Vertigo? U2 tower to be taller
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ammm when are they actually going to build the u2 tower seems like they have been talking about it for years…
Did anyone else see this in Monday’s Irish Times?
The headline was “U2 bid to develop tower named after them” by Frank McDonald.
It said:
Rock band U2 are bidding to develop the tower that will carry their name on Britain Quay in Dublin’s Docklands, in partnership with Ballymore Properties, The Irish Times has learned.However, the Dublin docklands Development Authority, which owns this pivotally-located site, has assured the rival bidders that members of the band “will not have any role or involvement, directly or indirectly” in assessing bids for the project.
After concerns were raised by other bidders about potential conflicts of interest, the authority’s lawyers, A&L Goodbody, wrote to them last week saying that “neither U2 nor its representatives have had any role” in setting ground rules for the contest.
The solicitors’ letter said the docklands authority would “enforce a very strict policy on conflicts of interest” in assessing the four bids and that it wished to “remind bidderst hat any conflict of interest should…be disclosed to the authority”.
To “underpin the independence” of the assessment process, the authority has appointed Chris Wilkinson of Wilkinson Eyre Architects: Amanda Levete, of Future Systems Architects: and Michael O’Doherty, former principal architect at the Office of Public Works, to advise it.
Apart from Ballymore Properties/U2, the bidders are Mountbrook Homes, controlled by developer Sean Dunne; the Dutch-based Royal BAM Group; Treasury Holdings-Sisk; and the Riverside 2 Partnership, a consortium formed by the Kelly, McCormack, Flynn and Elliot families.
It is understood that the Ballymore/U2 group has engaged international architects Foster and Partners to design its scheme, while New York-based Argentinian architect Rafael Vinoly is acting for the Riverside consortium. and Baghdad born Zaha Hadid for Treasury-Sisk.
All of the bidders are required to submit “compliant bids” based on the 2003 competition-winning scheme for the U2 tower by Blackrock-based Burdon Dunne Craig Henry. However, they may also submit “variant bids”.
As originally envisaged, the tower was to be 60 metres high. The docklands “strong architectural statement” said authority chief executive Paul Maloney.
He stressed that U2’s involvement was strictly limited to two agreements with the authority – one covering “naming rights” and the other dealing with the provision of studios for the band at the top of the tower, to replace their former studios on Hanover Quay.
Mr Maloney said the authority was “thrilled” to attract architects of the calibre of Wilkinson, who has won two Stirling prizes from the Royal Institute of British Architects, and Levete, who also won a Stirling prize, as well as O’Doherty to give an Irish perspective.
The deadline for submitting bids for the project is June 18th
GGGGOOOOOO ZAHA
Can’t wait to see these new proposals, particularly zaha hadids… i didnt know she was working with one group of developers
those aparements are a joke, and as was posted, the area is either suitable for high rise or it isnt, this area could accomodate tens of thousands along with the glass bottle site etc if it were developed properly, obviously the land prices arent high enough if they can afford to put up those small blocks on the supposedly prestigious sites…
SOC wrote:Did anyone else see this in Monday’s Irish Times?The headline was “U2 bid to develop tower named after them” by Frank McDonald.
It said:
Rock band U2 are bidding to develop the tower that will carry their name on Britain Quay in Dublin’s Docklands, in partnership with Ballymore Properties, The Irish Times has learned.However, the Dublin docklands Development Authority, which owns this pivotally-located site, has assured the rival bidders that members of the band “will not have any role or involvement, directly or indirectly” in assessing bids for the project.
After concerns were raised by other bidders about potential conflicts of interest, the authority’s lawyers, A&L Goodbody, wrote to them last week saying that “neither U2 nor its representatives have had any role” in setting ground rules for the contest.
The solicitors’ letter said the docklands authority would “enforce a very strict policy on conflicts of interest” in assessing the four bids and that it wished to “remind bidderst hat any conflict of interest should…be disclosed to the authority”.
To “underpin the independence” of the assessment process, the authority has appointed Chris Wilkinson of Wilkinson Eyre Architects: Amanda Levete, of Future Systems Architects: and Michael O’Doherty, former principal architect at the Office of Public Works, to advise it.
