Tuesday 18 August 2009

Squares are cool at city's new venue

It's recycling on a whole new scale - shipping containers will be used to build a new public space beside the capital's O2 music venue.

The site - to be called the Parlour - will form part of the Point Village development near Dublin Port. It will be used to host free outdoor events - including concerts, theatre, céilis, political rallies and a weekly produce market. A giant screen to show movies and sports events will also feature.

Dublin City Council said that temporary planning permission of up to five years would be sought and that it was expected to be completed early next summer. The cost would be minimal.

"There's not going to be development there for some time in the current climate and the purpose of this is to animate a space that would otherwise be lying there unused" - said a council spokesman. "This is a huge opportunity with a new Luas terminating at the site and will give that whole side of the city a new space."

Architects LiD Architecture have won a design competition organised by Dublin City Council and entrepreneur Harry Crosbie, owner of the O2, which will see 116 shipping containers arranged in a giant square at the front of the venue and which will include a staging area.

"The Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, which chose the design from a number of submitted concepts, said the design showed high levels of flexibility, adaptability and toughness."

The Irish Independent

www.buckplanning.ie

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