, Parks, Public Lighting, Drainage and the Relevant Area Office.  In addition we collaborate with stakeholders, businesses and the general public through the Project Manager.

Following Part 8 approval, City Architects’ role changes to one of inspection and review with the role of team leader moving to the Roads Design Division.  There, the tender documents are prepared and following tender and on commencement of construction, Roads Construction fulfil the role of Employers Representative (ER) on the construction contract.

Examples of projects undertaken this way are the Grafton Street Quarter (being delivered in several phases), Smithfield and Kilmainham.

A major project that our Public Realm Team is currently working on (being delivered on behalf of Environment and Transport Dept.) is College Green. This has included procurement and the management of an architect led interdisciplinary design team.  It’s an exciting and ambitious project that we will continue to post about as it progresses.

Not to forget our interaction with other DCC Departments, our Public Realm programme also includes:

– Local public realm plans or interventions for Area Offices (Aungier Street, North East Inner City, Crane Street).  Many of these projects involve considerable consultation and collaboration with local communities and stakeholders in these areas.

– Public realm for Forward Planning (Docklands SDZ, Docklands Public Realm Strategy, Poolbeg SDZ).  These public realm projects are strategic in nature and set guiding principles for works to be undertaken on a street by street basis for each of the urban blocks within the SDZ.  This includes guidance on; palettes of materials, services, tree planting, street furniture etc. The delivery of these public realm works will be undertaken by a number of different parties; Dublin City Council, commercial developers, and agencies such as the NTA, Irish Water etc.  However the strategies will ensure that a consistent and unified public realm is achieved throughout the SDZ areas, as they are built out in tandem with the development of each urban block to be later taken in charge by Dublin City Council.

Dublin City Council has presented and exciting and creative design renewing College Green as a civic space in the heart of Dublin. This new pedestrian priority space will significantly improve the quality of the city’s public realm.

Designed by Dixon Jones/Paul Keogh Architects, working closely with Dublin City Council, the newly shaped College Green development will be a dramatic 7,300 sq. metre area for people to enjoy in the heart of the city centre.  
 
The attractive tree lined and granite paved space has also been designed to facilitate major public gatherings and processional events through the city. It has the capacity to accommodate up to 15,000 people and will be fully equipped with the infrastructure required to stage large public events.
 
In order to enhance the views of the historic buildings and optimise the space for public events, the existing trees will be removed and 22 new trees will be planted.  The existing Henry Grattan and Thomas Davis monuments will be restored and retained as key focal points on an axis with the gates of Trinity College. The Thomas Davis monument will be relocated slightly further west of its current position.
 
The civic space will reclaim College Green’s historic footprint from the gates of Trinity College to Anglesea Street, and will include Foster Place. There will be a defined cycle route to allow cyclists traverse the new civic space to connect with cycle lanes to the east and west of the space.
 
An innovative and playful element of the new College Green space is an open water sculpture, with 32 individual water jets which will be controlled depending on the seasons and events taking place at College Green.
 
As part of the design there will be a new turning circle for buses at the western approach to the space.  Taxi ranks currently in the College Green area will be relocated to adjacent streets. There will be two-way traffic routes for taxis, buses and the new Luas Cross City running in a north-south direction around the front of Trinity College.
 
Dick Brady, Assistant Chief Executive, Dublin City Council said that the proposal to remodel College Green as a pedestrian–priority space is a Dublin City Council and National Transport Authority initiative. “The College Green project is a major public realm project which reflects the Council’s desire to continuously improve the City’s attractiveness for citizens, support its economic vibrancy and maintain its place as a top destination for visitors.”
 
Dublin City Council will submit the project to An Bord Pleanála for consideration later this month (May 2017). Subject to planning permission, construction of the College Green civic space is scheduled to commence in January 2018 following a public tender process and will take a year to complete.
 
Dublin City Architect Ali Grehan said that the proposed design for College Green was shaped following extensive consultation with the public and stakeholders: “The clear preference was for a pedestrian and cycle friendly open space. This College Green project is a unique opportunity for Dublin to reclaim an urban space of prime civic importance and of national and international significance.”
 
Dixon Jones / Paul Keogh Architects are the lead designers of a multi-disciplinary College Green team which includes Roughan & O’Donovan Consulting Engineers, Cathal Crimmins Conservation Architects, Paul Martin Landscape Designs and Rogerson Reddan Quantity Surveyors.
 
