Seán Harrington Architects » Meeting House Square

The Secret Garden under the umbrellas

Seán Harrington — Mon, 12 May 2014 16:40:24 +0000

There have been many wonderful events held under the umbrellas in Meeting House Square. One of our favourites is the recent Secret Garden pop-up restaurant, which was a huge success, being booked out every day while it was on. Lets hope they come back next year!
For info, check out;
www.independent.ie/lifestyle/food-drink/secret-garden-is-a-foodie-fairytale-30255863.html,
and for a cool movie on how it was all put together, see;
http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/SID-DDF7DCB6-E1ECB11C/www_lidl_ie/hs.xsl/4083.htm

If you would like to rent out this unique location for your own event, talk to Temple Bar Cultural Trust at;
http://www.meetinghousesquare.ie/

The post The Secret Garden under the umbrellas appeared first on Seán Harrington Architects.

The City Vineyard

Ryan Gillespie — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 12:10:47 +0000

If you have seen our previous ‘News from the Square’ post, you will no doubt be aware of the recent ‘City Vineyard’ intervention by Mc Guigan Wines of Australia. The week long event undoubtedly captured the imagination of anyone that happened across it, and for those of you that may have missed it, Mc Guigan Wines have created a video of the event highlights. Enjoy.

The post The City Vineyard appeared first on Seán Harrington Architects.

News from the Square

Ryan Gillespie — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 08:01:51 +0000

Over the past week there has been the most extraordinary sight under the umbrellas in Meeting House Square; a real vineyard – dozens and dozens of 70-year-old, grape-laden vines, set in rows, between grassy paths.It was set up by McGuigan’s Wines from Australia to promote their produce, and was open to the public (at least those over 18) for four days, for free wine-tasting. The Aussie vintners hosted private functions under the floodlit canopies in the evenings, concluding with a cool wrap-party on Saturday that included a screening of the very un-macho Australian film ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’.The vineyard was created by Paul Holmes of TDS Exhibition Design, and beautifully made by Neil Smith of Avant Gardens in a day and a half. The vines came to the square in big pots, which were put in holes, in lines, in a 300mm high wooden platform covering the square. Lightweight trellises were made out of wire and narrow bamboo, the branches trained along them, encouraging the stems to twine, reaching 4 feet in each direction, to intermingle with neighbouring vines.

Big bunches of ripe but bitter grapes hung down, tempting visitors to pick and taste, at their peril. Soft brown mulch and bark was laid around and between trunks, and grass turf rolled out between the rows to make paths.The umbrella masts emerged comfortably from the rows, like trees. As they discovered this treasure in the secluded square, unsuspecting passers-by were visibly gobsmacked. In the mornings, even the fresh green smell of the vines was overwhelming, and an incredible and welcome surprise in the city.It seemed that even the weather had been transported from down-under, as the city vineyard coincided with the best week’s weather of the year, and the umbrellas provided, unbelievably, a welcome shade from the baking sun.

The garden of grape vines was dismantled as efficiently as it was constructed, and the square was quickly transformed into a stage for the Fringe Festival, complete with lighting and trapeze rigging. It’s great that Eden Restaurant has inherited a complete row of the vines to replace its dull terrace barriers, and they are a lovely and permanent reminder of the city vineyard.

We were thrilled this week to hear that the umbrellas in the square have been awarded the “Environment Initiative Winner (South East area) 2012″. This is well deserved recognition for the incredibly creative and ambitious curatorial role Temple Bar Cultural Trust has played. Under the irrepressible day-to-day management by Lynsey NiRainaill, the square has hosted over 50 events under the canopies this year, as well as the usual Saturday food markets. These have included opera, film, launch parties, a volunteering fair, ballroom dancing, and the most brilliant Valentine’s night event, complete with 50 couples cavorting on bean bags, half-watching Ingrid and Humphrey Casablanca-ing on the big screen – all outside, in February!So what’s next? – an Olympic handball tournament, we hear “through the grapevine”.

