Two chess boards white or black hats?
What is College Green Plaza and Why It Matters
The development of the College Green Plaza is a debate that has been going on for quite a few years. The proposal was officially announced by the Dublin City Council in 2013 and it aims to pedestrianise the College Green area which lies between Trinity College Dublin and Church Lane. This idea is not a new one, but the design solutions required to solve certain complex issues require new innovation and relationships.
Why come up with the plaza at all?
With so many places in the city to choose from, one can’t help but wonder why College Green was picked as the spot for building a plaza.
One of the most important reasons is the historical significance of College Green. It was famous for being the ceremonial heart of the city, with a number of gatherings, protests and processions taking place there. Even today, the St Patrick’s Day Parade goes through that area. In 2011, the then-President of the United States, Barack Obama, addressed the crowd at College Green.
College Green was formerly called ‘Hoggen Green’ and the area was all grass. Today, however, the area is full of traffic; be it cars, buses, taxis, cyclists, or even pedestrians. This congested space right in the city centre has been degrading in air quality, one that does not meet the EU standards. Simply put, it can kill. The space is dangerous for pedestrians as there is not enough footpath space.
In the council's Public Realm Strategy 2012, called ‘Your City, Your Space’, College Green was identified as "potentially the most important civic space" in Dublin.
So, what options do we have for the College Green Plaza?
Right now, there are two design leaders: Dublin City Council’s refused design application, and the Celtcia group of flexible design options.
The Dublin City Council’s design is a plan to pedestrianise a smaller part of College Green with a 1700m2 primary plaza solution. Celtcia, on the other hand, offers 2350m2+ of flexible space while allowing cars and public transport in a variety of options, and faster pedestrian crossings.
Why do we need options? What does Celtcia offer that the Dublin City Council’s design does not?
If Dublin had a metro system, the solution would have been more simple. The design for Celtcia has been under works for more than 12 years; starting in 20086, this thoughtful masterpiece is based on a real love story. It is no doubt that in 112 years, this design has been able to consider, analyse, research, rework and incorporate features critical for the future of the College Green Plaza. Not only does Celtcia provide significant flexible design options, but it is also considerate of sustainable and essential features of the plaza. In 2012 it was submitted by the Green party to Dublin City Council as part of the Strategic Public Realm Strategy. This was also voted on by Dublin City Council in 2013 under motion 1261.
Celtcia is also focused on multiple aspects of life and appeals to people of all ages.
Transport
Being in the heart of the city, College Green demands convenient access to transportation. Be it for students studying in nearby universities (Trinity and the Dublin Business School), children playing in the new green patches of the plaza and playgrounds, party-goers looking to return home after a night out looking for a taxi, or the elderly enjoying a calm evening walk with disabled kerbs for the visually impaired. Transport is a matter of not only travel but also safety.
For cyclists, Celtcia would contain high quality, protected cycling lanes with up to 190 bicycle spaces (compared to the City Council’s design of 32 bicycle spaces)
There will be a Taxi rank in College Green, with a West-East Taxi access option
There will be a West-East bus access option
The design will be efficiently integrated with the Luas crossing.
Recreation:
Again, the city-centre is undoubtedly very, very happening. Celtcia offers a usable area of 2165m2+, with 185m2 being spaced out for fountains… that’s at least 758m2 more usable area than what the Dublin City Council’s design has to offer. Imagine this with a grass area of 200m2, a playground for children and chess boards; it is the perfect space for recreation for people of all ages.
Along with this, the presence of many sculptures and public art in the plaza and statues in the windows of the Bank of Ireland building will only beautify the place more. The statue of Thomas Davis would also remain in the primary area. Celtcia would successfully maintain the cultural identity while having the scope to become a unique tourist attraction. The option of Celtic tourism only makes this design more appealing.
Poetry and Public Speaking:
The freedom lookout is a carved public speaking platform where there could be spoken word competitions, bands and a photogenic vista lookout to climb. Stephen James Smith may even have a poem or two and bands and buskers could even perform on top of it on Sundays.
Celtcia’s Motivations?
Celtcia is based on a collective need rather than the individual need or limited architectural style or era. It started from a love story in Dublin Gardens in Dublin Castle. It has evolved into a desire for a more peaceful and quieter sanctuary. It imagined playgrounds instead of open air car parks while maintaining public transport options. Softer grass to balance hard surfaces. Celtcia wanted a world class place that locals and tourists alike would be attracted to. We wanted new experiences, moments and activities that are inclusive to different groups of people. We believed it was possible to maintain a deep respect for historical Dublin while introducing a new subtle future with more ambition which gives young people hope of a better future.
Compare the designs here: https://www.celtcia.com/numbers
We live in interesting times!
€3,000,000.00 Architectural Competition:
Celtcia has announced a three part architectural design competition regarding College Green in Dublin, Ireland. To ensure the best architectural outcomes are achieved Celtcia are offering generous competition to try and find the best result for one of the most important architecture and urban design set pieces in history.
Email one A3 page at 150dpi of your design to competition@celtcia.com. Include your name and contact details in the email. Entries must be received prior to the 17th of March 2016 1:00am St Patrick's day. Three entries will be shortlisted. This shortlist will be labelled “trinity”.
a) Entries that are shortlisted will be offered a surprise one way ticket to a destination in Europe.
b) If any entrants can successfully license their or celtcia’s designs exclusively to celtcia.com in the next 12 months with a successful and funded business case. Celtica will award €3,000,000.00 from this case to the winner.
c) For every time you blog/messageboard/facebook or get press or media you will receive one bonus point. The keywords are luas cross city, college green, bus gate , 2016, Dublin City Council, Architecture, Design, Urban Design, Public Space, Proposed Part VIII Application , Christopher Manzira, Senior Executive Engineer, Roads & Traffic Planning, Cuffe , lmcgrath@dublininquirer.com
In 2009 Celtcia released a photo montage of College Green. 2 years later President Barrack Obama and his First Lady visited Ireland and spoke in the middle of this design concept. This competition is open to the public.
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a civic space that we can be proud of as a national civic space,” said Cuffe. “We’ve got to get it right.”
Links:
http://dublininquirer.com/2015/11/11/council-examines-plans-to-transform-college-green/
http://www.ciarancuffe.com/cllr-cuffe-welcomes-plan-for-college-green/
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1639844