Tallest Building in Ireland?

Liberty Hall was the tallest until Cork County Hall was constructed a few years later.
I dont know why people think that Liberty Hall is taller. I’ve asked Family and friends the same question and each one says it’s Liberty Hall ???

And people just can’t accept the fact that Cork has a taller building than Dublin.
Also Liberty Hall was the first so the myth kinda got grounded – esp as it was still considered the tallest in the world in some quarters til 1996 🙂

i thought liberty hall had 17 storeys including the observation deck. by the way what is that green piece of lego on top? as for cork county hall i think it is 64m tall. the tallest building at present for the whole country is windsor house belfast at 80m.

@jackwade wrote:

There are of course a number of buildings proposed that are taller than both Liberty Hall and Cork County Hall, and here they are.
[HTML] Building Status Floors Height Type
1. The proposed Cherry Orchard Tower proposed 40 unknown residential
2. Heuston Gate approved 32 117.7m residential, bar/restaurant
(under appeal)
3. That Barrow st. monstrosity proposed 32 unknown residential
4. Player’s Square Tower planning refused 28 86 m residential
(likely to re-apply)
5.City Quay Development proposed 28 unknown residential, bar/restuarant/niteclub
6. U2 Tower approved 25 78m office?residential? recording studio
(unlikely to go ahead as originally planned)
7. MJ Flood site, Sandyford proposed 23 unknown residential
Industrial Estate
8. Merchant’s Gate proposed 19 unknown office?
9.City Quay Development proposed 17 unknown office
10. The Park, Carrickmines approved 16 71m office, apart-hotel?
11. Monte Vetro under construction 18 unknown residential
12.Alto Vetro (formerly Quay Lodge) under construction 16 unknown residential
13. Santry Cross under construction 16 unknown residential
14. Tara st. Station approved 14?16? don’t know, office, restaurant
(Is it still going ahead?) but it was taller than Liberty Hall[/HTML]

For the record, Liberty Hall has 16 floors (including the top, maintenance floor) and is 59.4m tall. Can someone please tell me the height of Cork County Hall? I don’t know it off the top of my head.
Oops, I forgot to include the Eglington Street Tower and Water Street project proposed for Cork in the list above. The Eglington Street Tower will be 25 floors if it gets the go ahead, which I assume would be taller than County Hall. The tower element of Water Street would be a 17 floor residential which I imagine would be slightly shorter than C.C.H.
Feel free to offer your corrections to the above list. 🙂
Apologies for the extremely messy post, its late, i’m tired and I can’t figure out the damn list thing 😀

Cork Figures:
Under Construction or In Planning
Cork County Hall = 66m (67m after redevelopment) @ 16 storeys
Eglinton Street = 70m @ 17-storeys (80m including the spire)
Water Street = 58m @ 17-storeys

[There are 4 other significant high-rise buildings under consideration and/or pre-planning for Cork – 2 of which rise higher than both Eglinton Street and County Hall (I think their fate will have a lot to do with Eglinton and Water Street outcomes, which seem to have more problems with parking than height(!) ~ which in some ways is a relief!) The other 2 are planned for Clontarf Street and Blackpool respectively.]

@Boyler wrote:

With all this tall buildings being considered to be built, won’t Cork and Dublin look like American cities if they are allowed to be constructed?

Well you’re enthusuatic I’ll give you that ]a.[/B] the loss of greenery/countryside to urban development b. the rising population and c. the cost of land.

However, in Dublin, with the exception of the flutey Grand Canal report on high-rise, Dublin doesn’t have any clear-cut defined policy which is shared between the 3 councils on high-rise developments. In part result, we are seen tall structures highly dispersed and incoherrent in places such as Sandyford, Cherry Orchard, Blanchardstown, Tallaght etc etc. In the interests of proper planning, I do believe that highrise developments are important, but need to be centralised or focus on a particular area or areas – such as the docklands. In this way, one manages to protect vulnerable areas to gross overdevelopment and provide at the same time, an aesthetic merit to the layout and order of the city. The 26-storey tower for Donnybrook for example was a disastrous location for such a tall-structure. But, hand-in-hand with the development of high-rise, a strong emphasis must be placed on aesthetics and design quality – and how that will lend itself to a designated area. Treasury’s Barrow Street development, by Tony Reddy & Co., although in the docklands area (which is positive) is quite frankly a brutally ugly attempt at design and contributes zilch to the Dublin skyline.

