The highs and the lows
Densification doesn’t have to mean skyscrapers, but an extra storey or two across our major cities would make them more pleasant – and more efficient
AS new builds, some of which feature in the following pages, start to trickle onto the market, at least some of those eager to own their own home will have a chance to do so. But there is still a long way to go to meet demand, and experts say that we cannot rely solely on suburban and greenfield sites if we are to do so.
The name of the game now in terms of urban planning is densification. In some cases, this means building higher, but it is also possible to significantly increase densities in our towns and cities without constructing skyscrapers.
Whichever route our planners take, it’s clear that we need to get more people living in our city centres in order to ease the pressure on out-of-town housebuilding, improve the efficiency of public transport and boost quality of life across the board.
Michael Cleary, chartered surveyor with the planning and development professional group at the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland, says from a planning perspective, increasing densities and/or building higher is simply a more efficient use of land – and a necessity for other reasons too.
“Public transport nodes in most major towns and cities work best when they have a minimum number of potential passengers,” he says. “The way to do that is to have high rise and high density in appropriate locations.”
There are some moves towards the higher-rise approach in Dublin and elsewhere. The Capital Dock apartment scheme on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay will top out at 23 storeys. And there are plans – subject to permission – for a 30 to 40-storey building in Cork’s Docklands, some of which will be apartments. But there are still some fairly restrictive planning guidelines in place.
Under the Dublin City Development Plan (2016-2022), adopted late last year, there are 10 areas of the capital where permission can be granted for ‘mid-rise’ buildings of up to 50m in height. There are four areas where buildings above 50m are permitted: the Docklands, Connolly, Heuston and George’s Quay. The policy limits the remaining areas of the city to a maximum height of between 16m (three or four storeys) and 28m (about eight storeys), depending on location.
Architect Robin Mandal, a former president of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, is in favour of building up, with the caveat that it doesn’t damage the character of city centres or heritage areas. He says that, while Dublin City Council is doing what it can in terms of setting criteria for making decisions, there should be more flexibility and he would prefer six to eight floors to be the norm rather than the exception.
Cleary would also prefer a slightly less prescriptive plan; he says that, particularly in between the canals in Dublin, there needs to be a more case-by-case approach, as higher buildings may be suitable.
Historically, Ireland doesn’t have a track record of doing high rise well.
The best way to increase urban density is to have mid-rise buildings
“Some developments have worked, but others haven’t; there has been a perception that they are shoeboxes, and people are wary of that,” says Cleary.
“It has taken us a while to understand how to build these properly, but the will is there to make it happen, and that needs to be encouraged.”
Even if higher buildings were permitted, it’s not certain that developers would jump at the chance. Once a building exceeds six or seven storeys, the economics come into question as it becomes more onerous from a structural and fire point of view.
“Also, there has been, particularly for apartment construction, a requirement from local authorities that car parking is provided,” says Cleary.
“The cost of building a basement car park, which can be up to €70,000 per space, weighs down the economics of making it work. Yet if you walk around the city you will see basement car spaces lying idle, as people don’t always need them.”
And even apart from the car space issue, it can be difficult to make the figures add up on high-rise apartments in Dublin.
“In London, people will pay a premium the higher up you go,” says Cleary. “In Dublin, there’s a question as to how deep the market for this is. So while high rise makes sense from a planning point of view, it can be marginal economically.”
In short then, building higher is to be encouraged, but is not the answer to all our problems; the real issue is density. In Mandal’s opinion, the best way to increase urban density is to have mid-rise buildings rather than low or high.
“If you put in too much high rise, you’ll still need the same amount of private open space, and also be wary of overshadowing etc. The concerns about quality of life become more exaggerated the higher you go. But the idea that we should live in a city that is two or three storeys high is ridiculous, and a waste of land.”
It is somewhat counter-intuitive, but areas that are more densely populated often make for more pleasant and efficient envi- rons. Currently, the densest parts of Dublin city are among the most sought-after by residents; examples include Ranelagh, Rathmines and Donnybrook on the south side, and Glasnevin and Phibsborough on the north side.
“Densification is vital for a city and for the expectation of services,” says Mandal. “There is a magic number of how many people you need per hectare for everything to work. We don’t have that, except for in a few areas such as Rathmines, which well.”
According to Cleary, we could edge ourselves closer to a denser, higher-functioning capital city if we stopped clinging on to the six or seven-storey precedent we have set for ourselves.
“If you go from the quays back towards the Phoenix Park, the limit has been six or seven storeys. If you were to put another two storeys there it would significantly increase density without much interference to the skyline.”