Check out; http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/temple-bars-giant-umbrellas-wins-award-592762-Sep2012/

The post News from the Square appeared first on Seán Harrington Architects.

Public Space and Street Feast

Ryan Gillespie — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:14:00 +0000

As a citizen first and as an architect second, I’m really interested in what exactly is “public space”, what is it for, and just how does it work best.

So, what is it?

Public space is all around us – it’s our streets, squares and parks. It’s even our roads and bridges. It’s open space that is owned by us, the citizens, and usually managed by the local authority – in the case of Dublin, Dublin City Council. It’s free to use, we cannot be thrown out of it, except perhaps into jail for breaking the law. We usually use it to get from A to B, and also to see and to be seen in. We can use it to celebrate and party in (like at New Year and St Patrick’s Day), protest and march in. Most importantly, it’s where we meet people, by accident or arrangement, and get to know our neighbours in a common, neutral location where we are all welcome, comfortable and don’t need permission to be in. We should feel safe there, and it should be clean, well-designed and we should look after and treasure it. It’s where we are citizens, where we participate in and contribute to our community and our society.

Why is it important?

Public Space should have an important role in helping to shape the kind of society we want to live in. I believe that one of the most important responsibilities of us all is to make life better and fairer, for all. In short, by making a better society. This can be by making artistic, social or practical contributions, or the promotion of fairness and opportunity for all. Perhaps primarily, the physical and mental well being of us all is dependent on our full participation in society, on having access to power and the opportunity to help shape decision-making.

For social cohesion and a healthy society, we must all be heard, and valued. We must feel part of the community. Public space, urban civic virtue and citizenship are inextricably linked. The public domain of our towns and cities is both a physical barometer of, and a canvas for participation and belonging. Public space should feel like it belongs to all, not oppressively controlled (even in a passive manner) by vested interests like governments or their agents acting on behalf of the “majority” or the status quo, powerful lobby groups such as private car users or even the insurance industry.

The current austerity crisis has been brought about by the failure of the political and financial elites, to whom we had handed over decision-making in the form of parliamentary democracy and global capitalism. All over the world, new forms of more direct democracy, participation and public expression are developing, often facilitated by social media, and physically focusing on public space as a forum for the expression of ideas. This can happen in Ireland too.

Does it belong to us?

Compared to many other countries, in Ireland we have a poorly developed sense of the communal, and democracy in its widest sense, and by extension, an undeveloped attitude to public space. We frequently consider it to belong to an outside authority, (perhaps an outdated hangover from our occupied past) rather than it being ours to use, cherish and value. To a certain extent we allow others to control and regulate both it and us, through poor design and management that excludes the already marginalised including teenagers, the homeless and the disabled. Fear of insurance claims also inhibits many activities. We also have to cope with a wet and unpredictable climate, which can make using or feeling comfortable in outdoor spaces difficult, compared to our Mediterranean neighbours. Historically, this has sometimes forced public activities indoors into privately owned and controlled public houses, excluding the young and associating social togetherness exclusively with alcohol. This has got to change. There must be active ownership of outdoor public space. The Irish weather can also be dealt with, as we have just done with the giant umbrellas in Temple Bar, or in Turin, where most of the pavements in the city centre are covered by stone arcades.

What makes public space work well?

For over 30 years I have studied and observed what makes a public space work and how people have adapted ‘public space’ for their own and community benefits, both in Dublin and further a field. Of course there are design issues, but central to all success is to engender the feeling that the space really does belong to us all; to democratise it.

So how can we change our attitudes? Well, by just reclaiming it as ours! By actually doing things in it we can change our mind set. By focusing on activities in it, or by “centering”. Probably the best, most popular and most accessible focus is food, or having a “street feast”. Sitting down, enjoying the fare, the chat, the craic, being there for a reason, after a while loosing the feeling of conspicuousness, then moving on to a feeling of being comfortable in the street, then feeling a sense of pride, of belonging, of ownership – reclaiming what was already yours- reclaiming the street. A long outdoor table covered in a tablecloth and decorations, with great food and drink, surrounded by your neighbours and friends might not seem revolutionary, but it is. Bring on the Street Feast!