Paul Keogh, Lead Architect, said: “With Dublin City Council, we are aiming to create ‘Dublin’s living room’ – a place that is safe, adaptable and friendly for people of all ages, both for everyday social interaction and for major public events, comparable with world-class spaces of similar scale internationally”.
 

The IFI will be hosting a panel discussion on architecture, city planning and environmental policy following a screening of Matt Tyranauer’s new documentary Citizen Jane: Battle for the City Sunday May 7th at 16.00. Panellists will include Councillor Ciarán Cuffe, Dublin City Councillor for the North Inner City, Natalie de Róiste, City Organiser Jane’s Walk Dublin, town planner and architectural historian and Alan Mee, Lecturer in urban design, School of Architecture, planning and Environmental Policy, UCD.

The documentary chronicles journalist, author and activist Jane Jacobs as she wrote her seminal work, The Death and Life of Great American Cities in 1961. Jacobs helped to change the way we consider urban living; viewing cities as holistic networks of people functioning as distinct yet connected communities.

Tickets for the screening and panel discussion are on sale now at www.ifi.ie or by calling the IFI box office on 01-6793477.

Imagine College Green as Dublin’s most important Public Space. A Public Consultation Workshop regarding the design of a Civic Space at College Green.

16 November 2016

MANSION HOUSE Round Room

18.00 – 21.30hrs

Refreshments on arrival

Dublin City Council in association with the National Transport Authority and assisted by ‘Happenings’ will be hosting a public discussion workshop regarding the design of a Civic Plaza at College Green.

The aim is to convene a public forum where citizens, interested parties, focus groups and designers can identify and discuss the challenges and opportunities at College Green. The discussions will inform the brief for the designers to be appointed for College Green.

To attend the workshop please register at: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/open-call-imagine-college-green-with-dublin-city-council-tickets-28866359057

Background

The importance of College Green as a public space and place of assembly can be traced through the history of Dublin as far back as the original Viking settlement. It has continued to serve in this capacity to varying degrees throughout history. College Green as we know it was laid out by the Wide Street Commissioners in 1782, when it was decided to provide a wide and unobstructed route between Dublin Castle and the Parliament House (Bank of Ireland), which would be terminated by the grand façade of Trinity College. Before the work of the Wide Street Commissioners College Green provided the only large open paved space in the heart of the city where assemblies could take place.

The streetscape has been the subject of extensive change, particularly during the second half of the 20^th century. Early photographs and views of College Green depict a clean, uncluttered, open space with expansive views towards Trinity College and the Bank of Ireland. From the start of the 20^th century onwards, the space gradually became more cluttered, with the provision of bicycle parking, traffic control signage and signals. During the second half of the 20^th century the median islands were formed, at first providing parking for cars before being paved and planted for trees. Now they also contain the memorials to Henry Grattan and Thomas Davis.

College Green is enclosed by buildings of national and international importance, most notably the Bank of Ireland and Trinity College, and contains a number of sculptural monuments of artistic significance. The Bank of Ireland, formerly the Parliament House, is notably one of the earliest purpose-built parliament houses in the western world and represents a major episode in Palladian architecture. It was designed by Edward Lovett Pearce and was constructed from 1728 to 1739.  Between 1782 and 1784 James Gandon prepared 3 successive schemes for an extension and a new portico’d entrance to the House of Lords which were completed by 1789. Following the Act of Union in 1801, Francis Johnston designed the conversion of the Parliament Houses into the Bank buildings in 1803.

In recent years the quality of the public space at College Green has suffered from increasing traffic levels, overcrowded footpaths resulting in pedestrians navigating across fast moving traffic lanes. All of these issues impact negatively on the experience of people using the space.

Opportunity

An opportunity has been presented by the current LUAS Cross City works to fulfil the policy and objectives set out in the Dublin City Development Plan to upgrade College Green and to promote the creation of a new public realm space of prime civic importance at College Green. It is proposed to close the carriageway on Dame Street creating a large civic space in front of the Bank of Ireland, which will incorporate Foster Place South and the memorials to Henry Grattan and Thomas Davis.

The Design of a Civic Space

In considering the challenge that the design of a Civic Space at College Green poses, the issues to be raised and discussed at the Public Discussion Workshop on 16^th November 2016  will include:

– Historic context

– Existing monuments & art

– Pedestrian / cycling experience

– Public events

– Enlivenment – active, interesting place to be, temporary uses

– Night-time – experience, feel, quality, lighting, security

– Universal design – designed for all

– Greening & planting

– Seating – permanent & temporary

– Signage & information

Workshop

The Public Consultation event on November 16^th 2016 is your chance to influence the future of Dublin City Centre. The ideas and suggestions from this meeting will be presented to the chosen design team for the new College Green.