In Cork, I believe high-rise will be ever neccessary in the coming years as the green outskirts and countryside recreation areas are swallowed by on-going development. I would rather see high-rise concentrated within the city in an effort to protect the small and ever-dimishing city greenspace. Fortunately, Cork City Council have designated areas for such development, that is, along and around the Docklands, and at the 4 city ‘Gateways’ (Victoria Cross to the West, Tivoli to the East, Eglinton Street to the South and Blackpool to the North). The existing city centre is a protected low-rise area with ceilings of 9-storeys imposed. There is no restrictions on height for docklands high-rise in Cork as projects will be judged on merit, however, the desired height otherwise is around 6-storeys.

@Graham Hickey wrote:

Lexington, has high-rise even been an issue in Cork?
Has the solution (if it can be described as such) to the Dublin battle that’s taken place over the decades, been neatly applied to Cork just as it begins to take off?
That is, allow it in designated areas and otherwise forget it? Not that that’s exactly happening in Dublin – but it is interesting that tall buildings elsewhere in Ireland are causing little to no controversy at all.

Is everyone just fed up at this stage and are just saying ah sure let them at it, or is it an acceptance that tall buildings anywhere can be acceptable as long as they’re clumped together or are used independently as ‘landmarks’? Or is this just a passing fad and will public opinion swing back aagin in 5-10 years I wonder?

Cork’s high-rise record isn’t an enviable one – i.e. Cork County Hall, Victoria Mills etc. And generally, the local public have held a certain disdain toward the notion, however, when the original Cork City Docklands Development Plan was formulated (even as far back as 1998), Cork City Council noted (and perhaps in part recognition to the voices of many high-rise lobbyists which accused the council of being Anti High-rise) that it was not oppose to the development of high-rise buildings in locations which high-rise structures already exist – specifically, the Cork Docklands (thanks to structures like R&H Hall) was mentioned. Further to this, it was noted that this waterfont area offered a unique opportunity to develop visual and architectural landmarks to an area so long neglected.

Later, in the Cork City Development Plan 2003 (amended 2004), it was noted that further areas such as Victoria Cross (home to Cork County Hall), Tivoli, Blackpool and Eglinton Street (all designated Cork City ‘Gateways’ could stand to benefit from at least one landmark, tall building each (more in Victoria Cross’ case). This Gateway approach is in the interests of architectural and planning balance. The city centre (the current city centre) is protected with a ceiling of 9-storeys). I think the people of Cork seemed to recognise, that areas like the docklands, which possess such tall structures would be hollow without them and a few more wasn’t really going to take away from what is there. You also have to remember Cork city is actually well in breach of its so-called ‘City Limits’ – over 175,000 people live in ‘city’ areas/suburbs that are not officially recognised by Cork County Council (or maps!!!) as being part of the city. The growth is eating away at the countryside. In order to encourage continued city centre development, planners recognised that, without being able to build out, they’d have to build up.

Consequently developers jumped at the chance to take advantage of this new policy – allowing them maximise their development potential and capacity on smaller areas of land which had been previously bounded by restriction. Initially in 1999 it was CIE that investigated developing a number of tall buildings for their Horgan’s Quay Urban Masterplan in conjunction with Manor Park Homes (but this is not due til 2007), a few years later Werdna proposed Water Street, O’Callaghan Properties with Jurys, then O’Flynn Construction with Eglinton Street and there are at least 5 other high-rise plans in the pipeline. 2 for the docklands are in exc ess of 20-storeys. In planning, the biggest problems faced by these high-rises has been density (Water Street) and parking facilities (Eglinton Street). The design standards have been very high, allaying many previous held fears about ‘ugly’ buildings. The designs for the planned high-rises are also of a very high-standard. I think what is happening in Cork is also a consequence of the economic conditions and associated confidence which is part of an overall national trend. Yes there are some difficult people who remain utterly adverse to the concept, but the fact is, more and more, it will become necessary.

