U2 Tower
Encyclopedia
The U2 Tower was a proposed landmark
skyscraper
to be constructed in Dublin. The site was in the South Docklands
(SODO) campshire
s, at the corner of Sir John Rogerson's Quay and Britain Quay, by the confluence
of the River Liffey
, the River Dodder
, and the Grand Canal. The design announced on 12 October 2007 was by Foster and Partners
. Its height had been reported at 120 metres, "well over 120 metres", and 180 metres, any of which would have made it the tallest building on the island of Ireland. The building would have been an apartment building, with a recording studio
owned by the rock group U2
in a "pod" at the top. Construction was to begin in 2008 and end in 2011, at a cost of €
200m. In October 2008, the project was suspended indefinitely because of the economic downturn
.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority
(DDDA) was established in 1997 to regenerate the brownfield sites and underused warehouse
s in the Docklands at the mouth of the River Liffey in Dublin. In 2000, the DDDA proposed a landmark tower for the Britain Quay site. The involvement of U2 was part of a deal in 2001 when the DDDA had acquired by compulsory purchase the site of U2's previous studio on Hanover Quay. In October 2002, the DDDA announced an architectural design competition
for the tower, initially to be 60 metres tall, which would house apartments and a penthouse
recording studio for U2. 530 entries were received from around the world by the closing date in February 2003. The judging panel was not revealed till after the winner was announced. It included the president of the Royal Hibernian Academy
, the chairman and two other members of the DDDA, Dublin's City Architect, and Adam Clayton
of U2.
The panel initially chose as the winner an entry which was later disqualified after legal advice because the DDDA had lost the details of which firm had submitted the design and so were unable to notify the winner. The Sunday Times
later speculated that it might have been one by London practice 3W, after a campaign by Irish website archiseek.com led to six unidentified designs being located. On 5 August 2003, the winning design announced was by architects Burdon Dunne/Craig Henry (now BCDH Architects) of Blackrock, Dublin. Felim Dunne, the senior partner in Burdon Dunne, was the brother-in-law of U2's manager Paul McGuinness.
The tower's stated height was 60 metres to the parapet
, but 78 metres to the pinnacle
of the glass roof.
In September 2005, the DDDA revised the height of the U2 tower from 60 metres to 120 metres.
This was in conjunction with the planned construction of the 120-metre Watchtower in the Point Village
complex on the north bank of the Liffey, opposite the U2 tower. The DDDA envisaged the two towers forming a "landmark entry" and "visual gatepost" for the city from Dublin Harbour. Minister for the Environment Dick Roche
approved the DDDA's plans in July 2006. The DDDA applied for planning permission for the U2 tower on 14 September 2006. This application further increased the height of the tower to 130m. The provisions of Section 25 of the DDDA Act, 1997 were used to fast-track the application. It was approved on 2 October 2006.
Tenders for construction of the tower were invited and a shortlist of five firms was published on 26 February 2007. The winning bid announced on 12 October 2007 was from Geranger, a consortium
of property developers and the members of U2. The design selected was not the original BCDH design, but rather one commissioned by Geranger from Norman Foster. The bids were assessed by a panel of three architects. The runner-up was also a new design, by Zaha Hadid
.
On 31 October 2008, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority announced that they were suspending construction plans indefinitely due to current economic conditions.
On 25 November 2011, it was announced that U2 Tower land had been handed over to the National Asset Management Agency
(NAMA) to settle debts.
) had secured planning permission
in 2000 for a 100-metre building on a site next to that of the U2 tower. The DDDA objected to this in 2005 as it wanted the U2 tower to be an isolated landmark. Dublin City Council
refused to extend planning permission on Carroll's undeveloped site after it expired. As of September 2007, Carroll was appealing this in the Commercial Court
.
Some residents of Ringsend
have accused the DDDA of "arrogance", claiming that extra revenue from two towers could fund social housing schemes in nearby areas. Others expressed discontent at the presence of a skyscraper in a historically low-rise area.
