THE controversial ban on one-off houses along the nation’s secondary roads is to be scrapped, the Irish Independent has learned.

But new developments, such as fast-food restaurants and giant warehouse-type retail outlets, are to be completely banned from motorway and dual-carriageway interchanges on the main primary network. Environment Minister John Gormley is proposing to give councils powers to allow one-off developments on main secondary roads under new planning guidelines.

The move is certain to be welcomed by Fianna Fail councillors and deputies who have vehemently opposed the ban — which has been supported by the Mr Gormley’s Green Party. The ban on fast-food restaurants and warehouse-type outlets from motorway and dual- carriageway interchanges is designed to stop the creation of unnecessary local traffic mixing with cars and trucks moving along the primary national road network.  Currently, there is a cordon sanitaire — or quarantine line — on developments on main primary and secondary routes.

The changes give new flexibility for one-off houses and other developments on secondary routes that are not going to be upgraded in the near future by the National Roads Authority (NRA). The new guidelines are due to be published shortly. They mean that shopping and other commercial developments will not be permitted at key interchanges, such as that at Blundlestown on the new M3, which runs through the Skryne valley in Co Meath. The NRA routinely objects to one-off houses along main roads because of the dangers involved in cars moving on to and off the roads interacting with fast-moving trucks and cars. However, the new guidelines giving the green light to housing and other developments will apply only to secondary roads that are not going to be upgraded.

Guidelines

It is expected that normal safety criteria for main secondary roads will apply and will not be affected by the changes. The ban on one-off houses on the main inter-urban primary routes will remain, due to those same safety concerns. The planning guidelines will be put out to public consultation, after which they will be finalised. Local authorities and An Bord Pleanala will then have to take account of the guidelines when deciding on planning applications and any objections to them. Another feature of the new guidelines is that developments already in place on motorway or dual-carriageway interchanges cannot be altered for other uses.  For instance, a retail shopping premises could not be turned into a fast-food outlet.

article ref: wwwbuckplanning.ie & Treacy Hogan -Irish Independent

Rockbrook Park School, Dublin

Paul O’Toole Architects has replaced old, sub-standard facilities at this school located in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains with a contemporary secondary school for 350 boys.

What was the biggest challenge with the project?
Combining the brief requirements within a tight budget. This required analytical discussions with the client, developing the brief specifics and winnowing out surplus or duplicated elements. It is always a satisfying achievement to bring a client’s, perhaps pre-conceived, ideas forward to a point where they’re surprised and contented with the result.

Is there something relating to the design that differs to similar educational buildings?
Rockbrook is a privately funded school but in the interests of providing the best possible solution, we adopted the Department of Education standards for teaching accommodation. However, not having the Department’s constraints allowed us to provide more generous circulation and more ancillary facilities. This is phase one of the school’s development programme. Vertical circulation, toilet accommodation and plant have been scaled to allow for the addition of a future wing of approximately 40% more floor area. We have recently also completed a sports changing pavilion for the school on an adjacent area of the grounds. This building is finished in the same materials as the new school block – which reinforces our aim to provide an integrated school campus that will develop over the years as the school’s needs grow and diversify.

click here to read entire interview

article ref: www.irishconstruction.com

New €500m Navan rail route confirmed

Irish Rail is to proceed with the necessary planning permission for the second phase of the Navan Rail line following the selection of the preferred route , it has been announced.

The preferred option for the €500m second phase of the Navan rail line has been confirmed following the assessement of two different routes by Iarnrod Éireann. Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey announced this week that ‘route A’ option past Dunshaughlin had been chosen for the rail extension.

Work is already underway on the €160m first phase of the rail link to Pace, near Clonee and Dunboyne and is on target to open in the autumn of next year.

click here to read entire article.

article ref: irishconstruction.com

Criminal Courts of Justice wins public choice award

Designed by Henry J Lyons Architects, the new criminal courts complex in next to the Phoenix Park has scooped the Public Choice Award at the 2010 Irish Architecture Awards

More than 9,000 votes were cast over the past two weeks, 20% of which went to the new courts development. The newly opened complex on Infirmary Road is among the most technologically advanced courts facilities in the world and also won the Best Accessible Project award. Situated on the corner of Parkgate Street and Infirmary Road, the complex contains 22 courtrooms of varying sizes.

The Athlone IT Engineering and Informatics Building won Best Educational Building while St Patrick’s Place, a mixed-use development in Cork, won the Best Sustainable Project award. Eddie Conroy, chair of the judging panel, said the jury was pleased with the broad range of submissions received this year, despite the economic downturn. “Domestic work, where the architect-client relationship is closest, was the most vigorous and innovative. Procurement regimes seemed to have a deadening effect on public projects particularly in the health and education sectors”.
RIAI director John Graby said: “It is gratifying that as the quality of the buildings produced every year continues to increase, so does public interest in good design, as we can see from the strong response to the Public Choice Award”.

click here to read entire article

article ref: planonline.ie

Well the best team of the tournament won and truely deserve all the credit. It’s going to be tough in the office for some time with Ferran our 3D Artist having all the bragging rights! And especially considering that it was a fellow Catalan that scored the goal!  – Deserving champions though especially in the way they continued to play football even though they took some kicking from the Dutch for the first 70minutes. Class always shines through!

Viva Espanol

All readers of this blog will recall a little while ago we posted an article regarding how 3rd Dimension value the work, effort and skill that goes into the production of 3D imagery and animation. You will also remember how we said that we would never enter into a ‘race for the bottom’ approach and that artists and studios who offer their services at unsustainable low levels were only doing harm to our much loved industry.

With this in mind along with our recent post here and on CG Architect looking for a 3D artist for our studio in Dublin this sentiment has NOT and will NOT change. Being contacted by overseas freelancers offering high quality 3D renderings and animations at prices as low as $250 is not only unbelievable but insulting to our industry & profession. When will freelancers and studios realise that this type of pricing structure is only doing damage to an industry that has been struggling for the past couple of years.  It should also be pointed out that offering these type of ridiculously low prices immediately flags a warning with recipients. As the saying goes……If it sounds to good to be true, it is or if you pay peanuts you get monkeys!

We have had recent experience of a number of projects that have been handed over to us following the commission of projects to individuals and studios offering such low cost services. Quality & services that have been promoted by such people and companies turn out to be false and misleading and only lead to complications.

Our advise to anyone that sends out such emails looking for companies like ours to outsource our work is to think long and hard about what damage you are doing to an industry that is extremely specialised. It may seem like a good marketing plan but it is a very short sighted approach and one that I have seen has caused the closure of many a studio……VALUE OUR INDUSTRY

Check out some of the imagery we have recently completed along with the movie we produced (shortened version) for the Private Residence in Florida – A whopping 25,000 sq feet!!

Here are just a few – check out the different sections on our site to view more and feel free to leave your C&C’s (providing they are nice of course!)