Dublin City Architects Blog

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"Well designed places, well designed homes, well designed public domains create value, respect, empathy between people."*

Dublin City Council is committed to using design to improve the attractiveness, liveability and sustainability of our built environment in its roles as planning authority, manager of public spaces and buildings and through its own construction projects.

Dublin City Architects is responsible for promoting design and providing architectural, urban and conservation design services to Dublin City Council. In doing this, we will:

  • Aim for Dublin’s citizens to enjoy the highest quality built environment; one that is clear, generous, appropriately scaled, positive to context, well made and which promotes access and inclusion.
  • Work to achieve excellence in the ordinary.
  • Consider places before buildings so that new developments contribute positively to public spaces.
  • Learn from the past in creating architecture that matches the quality and longevity of earlier periods.
  • Facilitate architecture that is contemporary, performs to the highest environmental standards, addresses climate change and is culturally cosmopolitan.

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06.02.2014CITY LIMITS – Event on 13th February 2014 at 6.00pm in the Wood Quay Venue

CITY LIMITS – Inventive Uses for Urban Spaces

Free Open-Invitation Event

18.00 -20.00pm Thursday February 13th 2014

Wood Quay Venue, Dublin City Council Civic Offices, Dublin 8.

Over 300 prime sites and a wealth of historic buildings within our nation’s capital are currently vacant or disused.

These neglected places undermine Dublin’s competitiveness and quality of life; becoming hotbeds of anti-social behaviour, detracting from the city’s aesthetic, and artificially inflating the cost of housing. With public and political pressure to use mounting, a government taskforce has been charged with examining the introduction of a levy on vacant lands, intended to prompt action from site owners. As these spaces come in to circulation once more, the challenge becomes how to match the best ideas in urban development with the most suitable spaces.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin Oisín Quinn will open an evening of discussion on potential solutions for vacant city spaces “City Limits – Inventive Uses for Urban Spaces” at Wood Quay Venue at 18.00 on Thursday February 13th.

According to the Lord Mayor, ‘taking a positive approach to vacant spaces in our capital city is as much a matter of national pride as it is about delivering quality of life and economic vibrancy.  The purpose of a vacant sites levy is to encourage owners to develop their sites or to improve the appearance through temporary uses or other measures. The scheme would be a success if this was the outcome and no revenue was generated for the City Council.’

This event is being organised by Cathal O’ Sullivan in association with Dublin City Council. Cathal O’ Sullivan is part of the team promoting the Allotment Homes project. Other initiatives to be discussed on the night will  include the proposed vacant sites levy,  DCC Arts Office creative spaces programme, Dublin House, Granby Park,  the Rediscovery Centre and Makers & Brothers pop up shops. If you have a project you’d like to discuss or are just interested in this area, please come along.

This free, open-invitation event will be followed by networking and drinks. Hope to see you there!

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