Vertigo? U2 tower to be taller

[Paul Clerkin]

Docks tower could rise higher
Frank McDonald, Environment Editor



The Dublin Docklands Development Authority wants to raise the height of the proposed U2 tower to 100 metres, only 20 metres lower than the Spire.

The docklands authority is involved in talks with Mr Liam Carroll, the city's most prolific developer, on the building of the twisting tower of apartments planned for a site at Britain Quay at the mouth of the River Dodder.

A competition for the tower was jointly sponsored in 2003 by the authority and U2, whose new recording studio is to be on top of it. This will replace their old studios in a warehouse on Hanover Quay, which is to be demolished.

The tower was to be 60 metres high but its height would be raised by 40 metres under an amended planning scheme for the Grand Canal Docks area.

Because of the need to maintain its "slenderness ratio", the taller building would also be somewhat bulkier than the original proposal by two firms of architects based in Blackrock, Co Dublin.

This would make it more economical to build.

It will be up to the Minister for the Environment, Mr Roche, to decide whether to permit the significant increase in height following a public consultation period on the amended scheme, which is expected to to be exhibited in March.

The design for the tower emerged as the winner of an international architectural competition in mid-2003, which attracted more than 500 entries. The docklands authority sees it as a "unique and remarkable landmark".

The name of the original winner was somehow mislaid and the jury subsequently decided to award first place to Burdon Dunne Architects and Craig Henry Architects. One of the principals, Mr Felim Dunne, is a brother-in-law of U2's manager, Mr Paul McGuinness.

It is understood that the Dublin Docklands Development Authority has decided to go for a taller tower on the site, a pivotal one in the area, after getting a sceptical reaction from developers about the economic feasibility of the original proposal.

A professional team of structural engineers, quantity surveyors and mechanical and electrical engineers is being selected to collaborate with the architects on the proposed tower, which would contain about 100 apartments.

The authority intends to give the building section 25 status, which would enable the developer to avail of lucrative tax reliefs to offset the capital cost, one of the reasons it is believed that Mr Carroll is keen to build it.

Mr Carroll's property company, Dunloe Ewart, owns the adjoining Hammond Lane site on Sir John Rogerson's Quay. Dunloe Ewart has planning permission to redevelop the site, including an office tower rising to 100 metres.

However, Mr Carroll is said to have no interest in building the office tower as designed and has replaced the architects with another firm.

The sail-like tower on the Hammond Lane site was designed by Ó Muire Smyth, a firm jointly headed by Mr John Smyth, younger brother of the former Dunloe Ewart chief, Mr Noel Smyth. O'Mahony Pike (OMP) has since taken over the Hammond Lane project.

Principally through Zoe Developments Ltd, Mr Carroll has built more apartments in Dublin than any other developer. He designed all his earlier projects himself with the aid of a team of architectural technicians.

Widely criticised as "shoebox" schemes, they included major apartment blocks on Francis Street, Arran Quay, Bridge Street and Bachelors Walk.

He once claimed that architects were "only interested in designing penthouses for fellows with Mercs".

It was only when it came to the Millennium Tower on Charlotte Quay that Zoe hired architects. OMP has since worked for Mr Carroll on a variety of other developments, all of which require more sophistication than he showed in the past.

In November 1997, High Court judge Mr Justice Peter Kelly described him as "a disgrace to the construction industry" and Zoe Developments as a "recidivist criminal" for consistent breaches of health and safety regulations.

The judge had ordered work to cease on the company's Charlotte Quay site after a 24-year- old building worker, James Masterson, was killed and a subsequent inspection by the Health and Safety Authority had noted 13 breaches of health and safety regulations.

Mr Carroll's current projects include such major schemes as Cherrywood - in effect, the creation of a new town in the Carrickmines Valley, off the N11 - and the redevelopment of Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham.

In the case of U2's tower, it is believed that Mr Carroll would be prepared to build it if the docklands authority agrees to permit a revised scheme for the adjoining Hammond Lane site, which would be sufficiently dense to justify not proceeding with another tower there.