Seán Harrington, June 2012

SHA in support of Street Feast

Check out www.streetfeast.ie

The post Public Space and Street Feast appeared first on Seán Harrington Architects.

Meeting House Square Rainscreen goes international

Ryan Gillespie — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:49:25 +0000

The Meeting House Square Umbrellas have recently been featured in 2 renowned German Architecture publications, ‘Deutsches Architektenblatt’ and ‘German-Architects’. If you’re a German speaker (or reader), follow the links below for more information.

http://dabonline.de/2012/05/01/dublins-%E2%80%9Eumbrella-project%E2%80%9C/

http://www.german-architects.com/de/projekte/product_focus_preview/35400

Also, and closer to home, the umbrellas have just been featured in an advertisement for Ballygowan Natural Mineral Water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODFt-Gja3VE

If you have checked out all of the above and are still hungry for more information, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to answer your queries.

The post Meeting House Square Rainscreen goes international appeared first on Seán Harrington Architects.

Innovative Design for Irish Skies: Dublin’s Outdoor, Indoor Space

Ryan Gillespie — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:10:08 +0000

There is a saying in Ireland that you can have ‘four seasons in one day’ – from warm spring sunshine to intense summer light, and from lively autumn gales to a sudden wintry shower. Because Irish skies are constantly changing, the Irish firm of Seán Harrington Architects was commissioned to design an innovative solution to provide a convertible weather covering over a popular public square in Dublin’s Temple Bar area, the main tourist quarter of the city.

The landmark ‘Umbrella Project’ was recently installed in Dublin’s trendy Temple Bar area by German manufacturer MDT-Tex, a world market leader and innovator in outdoor coverings. The four umbrellas were on a four-day journey from Germany, where they were engineered and manufactured. The bespoke design comprises of a 21-metre high steel structure, which supports an asymmetric tilted umbrella, measuring approximately 11-metres by 14-metres. The closed umbrellas are elegant slim objects of sculptural beauty, with the canopy fabric encapsulated by the umbrella arms, inspired by bulrushes, reaching for the sky. Opening within approximately 7 minutes, the four umbrellas overlap like flowers to provide a continuous cover for Meeting House Square, the heart of outdoor cultural activity in Dublin. Floodlit from above through the translucent Teflon fabric, the square can be atmospherically lit in different colour moods. Audio speakers as well as water and electricity supplies are incorporated for maximum usability.

The €2.4 million project was commissioned by Temple Bar Cultural Trust (TBCT) and funded by the Irish Tourist Board, following a public competition, to mark the 20th anniversary of the urban regeneration of Temple Bar, which has won many European awards. Meeting House Square is Dublin’s most important public cultural square, hosting a wide-range of outdoor events from organic food markets to open-air theatre, popular film screenings and concerts. In the past, events were (Irish) weather dependent and often subject to cancellation.

Commenting on the design of the Umbrella Project, Dermot McLaughlin, Chief Executive Officer of TBCT said: “Our design objective was to retain the sense of openness and exterior space that characterises Meeting House Square. The structure of the umbrellas was required to harmonize with the existing modern architecture and we are delighted to add Seán Harrington Architects to the list of distinguished architects whose work has defined Meeting House Square.”

Seán Harrington remarked “Working in close harmony with our German partners MDT, and with solid support from our client, together we have produced an innovative, unique, ambitious, and beautifully engineered solution that will help fulfill the great potential of this city square, and make it “weather-proof”!

Dick Gleeson, Chief Planner of Dublin City Council praised the project: “The wonderful new sculptural columns and dream catcher rainscreen raise the spirit of the City and embody Dublin’s commitment to innovation and to be a prototyping and trialing city”

“Convertible” Meeting House Square is now open for business and pleasure!

To organise events; www.meetinghousesquare.ie

Also; www.mdt-tex.com, www.sha.ie

The post Innovative Design for Irish Skies: Dublin’s Outdoor, Indoor Space appeared first on Seán Harrington Architects.