Liberty Hall is 59.4m from ground level to the roof of the observation level; the plant room on the top is 63.4m above seal level.

– The 32 story building on Barrow St. will be 108.25m above ground.
– The City Quay proposal seems to exist only on Shay Cleary’s website; if you know more I’d love to hear it.
– The U2 Landmark tower was never 25 stories, it was 19 or 20 depending on how the ground floor was configured. It may well be 25 stories when planning is applied for, however.
– Thanks for the info on Merchant’s Gate
– Santry Cross is 52m above ground
– Tara St. Station will be 15 stories and 60.8m above ground; it will reach 63.3m above sea level which is lower than Liberty Hall.

Also:

– Gannon Homes has an application in for Balgriffin (6249/04) with residential buildings of 19 and 15 stories
– Green Property has an application in for a 17 storey, 60.8m hotel in Blanchardstown (F04A/1799)
– Glencairn Developments has a 17 storey proposal (D04A/1115) for the Murphystown Road
– The Airport City Partnership has applied for a 16 storey hotel in Clonshaugh (F04A/1684)
– Florence Property & Chanterwork Property have applied for a 15 storey hotel in Clancy Barracks (6113/04, 6114/04)
– Stillorgan Enterprises Ltd. has applied for a 15 storey building on the site of the Leisureplex (D04A/1254)

Thanks to everyone for their comments and corrections

The City Quay proposal seems to exist only on Shay Cleary’s website; if you know more I’d love to hear it

Nope, I only know what I read on this site. Sorry.

The U2 Landmark tower was never 25 stories, it was 19 or 20 depending on how the ground floor was configured. It may well be 25 stories when planning is applied for, however.

I read 25 somewhere, unfortunately can’t remember now. Didn’t think that could be right as it wouldn’t correspond with the overall height of 78m.

Tara St. Station will be 15 stories and 60.8m above ground; it will reach 63.3m above sea level which is lower than Liberty Hall.

Read an Evening Herald aticle which claimed it would be taller. Maybe they were referring to the older proposal. It was reduced by 2 floors if i’m right?

Lexington, thanks for the Cork figures esp. Eglinton street. Think I had the number 25 stuck in my head for some reason.

I listed the Cherry Orchard Tower as residential, but thats just my assumption. Is this a serious proposal? I can’t really see it getting the go ahead. A Trojan for a shorter tower perhaps? Would love to see a pic of the project.

Andew Duffy, do you know if the Leisureplex will be demolished to make way for the Stillorgan tower? Surely if thats the plan, it will be replaced? :confused:

is the plant section really 4m in height

No; I don’t know the height above ground for the plany room. The AOD height was in the Tara St. Station appeal report.

do you know if the Leisureplex will be demolished to make way for the Stillorgan tower?

Yes, and it will be rebuilt:

For a mixed use development on a site comprising the Stillorgan Bowl Leisureplex No.’s 62-79 St. Laurence’s Park, the existing Stillorgan Public Library and adjoining Council owned land, which is the subject of a sale agreement with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and also an ancillary area of Council owned land where environmental improvement works and traffic management works are proposed. The subject site comprises 1.59 hectares bounded by St. Laurence’s Park to the North, Lower Kilmacud Road to the South, N11 Stillorgan Road to the East and Old Dublin Road to the West.

The proposed development involves the demolition of all existing structures on the site including the Leisureplex building Dun Laoghaire Rathtdown County Council temporary library building, No. 62 and 63 St. Laurence’s Park and 16 two-storey Local Authority maisonette units at No. 64-79 St. Laurence’s Park.

The proposed development is a mixed-use scheme comprising a total of 314 No. residential units (82 no. 1-bed, 199 no. 2-bed and 33 no. 3-bed and includes 40 no. social housing units and 8 no. live/work units); approx 2,238 sq.m. gross floor area retail; approx. 3,938 sq.m. gross floor area offices; approx. 3,719 sq.m. gross floor area (indoor) leisure/recreational facilities (Class 11(e) use); approx. 486 sq.m. gross floor area crèche; approx. 1,019 sq.m. gross floor area new public library and ancillary car parking with associated landscaping and site development works. The overall development will consist of approx. 40,349 sq.m. gross floor area overall in 15 No. mixed use blocks (Blocks A,B,C, D, E, F, G, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P) as follows:-

Block A : 5-storey over double basement – comprising c.2,091 sq.m. double height leisure/recreational facility (Class 11(e) use) at basement level c. 792 sq.m. retail at ground floor level and 4 No. office units with combined gross floor area c. 3,938 sq.m. over four floors above.