"There is room for only one landmark tower at the end of the quays in Docklands and it has to be the U2 one," said one well-informed source

[sw101]

wow.........

[shadow]

Here we go again.

If the competition were properly judged to begin with, maybe issues such as feasibility would have been sorted out. The suggestion that by "inflating" this project will improve its performance is incredible since the footprint of the site is the restricting parameter.

[Andrew Duffy]

Is the fact that the DDDA is talking to Liam Carroll, owner of the adjacent site, an indication that it realises the site footprint is too small? Also, if the site footprint and/or the shoulder height is changed, don't other entrants now have a right to sue for the costs of entering the competition?
How was the original muck-up sorted out, or was it?

[sw101]

Is the fact that the DDDA is talking to Liam Carroll, owner of the adjacent site, an indication that it realises the site footprint is too small? Also, if the site footprint and/or the shoulder height is changed, don't other entrants now have a right to sue for the costs of entering the competition?
How was the original muck-up sorted out, or was it?

why should they sue? the competition was staged and enterred upon certain criteria. admittedly the winner wasn't the best entry, nor was the jury system transparent. but surely the DDDA have the right to alter the winning design to suit changing requirements? i would imagine all entries signed away the right to regain any expenditure or entrance fees.

[GrahamH]

The tower next door hopefully being ditched is excellent news.
As for the extra height & bulk for U2, as long as the design can absorb it then fair enough - but also as long as this will be deemed one of those ubiquitous 'landmark' buildings and will not set the level for the area.
It's going to look fantastic next to the water there.

[Paul Clerkin]

Fabulous site but I still think that this is a sexier building....

http://www.irish-architecture.com/unbuilt_ireland/dublin/u2_tower/3w/index.html

[sw101]

my fave was the nicola mongelli entry.
http://www.irish-architecture.com/unbuilt_ireland/dublin/u2_tower/nm/index.html

[Mob79]

Does anyone else feel the winning building is one of the most disgusting buildings ever? And it just got bigger, oh god.

[sw101]

it is a pretty appalling piece of ugly. the high concept rotational stuff is straight out of a calatrava sketch-book, but lacks any of the finesse or detail.

[d_d_dallas]

The OMS scheme with full P.P. that's being shunted is far better than this.

[sw101]

[roby]

i am new to this forum ... and I am not an architect either, sorry - just an italian bloke living in dublin and passionate about great architecture.

i am looking for any publications available in hard-copy (book, catalogue, blueprints, etc.) regarding the U2 / Landmark Tower Competition, that I can buy to add to my personal collection.

tried both websites of craighenry.com and ddda.ie but no luck.

any help will be very much appreciated.

thanks,
roby

[sw101]

the brief and some of the losing entries are hear (aswell as the winner)

http://www.irish-architecture.com/unbuilt_ireland/dublin/u2_tower/index.html

[roby]

the brief and some of the losing entries are hear (aswell as the winner)

http://www.irish-architecture.com/unbuilt_ireland/dublin/u2_tower/index.html

thanks shaggy, but anything available in hard copy ...
i work with pcs and keyboards every day, i'd like to have some old-fashioned paper-based material to read in the evening

thanks a mil,
roby

[sw101]

ring the ddda. or print off some images.

[Paul Clerkin]

i am new to this forum ... and I am not an architect either, sorry - just an italian bloke living in dublin and passionate about great architecture.

thats a lot of us - quite a few here are not architects just interested (wo)men in the street

[trace]

Sorry, but nothing in hardcopy was ever published by DDDA or others, apart from a stapled, photocopied text list of the entries by number and name (at the time of the public exhibition in Clarion Quay) and a postcard with an image of the winning, 'twisting tower' design. Best print off the pages from this site - there were lots!

[Lotts]

It can be tricky finding information on the DDDA site. Sometimes the interesting documents are not linked to from their main pages. You could try looking in the uploads directory using a search similar to this one
Google for U2 in /uploads
As these tend to be pdfs they will print well and provide roby with plenty of bedtime reading!