Register on Eventbrite – https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/open-call-imagine-college-green-with-dublin-city-council-tickets-28866359057

This report presents the key outcomes, findings and recommendations from the delivery of DCC Beta over 3.5 years.

Dublin City Council Beta is a live mechanism for trialling, assessing and implementing ways to improve the experience of life in the Capital.

DCC Beta uses Beta Projects to trial issues that the council is seeking to understand before implementation, and to provide us with a better way of listening to the people who make our Capital the great city that it is.

DCC Beta began as a City Architects ‘10% Innovation Time’ staff project in 2012 and later became a full City Architects project. In January 2015 was formalised at Dublin City Council corporate level.

For more information on DCC Beta, see www.dccbeta.ie

(‘Beta’ refers to something imperfect that is released early into the world for real-world testing and feedback.)

View of main library space and reference areas.

The first images of the design for the Parnell Square Cultural Quarter were presented as part of an update to Dublin City Council’s Culture Recreation & Amenity Strategic Policy Committee  last week. A selection of the images prepared by the design team led by Grafton Architects and Shaffrey Associates, working on behalf of the Parnell Square Foundation can be seen below.

Proposals include redevelopment of the public realm of Parnell Square North.

The project proposes development of a cluster of cultural facilities accommodated in a mix of new-build and renovated Georgina buildings, anchored by a City Library. Together with Dublin’s City Gallery, The Hugh Lane, which sits beside it, the facilities will create an important new destination in the city’s north Georgian core. The vision for the Parnell Square Cultural Quarter which gives the background to this project can be seen here.

A 200-seat conference facility is proposed for the top floor, adjacent to a courtyard roof garden.

Roof gardens are intended to give views out over Parnell Square and the city.

Reference and learning spaces are to be accommodated in the existing Georgian rooms.

A summary of the report by Margaret Hayes City Librarian can be seen on the Cultural Quarter website parnellsquare.ie. .

Framework is a new pilot project focused on community led regeneration of the built environment and we have launched an open call for participants for the end of March. Framework empowers communities to improve their built environment through an open, collaborative and systematic approach. It brings the public, policy makers, community and business leaders together to devise a vision and agree a framework for collective action. It’s delivered with the help of expert practitioners working on a voluntary basis.

The quality of our built environment affects our well-being and our community’s social and economic vitality. Problems such as dereliction, poor housing and amenities and lack of resilience to climate change undermine confidence and value in the immediate and wider area. Solutions need collective action and investment by many people and organisations. Solutions lie in connecting people to idea to action.

Framework is inspired by a successful initiative run by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) called the Design Assistance Team (DAT) programme. Framework introduces the Design Assistance programme to Ireland on a pilot basis to test how it can work in the Irish context.

The first step is an open call to find a community partner. Local community groups interested in participating should submit the brief application form here by 31st March 2016. We plan to make a selection for a partner group by 7th April.

We’re delighted that the DCC Beta project which has been developed and run by Shane Waring in City Architects Division over recent years is featuring as part of tonight’s Pecha Kucha event at the Sugar Club. It’s an opportunity to get an insight into how trialling and participation can work in developing new urban projects in the city.

During Dublin City Architects recent and ongoing research of The Aungier Estate we discovered what we believe to be one of the earliest surviving original 1893 Charles E. Goad’s Fire insurance plans of Dublin City centre.

The historic fire insurance plans were found right here in Dublin City Council Offices on Wood Quay.  The plans were entrusted to the councils Law Department after being salvaged from the basement in City Hall, which at the time was being cleared of its contents.

History of the Plans

Fire insurance policies first emerged in the late 1600’s in London as a result of the Great Fire of 1666. Wealthy merchants and the aristocracy took out government sponsored fire insurance policies to protect their properties and business ventures against the ever present threat of fire. By 1750, such policies became accessible to all classes who wanted to protect their homes and livelihoods. When the Industrial Revolution began to kick into high gear by 1780, fire insurance companies began looking for ways to protect themselves against costly losses by having a more clear record of what they were actually insuring. The result was the creation of the first fire insurance plans which detailed, street by street, the buildings present plus their construction materials and usage.

