Madam, - Your coverage of the Architectural Association of Ireland's award to the Brookfield Youth Centre in Tallaght quoted comments by the jury that the building was "unexpected . . . in an almost forgotten suburb of Dublin" ( The Irish Times, May 8th).
The suggestion is that this building arose despite, rather than because of, its location. It is true, of course, that the suburbs of Dublin have been blighted for 50 years by a low-density, road-based model of development. Nevertheless, the observations of the jury are predictable and scarcely insightful.
A great deal of thought, discussion and work has gone into the problem of suburban growth and regeneration in Dublin in recent years and it is disappointing that the jury's vague thoughts are quoted without comment or context.
Since its inception, South Dublin County Council has struggled to secure a more viable form of settlement pattern, more vibrant and intensive. It is no accident that the development of the new railway towns of Adamstown and Clonburris has arisen out of this effort. A consistent policy of commissioning talented young architects with strong client support has in turn given rise to innovation and the acknowledged excellence of building projects in Balgaddy, Tallaght and Fortunestown as well as the award-winning Brookfield building.
Architecture here finds its place in an improved planning and urban design context, not as a solitary outpost of hope amid chaos. This building is not an exception but a natural outcropping from sane environmental policies.
Later in the report local children, future users of the youth facility, are described by a jury member in a frankly unbelievable anecdote as going "bananas, howling with joy" at their new building. This centre is within a five-minute walk of a new regional swimming pool, a second youth facility, community centre and all-weather pitches. The description of the children's brute "joy" is arch and positions them yet again as the "other", doing few favours in an area already so disadvantaged.
- Yours, etc,
EDDIE CONROY, County Architect, South Dublin County Council, County Hall, Tallaght, Dublin 24.