U2 studio entries

There is a lengthy insider-article about the competition on archinect, pretty old from April, but till now unsurpassed in its detail knowledge.

http://www.archinect.com/discuss_cgi/groups/2052.html

I can quote a couple of sentences:

Among the 500 entries are several innovative designs including one in the shape of a large sail and another whose gentle sloping form resembles a wave.

There are also less professional entrants. One fan from Spain has entered a building in the shape of a harp, which has been described as “amateur in the extreme”.

Jennifer Boyer, an American architect based in Dublin, said the designs show the changes in architectural taste following the destruction of the twin towers. “There has been a huge rethink of the concept of tower building,” she said. “There has been a new thinking to get beyond sheer height which is evident in the designs both to replace the twin towers and here.”

Does anybody know more?

Well at leasy Gehry isn’t letting the U2 debacle stop him from fiding other commissions (from skyscrapers.com:

***News: Brighton set for Gehry towers

Brighton: A design competition to redevelop the King Alfred Leisure Centre on Brighton seafront, southern England, has been won by a consortium led by Gehry Partners.

The winning scheme involves the construction of four skyscrapers, up to a height of 38 storeys, on a 4.2-acre site. It aims to provide 438 flats, 60,000sq ft of retail and offices and a 160,000sq ft leisure centre.

Also involved in the consortium are Karis Developments, ING Real Estate, HOK Sports and CZWG Architects, which will now progress as joint venture partners for the scheme with Brighton & Hove Council. ***

Brighton incidentally, a town with a population less than that of Cork City and no high rises to speak of other than a Ballymun style relic, and a proposal like this just sails through – the mind boggles.

Never really sure what Architects are expected to do in these circumstances. Competitions are , as I’ve have raised before, a catch 22 for the aspiring and established ego. We must hope, pray even for some sort of result which places one on the map, but when that decision is delayed, unclear or forgotten about the Architect becomes a hostage to their own intellectual neurosis. A terrible pain for some and just plan pain in the ass for most! Come on chaps, put us all out of our misery and release us from that burden of expectation. That 50,000 € must have been well dented now in fees to the auditors and salaries of the DDDA employees involved in the competition, not to mention the jury. So I assume it is in their interest now to conclude this matter before it becomes really expensive, or is the DDDA a public funded mission with a flexible budget.

In all seriousness though it questions the legality of such competition processes which do generate funds, real cash , and is not as must be remembered the only cost the Architects have to carry. Cost of tendering is always an issue in the construction market be it a Contractor or Designer/Consultant. Many offices do not do competitions simply because of the expense which personally I think is a bit dull, but understandable. The input for this particular competition was perhaps not enormous but nonetheless demanded on the Architect to spend time with their intellectual property which I presume is what the Investor/ developer is paying for.

This Knowledge Capital has different value obviously depending on the experience and track-record and of course “good ideas” of the Architect but if you equate this into 500 entries also it creates enormous investment in the competition process and one which should be more carefully handled.

So, DDDA, a decison?………………good idea, yes?

http://www.ddda.ie/cold_fusion/features.cfm?counter=54

Some other entries….
http://www.irish-architecture.com/unbuilt_ireland/dublin/u2_tower/index.html

……eh!

how many stories?

better views here
http://www.irish-architecture.com/unbuilt_ireland/dublin/u2_tower/bdacha/index.html

Estimating I reckon around the same as Liberty Hall – look at the height of the ‘pink’ structure here which is a low two storey structure
http://www.irish-architecture.com/unbuilt_ireland/dublin/u2_tower/bdacha/view1_lge.html

It’s not bad. I’d like a bit taller, but…

Personally, I’m concerned that, despite the twist, it’s a bit too vertically rectangular. Remember, most people will be viewing it along the river from town, so it will be visually set next to the Poolbeg chimneys. Something with a bit of an odder shap would, in my opinion, set off a bit more of a contrast there.

Personally, I’d have liked something a bit more oddly shaped, like the gherkin in london or the bank of china building in hong kong.

Or even that nice building rejected for the Dun Laoghaire baths. That design would look really nice on this site.

Oh for the love of GOD!!!!

‘Unique twisted design’?????

It the same concept as the Turning Torso. It performs the same function and is situated on a similar site. (And that building is a monstrosity)