Concerns were expressed about a possible conflict of interest
for U2 in the building tender process, when it emerged that the band were joint backers of Geranger. After the original BCDH bid's success, it was pointed out that U2 manager Paul McGuinness
is the brother-in-law of BCDH architect Felim Dunne.
The impact of the 2007 Subprime mortgage financial crisis brought doubts on the viability of the BCDH design. Journalists speculated that the extra engineering expense of the complicated "twisting tower" design was excessive, and that an alternative design would be used instead. Construction tenders were able to submit price quotations for both the original BCDH design and an alternative of their own choosing. There has been speculation that lawsuit
s may be taken, by BCDH and by those builders who bid based solely on the BCDH design, that the DDDA was not empowered to scrap the original design.
Delays at all stages of the design and planning phases have been commented upon. The estimated cost and completion date moved from €55m and early 2008 in September 2006 to €200m and late 2011 in October 2007.
in Malmö
. It had a shoulder height
of 100m, to the top floor of apartments, and a pinnacle height
of 130m, including a service level
and the two-storey penthouse recording studio. There were a total of 36 storeys. The footprint
was a 26.6m square. The building was primarily to consist of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment
s, with commercial premises on the ground and first floors, a two-level basement
parking garage, and the penthouse.
The dramatic twisting geometry of the tower posed a significant structural engineering challenge, resolved using a column structure of inclined columns following the twist of the building and the stiff circular core for torsional stability. 26.6 m² floor plates twist by an equal amount per storey about the circular core, housing lifts and services risers as well as a double-deck lift
for service/firefighting and penthouse access.
s and a large solar panel. The east and west facades were crinkled in the manner of fish scale
s, with concealed balconies
. The north facade would have been sleek, while the south facade had further solar panels. The building would have straddled the end of Sir John Rogerson's quay, allowing traffic to pass through its base.
apartments.
A bridge
for pedestrian
s and public transport
would have crossed the Dodder/Grand Canal mouth outside the tower, as a continuation of Sir John Rogerson's Quay towards the East Link Bridge
. This was designed by UK consultants Flint & Neill.
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
to be constructed in Dublin. The site was in the South Docklands
Dublin Docklands
Dublin Docklands is the area of the city of Dublin, Ireland, on both sides of the River Liffey, roughly from Talbot Memorial Bridge eastwards to the Point Depot.It is currently undergoing a large amount of development.-Projects:...
(SODO) campshire
Campshire
The Campshires are the stretches of land between the quay and road on both the north and south quays in Dublin. Warehouses used to be sited on them, such as those on Sir John Rogerson's Quay....
s, at the corner of Sir John Rogerson's Quay and Britain Quay, by the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the River Liffey
River Liffey
The Liffey is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.-Name:The river was previously named An Ruirthech,...
, the River Dodder
River Dodder
The River Dodder is one of the three main rivers of the Dublin region in Ireland, the others being the Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the Tolka.-Course and system:...
, and the Grand Canal. The design announced on 12 October 2007 was by Foster and Partners
Foster and Partners
Foster + Partners is an architectural firm based in London. The practice is led by its founder and Chairman, Norman Foster, and has constructed many high-profile glass-and-steel buildings....
. Its height had been reported at 120 metres, "well over 120 metres", and 180 metres, any of which would have made it the tallest building on the island of Ireland. The building would have been an apartment building, with a recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
owned by the rock group U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
in a "pod" at the top. Construction was to begin in 2008 and end in 2011, at a cost of €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
200m. In October 2008, the project was suspended indefinitely because of the economic downturn
2008–2009 Irish financial crisis
The 2008–2011 Irish financial crisis, which had stemmed from the financial crisis of 2008, is a major political and economic crisis in Ireland that is partly responsible for the country falling into recession for the first time since the 1980s...
.
History
Dublin Docklands Development Authority
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority was created by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act 1997 to lead a major project of physical, social and economic regeneration in the East side of Dublin along both banks of the River Liffey....