Apart from Ballymore Properties/U2, the bidders are Mountbrook Homes, controlled by developer Sean Dunne]
Thanks for the news on this, nice to see the run up to the tower’s construction heating up
Thanks for the news on this, nice to see the run up to the tower’s construction heating up
Yeah maybe some day they’ll actually build it..
Keen, you’re right. It really does seem to be gathering momentum! As my last quote was so well received… this one’s from last week’s Phoenix – the writing’s not great but the points it makes are interesting!
The heading was “U2’s Building Blocks”
It said:
U2 fans must be wondering whteher they’ll ever see any of the various building projects that the lads have planned for Dublin, At present the rockers-cum-developers are involved with incredibily ambitious plans for two developments – one being a skyscraper by Ringsend docks, while the other will effectively quadruple the size of the Clarence Hotel – which involves gutting and demolishing a number of protected structures. Both of these projects are facing significant opposition.
Down at the docks, the projected – and humbly titled – “U2 Tower” has more than doubled in height from the 60-metres originally permitted to the 2003 competition winner to 130 metres – ie ten metres taller that the Spire. Confusion has been the order of the day here and the scheme has come in for flak, with The Irish Times earlier this year asking “Does the U2 Tower stack up”, citing that the UK-based Architects’ Journal had “reported that the BDCH design had been binned”.
But who are BDCH anyway? It emerged that the firm was deemed the winner of the design competition when the name of the original winner was mislaid and Burdon Dunne Architects and Craig Henry Architects (BDCH) got the nod. One of the principles here, Felim Dunne, is a brother-in-law of U2’s manager, Paul McGuinness. In the intervening years the project went on the back burner but in February this year a press release was issued announcing the firms shortlisted to develop the tower, with Paul Maloney, ceo of the Dublin Development Docklands Authority (DDDA), stating, “We are delighted with the calibre of teams engaged and to see the involvment of eminent architects including Foster & Partners, Rafael Vinoly and other internationally recognisged architects.”
The identity of the “other internationally recognised architects” is unclear and there’s now no specific mention of Felim Dunne or BDCH, but Paul McGuiness is once again involved, and one of the developers on the shortlist – Sean Murray’s Ballymore Properties – has teamed up with, er, U2. Four years on from the original competition, and not a block has been laid but Goldhawk is aware that a complaint has been sent to the European Commission by ‘The Environment Group for Ringsend Irishtown Sandymount’ attacking the entire manner in which planning has been going on in the DDDA area.
Meanwhile, progress is also very slow at the Clarence Hotel where Bono, the Edge, Derek Quinlan and Paddy McKillen have joined up forces in proposing a massive redevelopment – designed by Norman Foster – that would almost double the height of many of the existing buildings. Predictably, this has attracted a raft of criticisms – with nine objections filed formt he likes of Conor Martin (who owns neighbouring Bad Bobs), The Georgian Society, An Taisce, and also one from it’s former chairman, Michael Smith, whose house faces the Clarence across the Liffey.
A crucial issue here is that the Planning Act requires “exceptional circumstances” in order for substantial alterations to be allowed to listed buildings. Hence, a recent request for additional information by Dublin City Council, in which the planners have asked about the hitherto unconsidered option of refurbishment rather than complete redevelopment. This is not a request Bono et al will have welcomed.
Those close to the developer comp. say that two of the bidders are proposing BDCH design only! These two, at least, will be watching the assessment process like hawks!
I just passed the DDDA offices on John Rogersons Quay and saw a beautiful model of the new U2 tower in their lobby. It looks fantastic!
what is the problem with skyscrapers casting shadows? (not that the U2 tower is actually a skyscraper!) compare frankfurt, which is absolutely deadened and made boring by the distance between skyscrapers and empty plazas between them, and new york, which is made utterly fascinating by the proximity of its tall buildings. some parts of wall st. and around grand central station never see the light of day, and yet are absolutely captivating, adding enormously to the energy of the areas.
