Assignment 1:Interprating & understanding

the urban narrative

Ormond Quay (Upper & Lower)and Bachelors Walk

ARCT40020

Research and Innovation in the Designed EnvironmentRevisiting Dublin City Quays

Stephen Sheridan

11446638

5/10/2015

Introduction:-

All major cities have at their heart a major river. Paris has the Seine,London the Thames,Rome the Tiber and New York, has two the Hudson and the East river. Dublin’s very own heart is the river liffey, flowing majestically from west to east to the rising sun.

Economic Crisis of 1980’s:- In 1981 TK Whitaker, Secretary of Dept of Fi-nance noted that our national debt had multiplied eight times in the space of a few years,unem-ployment stood at 17.1% and some economists were suggesting that we should default on our national debt. In short the country was in a seri-ous financial crisis and recession at that time.

The origins of the plight facing the inner city went back to the 60’s and before. By 1960 the inner city was already in a deep malaise of decay and despair which had its roots in the nineteenth century. The poverty and deprovation of the inner city historically resulted in a sense of helplesness among its inhabitants. During the 60’s and 70’s the only way out for many people was to get out to the suburbs. Official policy in relation to public housing supported and rein-forced this exit. The inner city was experiencing a great imbalance and a proliferation of many derelict and abandoned buildings. Many of the quayside buildings displayed the same dilapi-dated state, some were only partly occupied and many more were abandoned,others had been demolished altogether. The owners of quayside buildings faced in addition an uncertain future caused by the threat of road widening, which could necessitate the demolition of at least part of their properties.

Response to the Crisis:-

In the mid 80’s ,there was a gradual realisation by the Goverment, Dublin Corporation,and the County Councils that a new approach was re-quired on many fronts to turn the fortunes of the city and the country around. In particular they realised that the mass exodus of people out of the city had to be reversed.

My Area of the Quays - OS Map today

My Area of the Quays - OS Map 1985

Lower Ormond Quay 1980’s

They acknowledged that they needed to act col-lectively and that a number of dedicated agen-cies would need to be put in place to drive new developments and new initiatives. Semi-state companies such as Temple Bar Properties and the Dublin Docklands Development Authority all contributed to a major rejuvination programme. Dublin City Council set up its own dedicated Inner City Development Committee and it was this body that approached the School of Architecture in UCD for suggestions on how the City Quays might be improved. The Gover-ment decided that the task facing the state was so immense and the economic circumstances so difficult that assistance would have to be sought from the private sector and in this regard a new range of generous tax incentives were intro-duced on foot of the 1986 Urban Renewal Act.

The Outcomes- in relation to Ormond Quay (Upper and Lower) and Bachelors Walk :-

This area of the quays share a common heritage in that they were the first quays to be developed by Sir Humphrey Jervis in 1674 following an intervention by the Duke of Ormond . The Duke’s suggested innovation of laying down a wide quay (60 feet) along the river instead of buildings became the blue print for all subsequent quay developments.

The outcome for Ormond Quays and Bachelors Walk in the context of urban renewal post 1980’s were very different. The Ormond Quays were identified by An Taisce in a submission to Dublin County Council in 1999 as being the best surviv-ing stretch of the historic Quayside. Bachelors Walk in contrast had largely undergone a com-plete redevelopment by that date.

The Ormond Quays had been the subject of much planning interest and provide a real exam-ple of one of the most exciting redevelopment projects of any along the Quays. Lower Ormond Quay’s Italian Quarter which links the Quay with Liffey Street is an impressive piece of elongated urban renewal ,which fits in perfectly with its old surroundings.

Upper Ormond Quay 1980’s

Lower Ormond Quay today - Boardwalk

Italian Quater today

The archway which is located about midway through the development is a classic Italian feature. Upper Ormond Quay has undergone substantial redevelopment particularly along its west side,office developments built in the mod-ern style give a new and refreshing aspect to the quay.The old Ormond Hotel remains however a serious blight on the streetscape, hopefully one of the interesting proposals of the UCD students might still be adopted for this area.

The redevelopment of Bachelors Walk is a com-plete contrast. A substantial part of this Quay was demolished and replaced with a residential development of mostly small one bedroom apart-ments. The development which dates from 1993 is a classic example of the uninspiring effect that a tax incentivised urban renewal scheme can have on an area. Unforuntately such schemes are focused on short term gains for developers and the investors. The key objective of such schemes being to maximise the number of units qualifying for tax relief at minimum cost. In ap-pearance the development is classic Georgian pastiche and while cleaning up a very delipadat-ed and derelict area, it will remain a testament to a lost opportunity for creative urban renewal .

UCD’s School of Architecture Project Proposals:-

UCD’s School of Architecture project focused on Ormond Quay Upper and Lower. The UCD proj-ect had as its core objective the consolidation of the existing urban pattern and avoid making any substantial alteration to the established streets-cape .It also sought to explore the possibilities of creating new residential accommodation within the largely existing run down commercial area. There were two plans for a single site in Upper Ormond Quay and individual plans for two sites in Lower Ormond Quay. All three sites presented different challenges requiring different solutions. The site in Upper Ormond Quay was a run down commercial site behind the existing Ormond Hotel. The students proposals were creative and consistant with their stated objectives.The facade of the old Ormond Hotel would be re-tained and restored while additional residential accommodation would be provided in a pleasant and friendly environment at the rear. One of the proposals for Lower Ormond Quay was a large scale elongated type intervention linking the

Ormond Hotel - Now derelict

Bachelors Walk Apartment Developments

Dublin City Quays Project - Ch.4 - Upper Ormond Q.

Quay with Bolton Street. Comparing this exciting proposal with the actual real outcome highlights the great opportunity that was missed on this occasion. Instead of an exciting new pedestrian-ised living inner city space with trees ,seating an art gallery and market square we have an unin-spiring street which provides access for cars to carparks .The final proposal is different again in that on this occasion the new development will in part fronting onto the riverside. Overall the pro-posals show that a flexible approach is required in dealing with redevelopment of a sensitive area like the city Quays.

Conclusion:-

The Quays remain Dublin’s widest, longest and potentially the most impressive urban space in the city. Dublin City Councils Development plans have since 1980 noted that the major physical problem on the Quays was the through traffic ,much but not all of which originates in the port area. Dublin’s Port Tunnel which cost 752 million euro to build was opened in December 2006. Lets hope that 2006 marked the beginning of the return of the inner city to its inhabitants at the expense of the motor vehicle.

Word Count - 1200

Essay Bibliography

1) Dublin Future, edited by Lorcan Sirr - Published The Liffey Press (2011)2) Dublin a Celebration ,by Pat Liddy- Pub-lished Dublin Corporation (2000)3) Dublin City Quays Project,UCD School of Architecture- Published UCD (1986)4) Dublin Corporation Dev Plans,Dublin Cor-poration- Published 1981,1991 and 1999.5) The Buildings of Ireland-Dublin,Christine Casey,Published Yale University Press (2005)6) Dublin 1930-1950,Joseph Brady- Pub-lished Four Courts Press (2014)7) David Jazay - Dublin Before the Tiger (1986)

Dublin City Quays Project - Ch.4 - Jervis St Development

Grattan Bridge and Ormond Quay - 1922

Same view of Grattan Bridge today

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