Blocks B, C, D, E & F : 7 storey over double basement comprising c. 1,628 sq.m. leisure/recreational facility (Class 11(e) use) at upper basement level, 5 No. retail units at ground floor level (combined gross floor area c. 1,183 sq.m.) with 80 No. apartments in total over four upper floors plus two additional levels of setback penthouses: each block comprising 16 No. apartments in the form of 5 No. 1-bed units, 10 No. 2-bed units and 1 No. 3-bed setback detached penthouse unit.

Block G : 6/8 storey atrium building – comprising c. 1,019 sq.m. public library at upper ground floor level, 71 No. apartments comprising 6 No. 2-bed duplex units at lower ground floor level and 65 No. units from lower ground floor to sixth floor level in the form of 19 No. 1-bed duplex units, 1 No. 2-bed unit, 44 No. 2 bed duplex units and 1 No. 3-bed duplex unit.

Block I : 15- storey corner building (at junction of Lower Kilmacud Road and N11 Stillorgan Road) comprising c. 263 sq.m. ground floor (part double height) retail and 34 No. units which includes 1 No. ground floor 2 – bed duplex live/work unit and 33 No. apartments over thirteen floors comprising 30 No. 2-bed units and 3 No. 3-bed setback duplex penthouses.

Blocks J, K and L : 8 – storey comprising 51 No. units which includes 6 No. 2-bed live/work duplex units over ground and first floor level and 45 No. apartments over four upper floors plus two additional levels of setback penthouses, in the form of 12 No. 1-bed units, 18 No. 2-bed units, 6 No. 3-bed units, 6 No. 3-bed setback penthouses and 3 No. 3-bed setback detached penthouses.

Block M : 7 storey – comprising 15 No. units which includes 1 No. 2 bed live/work duplex unit over ground and first floor level and 14 No. apartments over four upper floors plus one additional level with setback penthouse, in the form of 4 No. 1-bed units, 7 no. 2-bed units, 2 No. 3-bed units and 1 No. 3-bed setback detached penthouse.

Blocks N & O: 7 Рstorey and 6 Рstorey respectively Рcomprising c. 486 sq.m. gross floor area cr̬che across ground floor level and 29 No. apartments over upper floors comprising 8 No. 1-bed units, 16 No. 2 Рbed units and 4 No. 3 Рbed units over five upper floors and 1 No. 3-bed setback detached penthouse on Block N.

Block P : 3-storey social housing – comprising 34 No. apartments in three separate blocks in the form of 14 No. 1-bed apartments and 2 No. 2-bed apartments at ground floor level and 17 No. 2 bed duplex units and 1 No. 3 – bed duplex unit over first and second floors.

The proposed development includes a total of 528 No. car parking spaces with 478 No. car parking spaces and bin storage facilities over two basement levels, 23 No. car parking spaces in service yard and 27 No. surface car parking spaces; 360 No. bicycle parking spaces at basement and surface levels; service yard to the rear of Block A at upper ground floor level and service yard to rear of Blocks B-D at lower ground floor level; children’s play area; landscaping works across the site including hard and soft landscaping and tree planting and new boundary treatment along the Lower Kilmacud Road and N11 Stillorgan Road: all associated site development works including a single storey ESB substation and security building (c. 23 sq.m.) in the northeast corner of the site, a second ESB substation at ground floor level in Block N and a new roundabout junction at St. Laurence’s Park to facilitate vehicular access to the site.

Vehicular access to the development will be via the existing entrance points at the Dublin Road and St. Laurence’s Park with additional access to the social housing in Block P (34 No. units) and Block G (6 no. units) at St. Laurence’s Park. Pedestrian access to the site will be via a gated access at street level along the Lower Kilmacud Road and two points along St. Laurence’s Park.

An Environmental Impact Statement will be submitted to the Planning Authority with the Planning Application.