Father Mathew Quay Torn Up

Father Mathew Quay is a road that is definitely closed. The tarmac has been torn up to be remade into something better, hopefully.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length25mm
ISO1000
Shutter speed1/500s

Night Shifts and Trailing Lights

Construction signs on Parnell Bridge in front of Cork City Hall were lit up by a passing bus a few nights ago.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7RM5
Focal length24mm
ISO50
Shutter speed6s

Trump Tower Construction by the River

Chicago in 2005 was a city in flux, and nowhere was that more obvious than at the Trump Tower construction site, right on the banks of the Chicago River. I was walking at the edge of the site and took a bunch of photos, some of which I’ve posted over the years.

What you see in front of you appears to be the open area next to the “new” tower. Over to the left is the Wrigley Building and looking at Google Street View gives a good view of what it looks like now, from across the river.

I haven’t been back to Chicago in twenty years. I’d love to see it again.


Apertureƒ/6.3
CameraCanon EOS 20D
Focal length18mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/100s

The Building of Opera Lane and Boots

A street-level view showing pedestrians walking past Le Chateau Bar, with its distinctive yellow wall mural and outdoor seating area. Behind the bar, the ongoing construction of the steel-framed building is visible, with construction cranes in the background against a blue sky.
A construction site on a rainy day in an urban setting, showing a steel frame structure being built behind blue construction barriers marked "BOWEN." In the foreground is a wet cobblestone street with green bollards, and to the left is a red-painted building with "Murphy's" signage.

You have to go all the way back to 2008 to see the building of Opera Lane., in Cork. Google Maps only goes back to 2009 on Patrick’s Street, where you can see some construction work, but Emmett Place isn’t covered until 2010 when construction had completed.

Turn around and there’s the modern site of Boots on the corner of Paul Street and Half Moon Street.


Apertureƒ/3.5
CameraCanon EOS 40D
Focal length10mm
ISO400
Shutter speed1/1000s

The demolition of Páirc Uí Chaoimh

The demolition of Pairc Ui Chaoimh

Parts of Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Blackrock are being demolished as part of the somewhat controversial redevelopment of the area. This Examiner article has some photos and a video of the stadium before demolition:

Pairc Ui Chaoimh 2 Jul 14

After


Aperture ƒ/8
Camera Canon EOS 6D
Focal length 70mm
ISO 125
Shutter speed 1/160s

Construction on Academy Street, Cork

Now there are gleaming store fronts on Academy Street, Cork but back in 2008 the old offices of the Irish Examiner and Evening Echo had just been demolished and work was under way on the skeleton of the new buildings.

Aperture ƒ/3.5
Camera Canon EOS 40D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 400
Shutter speed 1/4000s

One Albert Quay Development

Albert Quay will soon be the site of a glass fronted office block, either 7 stories or 9 stories high. Here are a few photos of the site as it was over the last month. Not much to see except rubble and machinery.

The well known front of the building will be coming down soon I’m sure, if it hasn’t already. Here’s the brochure the developer published for the site.

The Examiner article from last February is a good write up, and has this photo, I hope they don’t mind if I copy it here. I bet the article itself will be a 404 within a year or two..

exam201213AlbertQuay_large

Planners have given the green light for a €50m, nine-storey office block which could deliver up to 2,000 jobs for Cork city.

It is hoped that construction work on the 200,000 sq ft, hi-tech, riverside building on Albert Quay will begin within a month, creating up to 300 construction jobs.

Once complete in late 2015, Number 1 Albert Quay will have the capacity for 2,000 workers, with talks already under way with potential occupiers.

The project is one of the single largest private sector investments in the city in five years, and one of the largest office block developments in the city centre in decades.

The planning decision was heralded last night as a massive boost for the city centre, and for the city council’s docklands regeneration plan.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said the investment is a sign that Cork is “moving in the right direction and an attractive place for business.”

“High-end office development and significant demand for it will revitalise Cork city centre and provide an additional economic boost to the area,” he said.

Cork Chamber chief executive Conor Healy said as well as the boost from the construction jobs, the project would deliver a lasting benefit in terms of sustainable jobs.

“This project will give the whole city a economic lift,” he said.

And hopes are high that more building jobs are on the way with a decision due in May on the favoured location for a €50m conference centre — with one of the potential sites a few hundreds metres away.

BAM Contractors and John Clery Developments (JCD) will build the new, glass-fronted, office block on a prime riverside location near City Hall, in the shadow of the Elysian tower, facing the Clarion Hotel.

The development will consist of Grade A, large floor-plate office space with over 32,000 sq ft per floor — the type of office development the IDA says Irish city centres need more of.

BAM and JCD worked together on the largest office development built in Ireland during the recession — City Gate Park in Mahon — which is now home to companies such as EMC, Dell, RDJ solicitors and Fireye.

Last month, fire protection and security systems giant, Tyco, announced the creation of 500 jobs at a global business services centre which will be located in City Gate.

While JCD has refused to comment, it is understood that Tyco plans to locate a large chunk of these jobs to the new office block on Albert Quay.

However, JCD boss, John Clery, did confirm that negotiations are under way with a number of potential occupiers.

“Cork has a great track record in attracting multi- national companies and I believe that this building, which will accommodate up to 2,000 people, provides a unique opportunity to attract further investment with large floor-plate, world-class office facilities that major international and indigenous companies are looking for,” he said.

The offices will be built to the highest global standards with full LEED accreditation — the US gold standard for sustainability and use of the latest, efficient and sustainable technology.

Cork City Council last week approved plans to demolish remaining unused silos, warehouses and other buildings around the Odlums mill at nearby Kennedy Quay.

A major, mixed-use, docklands commercial scheme there was rejected by An Bord Pleanála in 2010, but the owners, a subsidiary company of IAWS milling group, say clearing the site is the first step towards its redevelopment.

Aperture ƒ/2.2
Camera GT-I9505
Focal length 4.2mm
ISO 50
Shutter speed 1/1300s

Construction on Academy Street

Back in 2008 Academy Street, Cork looked very different. The clothes shops and Opera Lane had yet to be built. If you stood in the same spot today all you’d see would be the shining façade of consumerism.

Aperture ƒ/3.5
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 800
Shutter speed 1/20s

Elysian Under Cover

The Elysian, as it was in March 2008, still under construction while the Irish Economy economy fell apart around it.

Aperture ƒ/9
Camera Canon EOS 20D
Focal length 10mm
ISO 100
Shutter speed 1/200s