Home > Journal > Issue Nine > ESB on Lower Fitzwilliam Street

ESB on Lower Fitzwilliam Street - Cathal O'Neill
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

The planning of the new building was reasonably straightforward although the quantity and variety of room sizes and their interrelationships was tedious and the alignment of the links to the retained buildings required endless readjustment to obtain a perfect fit. However, the real challenge in the competition was to make a new fa�ade within this unique stretch of Dublin townhouses running from Holles Street to Leeson Street, a distance of one kilometre. The basic element is the standard tall narrow townhouse which is repeated throughout the entire length of the street. At midday the sun shines almost directly down Fitzwilliam Street which sparkles with colour and the reflections from the window reveals. I interpreted this as having a grid-like character with a dimension of about 1.5 meters (or roughly equal to both the width of the windows and the space between). The dominant feature of the buildings when seen in perspective is the strong vertical pattern conveyed by a combination of the windows, their reveals and the narrow band of brickwork between.

Consequently, I rejected a pastiche solution and instead looked at the possible use of stone in the manner of Iveagh House in St Stephen's Green or Charlemont House (The Municipal Gallery), Parnell Square, but I concluded that in this case the insertion of such an extensive area of stone within the brick terrace would upset the balance of the street.

Finally I decided that the critical issue of colour and form could best be resolved by using a bronze and glass curtain wall which would create a chromatic consistency. The proposed elevation was composed of a regular pattern of projecting mullions to the full height of the fa�ade at centres approximating the window width. The intention was to capture the function and effect of the existing plaster reveals which reflect light into the deep plans and give the long vista of the street a dominant vertical emphasis. The bronze colour would be carefully selected to ensure that its lifelong patination would harmonise with the subtle variation of the brickwork. I consulted with a Birmingham firm who specialised in the manufacture of bronze and had a palette of hues and extensive experience in controlling the change of colour with passing years. Although bronze had been used in Dublin in the Bus Aras I had not appreciated its full potential until I saw the Seagram building which was completed in 1958.

The window glazing also plays an important role in the street. The vertically sliding sashes ensure that glass is in a constant plane and does not intrude into the space or interrupt the sheer face of the buildings. I choose fixed glazing with bronze grilles integrated with the spandrels to provide controlled ventilation to the offices, arguing that open windows would induce unacceptable levels of traffic noise (Fig: Detail Section).

The competition results were announced within a month. There were about 80 entries equally divided between Britain and Ireland, with first prize going to Arthur Gibney and Sam Stephenson whose design was virtually identical to the present building. I was awarded second prize, a cheque for �800, (equivalent to about EUR30,000 today) and Frank Barry, who entered a Georgian reproduction design, got the third prize. It was remarked at the prize giving that the prize winners had each won the RIAI Travelling Scholarship in four successive years in the 1950s.