Rejoice – Dublin’s Two Ugliest Buildings Are To Be Torn Down, And Replaced With These Beauties

You know Apollo House, yeah?

Of course you do. 

Maybe not by name, and maybe not up close – after all, it's hard to look at it for too long without feeling a surging pain in your retinas. But you probably know it by its reputation as Dublin's second-ugliest office building.

Look at it there

Pure gank – and a product of an era in Dublin's history when city planners were, shall we say, distracted from making particularly forward-looking decisions.

But if you think that's bad...

Then take a look at its neighbour – the utterly abhorrent Hawkins House. 

A blight on the landscape whose sole function on this world is to make Apollo House look slightly better.

Don't stare at it for too long

But thankfully, their days are numbered. And better again, the planned replacements are actually quite lovely.

It's part of a €50m redevelopment project announced this week by the Office of Public Works, 

The offices will stretch to 10 storeys on the Hawkins House site, and between five and 12 storeys on the Apollo House site, while both will accommodate cafe, restaurant and retail space.

AND there'll be roof terraces. 

Dublin, you beauty – you just keep getting better and better.