Galway's Skyline - Disappointing?

KevR

Had an exam up on Level 3 of the new Killannin Stand in the Racecourse yesterday. There is a great view across the City from there.

I have to say though that I think the Galway Skyline is a bit disappointing. Apart from the telecommunications tower in Mervue, a few pylons and mobile phone masts, there isn't a whole lot to look at. You wouldn't be able to tell where the City Centre is from the Racecourse, unless you already knew its general direction.

I think it would be nice if we had a few tall-ish buildings in town so that the City Centre would stick out and Galway would have a nicer, more distinct skyline. I'm obviously not talking about anything on the scale of the Empire States Building or Burj Dubai, just something taller than what we already have so it would stick out.

I heard a while back that they were planning a 15 story building along with some 7 & 8 story buildings for the Ceannt Station Quarter. Not sure if this is true, but I for one would like to see it happening. I'm sure there will be others who won't want to see this.

This isn't a dig at the person who started the thread about the tall flodlight masts going up in Pearse Stadium, I was planning on starting this topic yesterday evening but didn't get a chance until today. While I don't really object to the flodlights, they're not necessarily the type of skyline I would like to see.

Just interested in what other people think about Galway's skyline and the tall-ish buildings that may or may not go up in town at some stage.

I didn't have time to be looking out in my exam!:(

Check out the view from the Eye cinema on a sunny day or a clear night. Very nice.

KevR

Deleted User wrote: »

I didn't have time to be looking out in my exam!:(

I was up there a few minutes early so had a good look out before my exam started. I didn't spend half my time during my exam looking out, honest.

biko

Maybe something like this?

Turning torso

Krieg

Deleted User wrote: »

Check out the view from the Eye cinema on a sunny day or a clear night. Very nice.

+1

JohnCleary

You failed your exam, didn't you? :pac:


Drive up to Tonybrucky mast or Circular Road - Think those places offer the best view of the city - looks great at night

KevR

JohnCleary wrote: »

You failed your exam, didn't you? :pac:


Drive up to Tonybrucky mast or Circular Road - Think those places offer the best view of the city - looks great at night

Hopefully I did enough to pass my exam, but i'll have to wait and see..

Yeah Circular Rd is really awesome at night with all the lights and stuff but I think it would be even better if there was a tall building or two that really stuck out (mainly in terms of its height, but also its design).

JohnCleary

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055438457

Sorted :pac:

PopeBuckfastXVI

View from circular road is allright, but extremely un-photogenic, electricity wires going the whole way along the road on the city side

Roof of M&S Carpark is ok for a view, got this one there:



You're right though, there's not many places to get a look at Galway, and even if you do there ain't much worth looking at.

galwayrush

There were plans for a 9 storey landmark building to replace the Spinnacer but it met with massive objection from residents and some councillers.
I know high rise would be totally wrong in the old city centre, but outside that. i don't see anything wrong with 8-10 stories high.The proposed docklands plan looks promising though , a modern medium high rise city centre towards the sea with the older city centre preserved / regenerated in medeival style,

cornbb

Galway does indeed have a disappointing skyline but I think the views of the bay from parts of the city and from Salthill more than compensate for it. Absolutely beautiful. The bay looks different every day. Seeing the sunrise from Salthill as I drove to work this morning set me up for the day. There are also great views from the apartments at the end of the Long Walk, you can see Claddagh, Salthill, and perhaps up as far as the cathederal.

nobodythere

I like skylines that aren't filled with big ugly buildings

leninbenjamin

grasshopa wrote: »

I like skylines that aren't filled with big ugly buildings

who says they have to be ugly?

in Ireland it seems we have an aversion to building up. hence mass sprawling estates everywhere. it's much easier to provide services and infrastructure to a densely populated city (one of the reasons broadband penetration is so low here, is that we are so dispersed that it doesn't become cost effective to upgrade the lines).

I really wish we had more high rise too

Bass Cadet

leninbenjamin wrote: »

I really wish we had more high rise too

Ya bring back the Rahoon towers. We've no place to keep the horses anymore

nobodythere

I don't see Ireland ever having a great architectural culture. Generally it's been "build it as cheap as possible and sell it for as much as you can get away with" so far. Some of the new housing estates that are being build (especially in Loughrea) are terrible looking, terraced houses all completely identical, no front gardens, hollow walls.

The only time Ireland ever builds a cool building is to promote tourism or some shite.

I wouldn't trust us to build high rise buildings.

leninbenjamin

grasshopa wrote: »

I don't see Ireland ever having a great architectural culture.

actually we've a pretty good architectural culture, well one that's significantly underrated at least. the problems lie primarily with the planning process; draconian and conservative laws (as well as political figures) have resulted in a process that makes it much easier to get permission for bland, generic and ugly buildings. Some of the best architectural designs i've ever seen for this country never made it past planning.

toiletduck

Whatever happened to that 13story building they were gonna build down Salthill?

I did not imagine it.

cornbb

I don't think tall buildings would suit Galway. Its got a very small-town feel with narrow streets etc, high buildings would not suit the character of the place I think. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have some beautiful landmark buildings though.

galwayrush

cornbb wrote: »

I don't think tall buildings would suit Galway. Its got a very small-town feel with narrow streets etc, high buildings would not suit the character of the place I think. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have some beautiful landmark buildings though.

We should start building up , but in certain areas, the docks and proposed reclaimation of land out to sea would be ideal. The old city centre should strictly remain low rise in keeping with it's charachter.

extraice

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58246254&posted=1#post58246254

Massive floodlights to line Galway skyline over Galway bay
take look at this post and this whats happen

galwayrush

extraice wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58246254&posted=1#post58246254

Massive floodlights to line Galway skyline over Galway bay
take look at this post and this whats happen

WTF
what exactly happened?

Alessandra

Not disappointing in the slightest. It reflects the lifestyle here. Galway is hardly a metropole and high rise buildings would detract from the character of the city. I like the blend of old and new throughout the city. In comparison to the larger cosmopolitan cities in Europe the lack of sky scrapers is refreshing. Character. charm and antiquity is what attracts many people here, not the architecture.