The fire insurance plans were also used as an invaluable tool for researchers, planners, architects and insurance adjusters. The fire insurance plans tell us a lot about the history of Dublin city. They show us what materials a building was constructed from and also other information such as size and location of individual buildings, access to water, land use, number of storeys, and routes to buildings, room arrangements, locations of doors & windows, thickness of walls, information on construction materials, type of roof and locations of combustible materials.

The Goad Company had a policy of only leasing the maps to insurance companies. The maps were then returned to Goad when updates were available; this happened on a regular basis. It is this updating, [last noted 1961] by means of gluing additional strips of paper on top of the original map and then updating the information [see image above] that makes this set of Fire insurance plans very rare and suggests that they are indeed one of the earliest original Charles E. Goad’s of Dublin City centre.

Future of the Plans

The Fire insurance plans are an important part of the Architectural record and insight into what the city of Dublin looked like in the mid nineteenth and late twentieth century. They also provide us with a valuable insight into the craft of map making during this time.  The Fire insurance plans are currently being scanned by the Survey and Mapping department in Dublin City Council. Once completed the original plans will be sent to the City Archive for appropriate conservation and archive storage.

Housing Regeneration – Ballymun, Dublin

Dublin City Council through City Architects has been building links with Singapore, a city that applies a strong design focus in urban development. City Architect Ali Grehan was invited to Singapore recently to see the impressive work being done by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and share insights about Dublin’s design approach. In addition to making a presentation to the Centre for Liveable Cities Ali did an interview for the URA’s publication Skyline, an edited version of which is published today and can be found here.

The full Q&A is below.

What is good design to you and what does that mean for cities?

Good design works for people, bad design works for itself – this is the most direct statement I can make about design. The distinction affects everything, but is manifested most intensively in cities, where there is a high degree of interdependency between people.

The design of cities is about our approach to place making; our governance systems and strategies. Design in cities is about how this approach is manifested in the quality of the built environment.

Cities hold the key to solving problems of our age – climate change, peak oil, inequitable distribution of resources. Managing urban growth is the development issue of our age. We need to see urbanisation as an opportunity, not a threat. We will all benefit – urban and rural communities – if we manage this growth by design. Ultimately, design connects cities and connected cities are more humane, attractive and competitive.

What does a great liveable and memorable city look like to you?
A great city for me is one that achieves excellence in the ordinary. Most places and buildings must work quietly and collectively as a backdrop or foil, providing a setting for those buildings that have legitimate call to be distinctive. My iconic and memorable city experiences are usually drawn from the routine. I think this is true for many people; we are rethinking the meaning of ‘iconic’ in place making.

Share with us some of the interesting projects you are working on right now.
Dublin is emerging very successfully from the economic crisis and development is happening again. The projects we are working on now were devised during the downturn, when we had to pause and look for new ways of funding and delivering critical infrastructure.

Parnell Square Cultural Quarter Artist’s Impression

One such project is the Parnell Square Cultural Quarter, which is being philanthropically funded by US Real Estate Investors Kennedy Wilson. Parnell Square is the oldest and finest of Dublin’s Georgian Squares, dating from 1757 and is the northern tip of what we call Dublin’s historic Civic Spine. The area around Parnell Square is also one of the most densely populated and culturally diverse parts of the city; however, it has fallen into decline and dereliction over recent decades. This intervention captures Parnell Square’s potential to be a catalyst for renewal within the historic city centre. The project is at detail design and consultation stage and has been embraced by the government as a flagship project to mark the centenary of Ireland’s independence.

Parnell Square Cultural Quarter project launch (l to r) Dublin City Architect Ali Grehan, Kennedy Wilson Europe director Peter Collins, and Dublin City Librarian  Margaret Hayes.

A larger project which is enormously significant for the city is the development of Dublin’s Docklands. Development here had stalled in 2008 but has been re-invigorated through the new Docklands Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) Planning scheme launched in May 2014. The SDZ covers an area of 22 hectares and provides for 2,600 new homes and 366,000 square metres of commercial space. It has already facilitated the fast tracking of development proposals – currently at the design stage – in excess of one billion euro in value.

Dublin Docklands

What are some of the crucial ingredients we need for creating people-friendly cities?
People-friendly cities are clear, generous, appropriately scaled, positive to context and well made. This statement describes place making criteria I devised for Dublin City Council’s Development Plan. An important criterion that we are anxious to promote is ‘generosity’; particularly generosity in the design of functional requirements thereby creating opportunities for enjoyment in use.

