Tallest Building in Ireland?

I think a nice cluster of decent height “sky-scrapers” would give Dublin a fantastic visual impact, especially when driving from out side the city to the city itself. I know that if I am driving into Dublin on the M1, I can see the ESB chimney stacks at Poolbeg as soon as I get over the hills near Balbriggan. However, if there was an area of decent sized skyscarpers ( not neccessarily that tall, maybe 30 – 50 or 60 stories) in Dublin city, the view driving towards the city would be absolutely amazing IMO as you get closer and closer to the city. I feel it would give myself and others a feeling of knowing where the city centre area is rather than using the chimney stacks as your landmark for Dublin and perhaps The Spire when you get closer and have a good eye. I would feel I would be getting closer to a modern, well developed city rather than a low rise, drab, sprawling “town” – A city that actually looks like a city. The drive from my home on the northside to the city via the coast road is nice with mountains in the distance. The port area and the chimney stacks are the only real land marks. Until the Spire went up, my notion of where the city centre is (O’Connell St) was totally different to where I now know it to be, when driving to the city on the coast road. Now a nest of skyscrapers in the city or the docklands with the Dublin mountains in the background would make a fantastic vista. In a decade or so, I could picture myself lying in the sun on Dollymount beach (thanks to global warming 🙂 ) with 50 story skyscapers about a mile or 2 away. What a strange sight that would be. Or would it? We already have the chimney stacks which are huge and not that easy on the eye and yet nobody seems to have a problem with these. Anyone know what the height of the stacks are equivalent to number of stories, rather than in metres or feet?
Graham

there are a few spires around the country of 180ft

Now a dozen or so buildings around the same height of the Poolbeg chimney stacks really would look the biz down in the docklands and would also take ones eyes from the chimneys stacks as they are quite ugly, IMO. Some tastefully designed skyscrapers along with the standard glass clad type sky-scrapers would suit the area so well. In fact, they could maybe even help the chimneys blend in a little with their surroundings. And as I drive down the coast road to work and see this proper city skyline, I know I’m driving through a prosperous and developing city – Developing upwards instead of outwards.

Tne Poolbeg chimneys are as much a symbol of the city as anything else you can think of. Coming in over the city on a plane and spotting them, is when you know you’re home. Long may they stand.

That’s exactly my point. The chimney stacks are all we have to show in our skyline. And while I’d admit it would make a huge difference to the Dublin skyline if the chimneys were removed (and I would kinda miss them deep down), it’s a pity that our skyline is 2 big chimneys and a big pointy spike – BTW I do love the Spire 😉 Whilst flying into most medium to large developed cities around the world, the first thing that strikes you is the skyscrapers. When I flew into Perth, Australia a few years ago, the view of the city skyline was amazing. And when flying into Toronto, the view was equally spectacular. The plane was nearly on the ground before I even noticed the CN Tower, simply because my eye was drawn to the huge cluster of 50-60 story buildings. Even from the plane, I could tell that I was arriving in a modern and thriving city just from the style and architecture of the buildings. If I was arriving into Dublin by plane for my first time and all I could see was 2 big chimney stacks and a huge low-rise urban sprawl, I reckon I’d assume it’s a fairly non-developed non-descirpt large town.

I wouldn’t agree geraghtyg that a city needs tall buildings to look like a city – or rather, what we percieve a western city to look like – but I do agree that Dublin’s Docklands needs definition.
Most certainly not of the Spencer Dock Attempt 1 variety (to think that would be being topped out around now had it progressed 😮 ), but development of a decidedly more well-planned and aesthetically pleasing nature.

Exactly what form this should take in real terms is along the lines of that DDDA article in the other tall thread; mid-rise 10ish storeys punctuated with the odd 25-30 storey building for interest.

I suppose the greatest fear that conservationists have now on the high-rise issue – if it’s even an issue anymore – is not so much the height, but the architecture. High-rise modern buildings will make Dublin just like everywhere else – high-quality or not. It’s just the nature of contemporary design and development – I suppose we ought to see at as an opportunity rather than anything else to progress contemporary design – but as a concession I would like to see the existing city centre skyline being given a definition of its own by being kept as it is, which I cannot see happening.
A comparitively low-rise skyline is just as important as one puctuated with towers; it equally as worthy and equally as distinctive.

Does anyone know the state on play on at the minute on the Tara St tower , has someone in CIE forgot they where suppossed to be getting it built around now? :confused:

@aj wrote:

Does anyone know the state on play on at the minute on the Tara St tower , has someone in CIE forgot they where suppossed to be getting it built around now? :confused:

They’ve been ‘forgetting’ for 7 years to build Horgan’s Quay in Cork.

@lexington wrote:

They’ve been ‘forgetting’ for 7 years to build Horgan’s Quay in Cork.

It can only be down to alzihmers at this stage!