Irish Times: Tower of Darkness Editorial Review
Dublin‘s Tara Street Tower: A Monument to Developer-Led Planning?
Table of Contents
A controversial new build-to-rent tower on Tara Street, Dublin, has drawn sharp criticism for its design and materiality, with critics arguing it clashes with its surroundings and represents a problematic trend in urban development. The tower, part of a larger Marlet development, has faced scrutiny over its visual impact and its relationship with the historic cityscape.
Design Criticisms and Materiality Concerns
The design of the Tara Street tower has been a focal point of debate. Initial assessments highlighted a meaningful design flaw: the tower’s “design and materiality of the tower ‘contrasts negatively with that of the lower blocks’ on Marlet’s huge site.” Furthermore,its “horizontal emphasis … and lack of facade articulation provides an unsatisfactory response to its context.”
Though, a key challenge for the architects, Henry J Lyons, was to reconcile the build-to-rent tower’s design with the existing office block beneath it. Matching the “materiality” of the tower with the dark-terracotta frame of the office block, as mandated, inevitably led to a more “strident” skyline impact.
redesign and Response to planning Requests
in response to planning feedback, Henry J Lyons redesigned the tower in July 2020. The firm stated they had redesigned the tower “using the same materials, profiles and rhythm of the base building.” The redesign also aimed for a “strong vertical emphasis” through a frame of blue-black terracotta fins,mirroring the office floors below. This was reinforced by a “double order” expression, meaning horizontal profiles were introduced at every second floor.
Henry J Lyons defended the darker finish, claiming it would contrast with the lighter stone of historic buildings at Trinity College, allowing them to be “read independently and not to be confused with the backdrop.” This justification has been met with skepticism, with some questioning if it was merely “grasping at straws.”
A revised townscape assessment by the Paul Hogarth Company acknowledged that the tower would be “more noticeable” on the skyline and possess a ”heavier” presence when viewed along the Liffey quays.
planning permission and Subsequent Revisions
Despite these concerns, the board’s triumvirate unanimously granted permission for the development on September 14th, 2020, following two further meetings. The decision was to approve the project ”as superseded and/or amended by the plans and particulars submitted in response to the section 132 request,” with the order signed by Paul Hyde. This decision has been poetically, if grimly, described as a change akin to Yeats’s ”all changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born…”
Further revisions came in March 2022 when Dublin City Council approved marlet’s plan to add an extra floor. This increased the number of build-to-rent apartments from 54 to 58, including a considerable penthouse on the 21st floor. The tower’s overall height was consequently raised to 22 storeys, capped by a ”crown” that has been described as “peculiarly unresolved.” The prospect of this “high-rise luxury tenement” illuminated at night, with its uneven pattern of lit and unlit windows, is anticipated to be visually jarring.
A Symbol of Urban Development Concerns
The view from Lower O’Connell Street towards Burgh Quay,originally conceived as a cohesive composition by the Wide Streets Commission,has already suffered from decades of uncoordinated redevelopment,resembling an “urban-design equivalent of a dog’s dinner.” The addition of the Tara Street tower, with its “tower of darkness,” is seen by critics as the latest and most egregious example of this trend. It is feared that the tower will stand for decades as a stark reminder of “developer-led ‘planning’ in Dublin.”
The controversy surrounding the Tara Street tower highlights ongoing debates about urban planning, architectural integrity, and the balance between development and the preservation of a city’s historic character.