DLR Lexicon

Coordinates: 53°17′35″N 6°07′56″W / 53.2930°N 6.1321°W[1] DLR Lexicon, branded as dlr LexIcon, is a building in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, housing the main public library and cultural centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council (DLR CC). It has attracted controversy, with opponents critical of its massive façade and its €36.6m cost at a time of austerity in Ireland, and supporters praising its interior, usability, and environmentally responsible construction.[2][3][4]

Construction

The 2004-10 DLR CC development plan included a new library and cultural centre as part of its urban regeneration scheme.[5] It stated:[6]

The need for specialised and centralised services in a Europe of the Regions setting will be promoted through the development of a Europe of the Regions Centre of Literature and Culture, which will be both a local and European focal point for literature, culture, and related co-operative activity.

The site chosen was Moran Park, a partially derelict public park with bowling green, running perpendicular to the coastline down an escarpment.[5][2] The site was chosen because it was already owned by DLR CC and would link The Metals (Queens Road) on the busy seafront to the north with George's Street, Dún Laoghaire's main shopping street, to the south.[3][5][2] Carr Cotter & Naessens, with a design by David Naessens, won the architecture competition in November 2007.[2] In May 2009 DLR CC launched the public consultation required under Part 8 of the Planning & Development Regulations;[7][8] a special development review meeting in November 2009 approved the plan by 22 votes to 3, rejecting Richard Boyd Barrett's proposal to locate the library on Carlisle Pier.[9][2] Sisk Group won the request for tender and began construction in April 2012.[10][2][5] Thirteen 40-tonne concrete rafters constructed in County Offaly were each brought on site in a single night.[5] The building was opened to the public for preview on Culture Night (19 September 2014) and Open House Dublin (19 October 2014[11]) and will open for general use on 8 December 2014.[3]

Facilities

DLR Lexicon is structured in vertical layers, from a staff basement to a peak 29 metres above street level.[3][2] It includes adult, children's, and audiovisual lending libraries with 24-hour automated teller machines for lending and returns; general and local history reference libraries; archives, and library administration offices.[12] There are large open spaces, smaller reading rooms, meeting rooms, an art gallery and workshop, and a performance space and auditorium.[5] A café opening on to a terrace will be operated by a tenant yet to be chosen.[3][4]

References

  1. ↑ "dlr LexIcon". dlr Libraries. DLR CC. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Flaherty, Rachel (14 July 2014). "Dún Laoghaire council architect ‘surprised’ at criticism of new library". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 McDonald, Frank (8 November 2014). "Why I love Dún Laoghaire library". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Barry, Aoife (19 July 2014). "This could be Ireland’s library of the future – but why the controversy?". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Murphy, Marcella (1 September 2014). "Dún Laoghaire’s new Central Library – the DLR Lexicon". The Engineers Journal. Engineers Ireland. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  6. ↑ "Chapter 8 — Community" (PDF). County Development Plan. DLR CC. 2004. p. 110, § 8.4.1. Archived from the original on 17 February 2005. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "Minutes of the Dún Laoghaire Housing, Water & Waste, Economic Development & Community and Environment & Culture Area Committee Meeting". DLR CC. 25 May 2009. pp. DLWEHE/244/09. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "Part 8 Schemes". DLR CC. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "Page 242 17.6 SLO 18 - Moran Park Library". Minutes of Special Meeting of County Council held in the Council Chamber, County Hall, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin on Wednesday 18th November 2009 4.00 pm. DLR CC. pp. 159–161. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Construction Approved: Dun Laoghaire County Library, Arts, Culture and Community Complex". News. Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "dlr LexIcon". Open House Dublin. 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  12. ↑ O'Shea, Rick (7 October 2014). "Inside dlr LexIcon". dlr Libraries blog. Retrieved 11 November 2014.

External links