@shanekeane wrote:
what is the problem with skyscrapers casting shadows? (not that the U2 tower is actually a skyscraper!) compare frankfurt, which is absolutely deadened and made boring by the distance between skyscrapers and empty plazas between them, and new york, which is made utterly fascinating by the proximity of its tall buildings. some parts of wall st. and around grand central station never see the light of day, and yet are absolutely captivating, adding enormously to the energy of the areas.
I agree, the issue of tall buildings’ shadows is blow out of all proportion, Its not the end of the world to be in a bit of shade, especially in a city. Dublin is usually lit with ambient light from cloud cover anyway. 10/20+ storey buildings should be clustered in districts around the edge of the city centre as in other European cities (which I think is happening… gradually).
Building restrictions should be enforced to a degree in the historical core of the city, regarding any inappropriate building, not just tall ones. But we need a LOT more high density in Dublin generally, otherwise the low-density urban sprawl will get out of hand.
@SOC wrote:
I just passed the DDDA offices on John Rogersons Quay and saw a beautiful model of the new U2 tower in their lobby. It looks fantastic!
I saw a presentation of the new U2 Tower a few weeks ago including photographs of that model and the new CGIs. I agree, really fantastic!
I’m not sure what all the secrecy is about, all the new information was to have been published in the Irish Architect this month but the publication was stopped by DDDA. I assume they don’t want anyone to see the new design in case they decide to change architect…
The four bidders presented their proposals last week, two of the bidders opting for the new design and two opting for designs by either Norman Foster or Zaha Hadid. No obvious winner has emerged although Paul Maloney is supporting Ballymore/U2/Foster, so that’s the one to watch. Decision to be announced sometime after Thursday next.
“How. much. is. that. U2 model. in the window?”
I went into the DDDA office today to take some photos of the U2 tower but the secretary said the model had been moved to a different room.
They didn’t let me go into the meeting room where all the other GCD models were, so I went around the side of the building and took some photos through the window.
I returned 20 minutes later and low and behold, there was the U2 model! Someone must have put it back after I enquired about it.
Anyway, here’s some pics. Excuse the reflections on the glass, there wasn’t much I could do about it.
And here’s two pics of the GDC model:
great stuff. What;s that leaning tower that appears to be straddling the DART to the right of the gasometer?
sorry ex-gasometeralonso wrote:great stuff. What]That’s the old Montevetro design – Looks like somebody damaged the model set when moving it.
This is what’s going ahead:
[/IMG]This was a proposal:
Again, DDDA picked the most bland design.
Cheers. Yeh it had me confused. I like the last proposal best but christ you can’t have something like that! Poeple might actually form opinions on it rather than trundle past it on the DART without as much as a shrug.
Well done to the DDDA again, their choice is awalys spot for always opting for the insignificant dud. Bless them for they have to be the most boring people to be around. Grey suits, cups of tea and early nights! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
What a magnificent pile of shite they have assembled in the Dublin Docks, and as the years go by it doesn’t get any better. Billions of euros worth, that looks fuck all. My foreign relatives and friends laugh at the assemblage of lego blocks for they can’t understand why it is all soooooooooo conservative. Poor fool who believes in the shite and buys an appartment here. Who wants to live in squat block land and pay half a million for an appartment cell?@Morlan wrote:
“How. much. is. that. U2 model. in the window?”
I went into the DDDA office today to take some photos of the U2 tower but the secretary said the model had been moved to a different room.
They didn’t let me go into the meeting room where all the other GCD models were, so I went around the side of the building and took some photos through the window.
I returned 20 minutes later and low and behold, there was the U2 model! Someone must have put it back after I enquired about it.
Anyway, here’s some pics. Excuse the reflections on the glass, there wasn’t much I could do about it.
And here’s two pics of the GDC model:
What a shower of hooligans! They’ve smashed up the U2 Tower model.
It looked really great when I saw it last, the glass cladding rose to a point enclosing a beautiful rooftop garden with trees and terraces. It looks like when Paul Maloney said he was going to f**k the U2 Tower design into the bin he really meant it!
I wonder what this cock-up is costing the taxpayer?
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