People-friendly cities are also inclusive places. Inclusivity and Universal Design principles should inform how we make our urban environment. Universal Design goes far beyond issues of physical access alone. In Dublin, the inclusiveness of the built environment is now enshrined in the thinking driving policy, new development and regeneration. For example, Dublin is the first capital city in the world to adopt a city-wide approach to becoming age-friendly and is implementing a five year plan to 2019 in collaboration with agencies representing the needs of older people.

Dublin House 2.0 Pilot Project

Making cities diverse and people-friendly yields social and economic benefits; a city that includes everyone is more vibrant and innovative, because innovation comes from difference.

How do you balance people choosing what they want, with planning for needs?
This must be the most difficult challenge facing City representatives and managers. It is very hard to reconcile short term demands with long term planning goals. Planning has to proceed on the basis of mutual trust and respect, which only develops if everyone believes that the issue is being described truthfully.

The designer has a very important role to play here in that designers can visualise and communicate issues and possible solutions in ways that are understood by all. It is remarkable how people will accept a solution once it is developed through meaningful consultation and explained clearly. We have had many experiences where controversial issues were accepted by the local community. A recent example is a flood defence project along Dublin Bay, which was initially rejected by the community but which is now progressing well after being redesigned in collaboration with local community members.

Dublin is ranked the 9th most bike friendly city in the world. What are some of the key strategies that have worked well for the city?
Dublin’s high ranking as a Bike Friendly city is largely due to the success of the Dublin Bikes scheme. This is a free public bike rental scheme introduced by Dublin City Council in 2009. The genesis of the programme was design led in that the first stations were located close to homes and work, not tourist destinations. This meant that the bikes were immediately useful for ordinary Dubliners and quickly became embedded in the life of the city.

Dublin Bikes, introduced by Dublin City Council in 2009

8 million trips have been taken to date; the scheme is so popular that it is expanding rapidly and has spawned independent apps to help people find available bikes and docking stations. We do have much more to do as a City in making the streets more cycle and pedestrian friendly but the success of the Dublin Bikes scheme has transformed people’s attitudes to cycling in Dublin.

How do we get everyone to understand and use shared spaces well? How do we develop a “successful public realm”?
Public space is the glue that holds the city together; it’s where the city and citizens meet. It can be a hotly contested space!

O’Connell Street Public Realm Works

A rule of thumb in developing a successful public realm is an understanding that all municipal departments have a contribution to make. This isn’t usually the case; the design and management of the public realm is often seen as a singular issue, primarily to do with roads and traffic or paving and landscaping. However, the quality of the buildings edging the public realm is just as important. In order to achieve a high quality public ream we must ‘consider places before buildings’ and we must adopt an interdisciplinary approach throughout.

There is a growing culture of participation and innovation in architecture and urban design for Dublin. How do you get people involved?
Dublin City Council has a strong tradition of public consultation in developing policy and capital programmes, for example, communities are actively involved in designing Housing Regeneration projects. In recent years, the City has established participatory platforms through which we engage with people and test new ideas.

Initiatives such as PIVOT Dublin, Designing Dublin, BETA and the Studio have helped us experiment and innovate; inspired interdisciplinary collaboration across all sectors; created strong networks; offered opportunities to celebrate design impact and translated idea to action through projects.

What are some of your impressions of Singapore’s architecture and city as a whole? Any interesting insights that may be relevant to Dublin?
Singapore is green! This was my first and very favourable impression of Singapore. Extensive and innovative urban greening is a huge advantage to a city as it helps make higher density living acceptable and more attractive. This is an important lesson for Dublin and other cities. I was also very impressed with the design of apartment buildings and the high standard of building maintenance.

What are some examples of costly mistakes cities make when they ignore design? How can Singapore avoid these?
City issues are dynamic and interdependent – a factor of scale and complexity and context. Design can help us understand the complexity, find appropriate solutions and avoid costly mistakes.

Our mistakes range from badly connected transport infrastructure to inadequate management systems for the huge number of apartment complexes built in the last few decades. These mistakes have one thing in common; they are borne out of decisions taken in isolation and for a single purpose. The fundamental value of design is that it is collaborative, holistic and based on evidence and understanding. You could say it is simply ‘joined-up’ thinking, much sought after but often absent.