"Freedom and whisky gang thegither -"
Strathearn Road
Strathearn Road was one of our most interesting projects, if only from a strategical point of view. On the face of it, it was a bread and butter job from the Richard Murphy stable, however this was also a classical lesson for the dedicated architect in the pursuit of good design encompassing engineering constraints.
Planning permission was granted despite vociferous complaint from neighbours and work proceeded with building warrant approval. Unfortunately the structural engineer?s requirements caused the project architect to make several changes which individually may have been accepted but together, and with the continued protest from neighbours, these complaints invited a visit from the planners and under severe pressure from protesters they placed a halt on the works.
The project had deviated in height and length (and one of the walls had also acquired a curve!) None of this represented major change but cumulatively and with the ongoing complaints of neighbours fueled by sympathetic councilors the project was severely on the rocks.
From then on it took nearly three years before this situation was resolved and the work was allowed to proceed. The changes were not accepted and as closely as possible the original planning proposal was the scheme that proceeded. In fact it was an example of politics and political misjudgment combining with petty protest to thwart a simple architectural scheme whose initial impetus was to provide a music room for the clients that would not disturb the immediate neighbours. The reason they had commissioned the building in the first place.
All that to one side, the completed scheme now sits comfortably on the four-story tenement gable and clients and neighbours alike now wonder where was the meat?
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