Grand Canal Dock is an area near the city centre of Dublin. The Grand Canal Docks first opened in 1796. At the time they were the world's largest docks but by the 1960's the area was virtually derelict.Since 2000 the area has undergone significant redevelopment as part of the Dublin Docklands area redevelopment project.The area has been dubbed "Silicon Docks" as it has become an extremely popular location for high-tech multinationals such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Airbnb and more. Landscape architects Martha Schwartz Partners completed the Grand Canal Square featuring red resin-glass paving that extends into the water, dotted with illuminated red poles. The dark brooding sky helped to accentuate the colours.