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IN A SPEECH last month, Britain’s transport minister John Hayes called for a wave building to replace brutalist architecture across the nation.
Hayes called the style, which was popular from the 50s to 70s, “aesthetically worthless” and a “cult of ugliness”.
The post-war style is named after the French word “brut”, in reference to the raw concrete that figured boldly in its designs. While it is strictly a movement of architecture, it has taken on more of a catch-all connotation for the functional, concrete-leaning architecture of the 1960s.
Having been popular in the UK, it influenced many of the most important buildings in Dublin.
But, should Dublin wage war on its icons? With plans already underway to modernise the ESB headquarters on Fitzwilliam Street, is time to modernise other buildings?
For Joseph Little, assistant head of the School of Architecture at DIT, it’s not about the style of architecture – it’s about individual building design and city planning.
“There’s a difference between Brutalist buildings and brutal buildings – ones that are harsh and unappealing.
“Busaras is a superb example of architecture. It belongs to early modern architecture and because we weren’t in World War II, Michael Scott was able to create something special.
“If people don’t like it, that’s fine – that’s your palette. But many architects like it. It has a lot of different materials and details at every different scale.”
Hayes says that the commonly thought of examples of brutalism in Dublin – Central Bank, the ESB headquarters on Fitzwilliam Street – are more inspired by the style than true examples of it abut says other examples are less successful.
“I think Dublin Council is poor architecture. Especially if you compare it with Central Bank, which is a pompous, self-important building – a cathedral to finance in many ways.
“It’s a very appropriate building – there’s a very interesting connection between building and its use.”
Hayes says that how Ireland has learned a lot from buildings which went up in the 60s and 70s about their relationship with their surroundings. Particularly from the ESB headquarters, which saw Georgian houses replaced by a concrete office building.
“The ESB is an interpretation of a Georgian streetscape and wasn’t successful. We’ve learnt a lot more about integrating new buildings with the older buildings around it. There is a building on Dublin’s quays, home to IBAT college – what it replaced was appalling but they stripped it down to the concrete frame and put a new skin on it. It’s more in tune with its surroundings and a very successful building.”
As for whether to go to “war” on our older buildings, Hayes says that’s not really the issue.
“When these buildings were put up, there was probably the want for cheaper and quicker buildings. And that’s what these buildings did. They were a very mechanistic response unsympathetic to the human condition.
“But it’s important to look at energy, cultural engagement, safety and heritage on the streetscape rather than just architectural style.”
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I wonder would it Pass an NCT
Why it won’t be comming here….?might as well ask if its taxed
Would you really want the guys in NCT test centres putting it up on ramp
The test does not harm a car.the worst is the engine been reved highly for the emissions apart from that the test is a doddle a bit of a shake while they test the links/joints/bushes/shocks etc.
Doubt it would have to do a NCT it would be a vintage by now.
@henry,that’s right anything pre 1980 is test exempt and 52e to tax.I bring in the odd classic from the UK.easy to find a decent one and they require all vehicles to have a mot so road worthy and peace of mind its good.its a very very cheap way of having a second vehicle
Funny how it looks like the car Homer Simpsons designed.
The Homer!
It was going for only 2 million til they found a pair of Catwoman’s knickers under the passenger seat.
Holy handbags that’s alot of wonga ..poow dang wallop
I hear some joker bought it
Yeah he was two faced though
Speed bumps will be the bane of his existence now…
I see what u did there :p
Who didn’t love this car as a kid?! In fairness my favourite batmobile was the one Michael Keaton drove.
He bought it for a dollar and spent 9k dollars doing it up. Tidy profit.
According to the Independent George Barris had a mere 15 days and $15,000 to transform the vehicle into what it was. Also peculiarly the indpendent originally today said that the buyer was a 56 year old Mr Champagne revealed through Reuters, but later say that the winning bidder had not been disclosed! Odd
That’s not the original car! The original car was black with a kinda greyish whietish pinstripe. I saw it on tv when I was about 6 or 7.
That must be the one they used in the movie. That one had the orange stripe ok.
I read up about this a few years ago – apparently it was the same car but the paint job was originally a lot less dramatic, more matt-black, they repainted it the glossy block and red early on so as to look more impressive. Or so I read then…
Nikolas , I bow to your knowledge but I was really alluding to the fact that we only had monochrome TV when I was seven! But seriously though when I went to see Batman the movie I couldn’t get over the colours of things that I knew so well from the TV series. The orange stripe, the blue tinge to the batcape (which meant that the one my gran made for me wasn’t as authentic as I thought :( )
Well Bruce Wayne was stuck for a few bob seeing as Catwoman got his prints who then gave them to your man who gave them to Bane who made a mess in the stock exchange. I saw it in a movie so it must be true…
Holy nama batman
Holy God Robin!
Hold on one sec,so a car ten years old needs an annual nct but a car 30 years old cause its “vintage” doesnt?have I understood that correctly?
Yes
That can’t be right,so I can buy a banger from 1970 or so that’s falling to bits without an nct but my 99 bora needs an nct to be roadworthy?ah here leaaaavvvee irrrrrr ouhhhhh,that nct is a scam pure and simple
You’ll probably find it’s cheaper to run a 99 car than one from 1970, even with the NCT, when you consider the cost and rarity of replacement parts and how unreliable such an old car would be. But you’d have the satisfaction of laughing at the rest if us who fell for the scam.
There were eight of them I think, and three still survive. This must be one of the three.
That the first one nikolas
Is it? They made the body of the car by adapting the Futura, then made a mold of the body and created eight fibre-glass bodies, and then cars. They tended to get wrecked during filming. They all can be justifiably called original. It’s a lovely idea that there was “one” batmobile, but it’d be almost impossible to prove that this is the “original” original, given that all 8 were made from and repaired with stock parts and empty paint cans that were lying around the workshop.
Holy utility belt
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