Vertigo? U2 tower to be taller

[Paul Clerkin]

Yeah my understandment of the site is that the encampment is the site not the area being excavated across the street.

[cokedrinker]

Yep it is the encampment, im using the site to design my own skyscraper for my final year project... Was down checking it out around november and stalled when i came across the mobiles. Spotted a gap in the barriers and plucked up the courage to move in and take photos and video footage with my new k800i and a dvcam, when some wee lad runs out of a caravan asking wtf i was doing. I told him i was a student and i was just taking photos for my class when i noticed he had a bloody STANLEY in his hand lol. I was sure he was after my equipment but he was cool when he realised i was a student...we had a quick chat about U2 and the tower and i got to hell outta there.

Anyway the site appears unbelievable narrow when you're physically standing in the middle of it, I found it hard to imagine a 120m skyscraper going on it, and it looks like im going to be putting a 240m one on it.

[paul h]

Any pics you could share cokedrinker??!!

[cokedrinker]

Heres a couple taken within the site. Keep in mind the building line is 8m from the quay wall along the long end.

[mcdanish]

Pretty sure thats not the site, is it not the site next door that is currently being readied?
A lot of mystery regarding this development.Not much info in the public domain

[Rusty Cogs]

Well the location of the tower is at Britain Quay which is pictured above. The current construction is going on with an entrance from Benson St. Maybe I'm wrong but it would seem strange to build the foundations, car parks of a huge site with out even the plans for the towers agreed upon, let alone tendered out ?

[Peter Fitz]

Ok so if the U2 tower is going in on the smaller site, anyone any idea of what they're planning for the much larger adjacent site ! ?

The Britain Quay site isn't quite as small as i thought ...

[Paul Clerkin]

Pretty sure thats not the site, is it not the site next door that is currently being readied?
A lot of mystery regarding this development.Not much info in the public domain

No that is the U2 site. The other site belonged to Dunloe for a time.

[Paul Clerkin]

The green box was the site for the Dunloe tower
http://ireland.archiseek.com/news/2000/000008.htm
I've no idea what's happening there now

Results for Dunloe:
http://www.archiseek.com/search/search.php?template_demo=&site=&path=&result_page=search.php&query_string=dunloe&search.x=0&search.y=0

The red site is the U2 site.
Look at the competition entries if you're not sure...
http://ireland.archiseek.com/unbuilt_ireland/dublin/u2_tower/index.html

[shadow]

It would seem sensible to join the two sites establish a new street and design two reasonable sites as opposed to the elephant and the ant.

[Peter Fitz]

thanks for links Paul, thats definitely the site so...
strange the level of activity on the adjoining site, must do some digging for more info... any members that know the story, please enlighten us !

[jdivision]

As far as i know Liam Carroll following his acquisition of Dunloe sought and received planning permission for a 120 metre high tower next to the U2 tower.

[PVC King]

What is the validity period for S25 permissions?

[mcdanish]

Ok so its a very small site.I would have thought that it would be at least cleared and cordoned off.I would be very surprised if the U2 Tower project gets up and running this year in its current state.

[jdivision]

Can't find the details of the application but some detail buried in here
http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2005/11/13/story9502.asp

[Morlan]

The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) has been accused of being “breathtaking in its arrogance" by assuming that its plans for the U2 tower in the docklands should take precedence over a higher tower planned by developer Liam Carroll, which already has planning permission.

That's the first I've ever heard of a second tower, with PP. Anyone any more details?

[jdivision]

Was stated by Fay in the letter, been trying to find out more details myself

[cokedrinker]

Peter Fitz, yep, it doesn't look so small now when i look at it... however back then i was going along with the original site boundaries, in which the northern boundary of the site was in line with the northern boundary of the adjacent site, it felt really tiny, especially when i imagined the building line 8m from the eastern quay wall. This site is actually a comparable size to trump tower nyc, high cliff hong kong...which surprised me alot.

OK, Heres part of a cad map i picked up from DDDA about 3 months ago... It shows the U2 tower in its NEW position, right up against the north quay wall... with the proposed road/bridge dividing the site. It also shows footprints for buildings on the large adjacent site which I have no knowledge of (i didnt take time to research this development as ill make my own proposals here too... I did however at one early stage believe there was to be some sort of tower somewhere on this site??pretty sure i came across images of it here?)

[PVC King]

Peter Fitz, yep, it doesn't look so small now when i look at it... however back then i was going along with the original site boundaries, in which the northern boundary of the site was in line with the northern boundary of the adjacent site, it felt really tiny, especially when i imagined the building line 8m from the eastern quay wall. This site is actually a comparable size to trump tower nyc, high cliff hong kong...which surprised me alot.

OK, Heres part of a cad map i picked up from DDDA about 3 months ago... It shows the U2 tower in its NEW position, right up against the north quay wall... with the proposed road/bridge dividing the site. It also shows footprints for buildings on the large adjacent site which I have no knowledge of (i didnt take time to research this development as ill make my own proposals here too... I did however at one early stage believe there was to be some sort of tower somewhere on this site??pretty sure i came across images of it here?)

It is actually Britan Quay with a sliver of John Rodge to the north.

I remember the SBP piece at the time and I like everyone else am in the dark on the status of the Liam Carroll permission. My take on this is that the site is suitable for a tall building but that the Dunloe permission is now dated. Therefore LC should go back for a new permission which should be judged on quality and its legibility in relation to the proposed U2 tower.

[cokedrinker]

It would seem sensible to join the two sites establish a new street and design two reasonable sites as opposed to the elephant and the ant.

Don't think i'd agree... I think the U2 site is one of the more attractive sites i've come across... nice, long, slender geometry. Its almost begging to stretch across and form the pedestrian connection to the Point Village!! (On the DDDA map i have, there is proposed, a 16m wide pedestrian only street of the PV - which begins directly across the river from the u2 tower, and runs to Sheriff street at the north. The LUAS stop will be midway up this new street. You can make out where the street would start on Peter Fitzs image above... directly to the right of the 4 pitched roof building)

Anyway, does nobody at all know the nature of the buildings on the larger site??? Heading home for a few days and i may take a trip to the big city itself. Do you think the builders on site would be willing to divulge any information about the grand plan for the area?

[PVC King]

The easiest way to find out what the plans are would be to contact the DDDA planners and ask. If they have no record of a permission it would be reasonable to assume that the 1999 permission is a 10 year grant and that the owners are putting in foundations in accordance with that permission to 'substantially complete' the development prior to the 2009 expiry of that grant. If this is the case I would hope that a second application is made as that permission is dated at this stage and the location of the tower may affect the sight lines of the U2 tower from the city centre. A new design may compliment the U2 tower and less impressive point village watchtower. An attractive cluster would be a great addition to the City conversely a jumble would be a really wasted opportunity.

[darkman]

Hope that DE tower goes ahead.

[shed]

Hey im new to this forum but im quite interested in all the recent developements in the docklands and im very curious into why no work has started on this U2 tower yet
Surely the plan of the U2 tower and the watchtower by the point as a gateway will be spoilt if this also goes ahead


http://www.oms.ie/

or has this been scrapped?

It all seems like a bit of a mess-as if they forgot about this proposal above when planning the U2 tower or something!
Anyone shed some light because im very confused with this situation
Cheers

[jdivision]

Read the thread, there's a competition underway to select a developer. Then it'll be built.

[mcdanish]

The development proposed in Sir John Rogersons Quay is an impressive structure.It may block the view of the U2 tower looking down river but the U2 Tower will be built by the waterrs edge and will be 40 metres higher so should be pretty dominant still.