1968 – Unbuilt Seifert design for Wood Quay, Dublin

Unsuccesful Richard Seifert and Partners design for Dublin Corporation offices at Wood Quay. Presumedly entered with the developer Harry Hyams (they had worked together in London on Centre Point tower, and Hyams was operating in Dublin), as instead of an open architectural competition, the Corporation invited developers to submit entries. The brief called for the provision of 300,000 square feet of office space in “an efficent layout and form reflecting the importance of the buildings in the life of the city.” Six entries were selected and displayed at City Hall without any supporting material or drawings. Interestingly the two photographs diverge – showing the main tower rotated 90 degrees in one.

“I believe that I have produced a solution that provides dignity and architectural scale without departing from the Corporations longstanding policies of maintaining an open vista from the quay to Christchurch Cathedral. This has been achieved by carefully placing the higher blocks to the east of the site and by opening the pedestrian level under the podium fronting Wood Quay. The new road to the north of the cathedral has been integrated to enable the landscaped area surrounding the cathedral to remain unobstructed and completely segregated from vehicular traffic.” Richard Seifert, RTE ‘Wednesday Report’, 29 October 1969.

Photo Credit Thorp Architectural Modelmaking Archive at AUB