Here's another doc that doesn't seem to have been indexed yet by google.
Tender to complete u2 tower (memo)

[Paul Clerkin]

PRESS RELEASE

World-Class Developers and Design Teams Sought for Landmark U2 Tower and
Britain Quay Development

Dublin Docklands Development Authority is seeking expressions of interest
from world-class development teams, who have significant experience in the
delivery of high rise towers of architectural merit, to compete for a
unique development opportunity to design, construct and finance the U2
Tower and Britain Quay Development.

The Tower, which is over 100 metres high, consists of approximately 20,000
square metres of mainly residential space and will also be the home of the
rock band U2’s recording studio. The adjacent Britain Quay Development
will be approximately 11,500 square metres and will contain a mix of uses
including leisure, residential, commercial, arts and culture uses.

Both developments will reside at the confluence of three waterways, the
River Liffey, River Dodder and Grand Canal, and will be served by specially
designed boardwalks and marinas.

Last month, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local
Government, Mr. Dick Roche, TD, approved the increase in the height of the
U2 Tower to 100 metres. This approval was part of a larger Grand Canal
Dock Planning Scheme (Amendment) which will result in approximately 430
residential units and 53,000m² of commercial development being attracted to
this area of Docklands. Overall the Grand Canal Dock area will see the
construction of up to 3,700 residential units, 20% of which will be Social
and Affordable Housing.

“The U2 Tower will provide a unique and remarkable architectural icon for
Docklands and the city of Dublin. This project presents an exciting
development opportunity to deliver a key landmark project in Docklands,
which is at the forefront of local, national and international design
innovation and will create an enduring landmark in the capital,” said Paul
Maloney, Chief Executive, Docklands Authority.

“The U2 Tower is one of the most significant architectural projects to be
delivered in the regeneration of Docklands and combined with the recently
approved planning scheme for 100 metre tower on the north side of the
Liffey, the Watchtower, will form a dramatic architectural gateway into
Dublin city,” said Lar Bradshaw, Chairman of the Docklands Authority.

The U2 Tower is part of the Grand Canal Dock area, where the Docklands
Authority are working with some of the worlds leading architects on
projects such as the Daniel Libeskind-designed Grand Canal Theatre, the
Manuel Aires Mateus designed five star hotel, and Martha Swartz designed
public plaza, Grand Canal Square. Together with developers the Docklands
Authority is delivering some of the most creative construction projects in
the country.

The Docklands Authority is seeking developers to provide development
services including the design, construction and finance of the U2 Tower and
adjacent Britain Quay Development. Developers are invited to submit
expressions of interest demonstrating significant previous experience of
design team members in delivering high rise tower developments of over 100
metres high.

It is expected that the successful development team will be selected in
2007 and the construction of the Tower will commence in 2008. The closing
date for receipt of Request for Proposals is 12 noon, on the 16th October
2006.

[paul h]

i may be missing something but which is it??
[ATTACH]2588[/ATTACH]

or is it -
[ATTACH]2589[/ATTACH]
edit - i see now they're actuallty the same!
edit - is the 'watchtower' the stw apt building at point village

[The Denouncer]

Why don't they pull the spire out of O'Connell St., and stick it on top of the U2 Tower? Not only will it improve the look of the capitals main thoroughfare, but it will double the height of this 'landmark building'.

[shadow]

Will the “watchtower” be the HQ for the Jehovah’s witnesses in Ireland?

[lostexpectation]

PRESS RELEASE

The Docklands Authority is seeking developers to provide development
services including the design, construction and finance of the U2 Tower and
adjacent Britain Quay Development. Developers are invited to submit
expressions of interest demonstrating significant previous experience of
design team members in delivering high rise tower developments of over 100
metres high.

It is expected that the successful development team will be selected in
2007 and the construction of the Tower will commence in 2008. The closing
date for receipt of Request for Proposals is 12 noon, on the 16th October
2006.

so they are looking for people to design a tower while they keep showing us pictures of tower that hasn't been designed yet?

[a boyle]

so they are looking for people to design a tower while they keep showing us pictures of tower that hasn't been designed yet?

This has me completely confused ... they are currently digging the foundations for the tower . Does anybody know what is going on ?