The place of history in contemporary architecture

Abstract

This thesis is an approach to the problem of how to treat the historical fabric of the city when creating new architecture. The project is located on the South bank of the River Liffey in the city of Dublin. It is where part of the foundations of the medieval town are buried beneath the contemporary fabric. The project is the redefinition in modern terms of the medieval tower on the site where the twelfth-century Isolde's Tower (later named Newman's Tower) is buried. Ireland has a rich history of storytelling and literature. This combined with the fact that the medieval tower was named after the Celtic legendary figure Isolde was the impetus for creating a literary place-the tower (the storyteller's house), a library and publishing house, and a public garden. An important inspiration for the project was Ireland's most famous storyteller, James Joyce. His Dubliners and Ulysses were a significant influence on the storytellers house.