(DDDA) was established in 1997 to regenerate the brownfield sites and underused warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
s in the Docklands at the mouth of the River Liffey in Dublin. In 2000, the DDDA proposed a landmark tower for the Britain Quay site. The involvement of U2 was part of a deal in 2001 when the DDDA had acquired by compulsory purchase the site of U2's previous studio on Hanover Quay. In October 2002, the DDDA announced an architectural design competition
Architectural design competition
An architectural design competition is a special type of competition in which an organization or government body that plans to build a new building asks for architects to submit a proposed design for a building. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel of design professionals...
for the tower, initially to be 60 metres tall, which would house apartments and a penthouse
Penthouse apartment
A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...
recording studio for U2. 530 entries were received from around the world by the closing date in February 2003. The judging panel was not revealed till after the winner was announced. It included the president of the Royal Hibernian Academy
Royal Hibernian Academy
The Royal Hibernian Academy is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823.-History:The RHA was founded as the result of 30 Irish artists petitioning the government for a charter of incorporation...
, the chairman and two other members of the DDDA, Dublin's City Architect, and Adam Clayton
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
of U2.
The panel initially chose as the winner an entry which was later disqualified after legal advice because the DDDA had lost the details of which firm had submitted the design and so were unable to notify the winner. The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
later speculated that it might have been one by London practice 3W, after a campaign by Irish website archiseek.com led to six unidentified designs being located. On 5 August 2003, the winning design announced was by architects Burdon Dunne/Craig Henry (now BCDH Architects) of Blackrock, Dublin. Felim Dunne, the senior partner in Burdon Dunne, was the brother-in-law of U2's manager Paul McGuinness.
The tower's stated height was 60 metres to the parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
, but 78 metres to the pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
of the glass roof.
In September 2005, the DDDA revised the height of the U2 tower from 60 metres to 120 metres.
This was in conjunction with the planned construction of the 120-metre Watchtower in the Point Village
Point Village
The Point Village is a new 'city quarter' in the North Wall area of Dublin, Ireland. The €800 million development is currently under construction and was planned to feature a shopping centre, a cinema complex, a museum, offices and a hotel plus a five-storey underground car park.-Projects:The O2...
complex on the north bank of the Liffey, opposite the U2 tower. The DDDA envisaged the two towers forming a "landmark entry" and "visual gatepost" for the city from Dublin Harbour. Minister for the Environment Dick Roche
Dick Roche
Dick Roche is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Wicklow constituency, and also served in Seanad Éireann from 1992 to 1997.-Early and private life:...
approved the DDDA's plans in July 2006. The DDDA applied for planning permission for the U2 tower on 14 September 2006. This application further increased the height of the tower to 130m. The provisions of Section 25 of the DDDA Act, 1997 were used to fast-track the application. It was approved on 2 October 2006.
Tenders for construction of the tower were invited and a shortlist of five firms was published on 26 February 2007. The winning bid announced on 12 October 2007 was from Geranger, a consortium
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
of property developers and the members of U2. The design selected was not the original BCDH design, but rather one commissioned by Geranger from Norman Foster. The bids were assessed by a panel of three architects. The runner-up was also a new design, by Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid, CBE is an Iraqi-British architect.-Life and career:Hadid was born in 1950 in Baghdad, Iraq. She received a degree in mathematics from the American University of Beirut before moving to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.After graduating she worked...
.
On 31 October 2008, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority announced that they were suspending construction plans indefinitely due to current economic conditions.
On 25 November 2011, it was announced that U2 Tower land had been handed over to the National Asset Management Agency
National Asset Management Agency
The National Asset Management Agency is a body created by the Government of Ireland in late 2009. It is in response to the Irish financial crisis and the deflation of the Irish property bubble....
(NAMA) to settle debts.
Problems
Developers Dunloe Ewart (subsequently taken over by Liam CarrollLiam Carroll
Liam Carroll is a property developer in Ireland whose Zoe Developments group became well known during the Celtic Tiger years of 1990s and 2000s for residential and commercial property construction projects. Carroll is known in business circles for his legendary thriftiness and is considered a...
) had secured planning permission
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
in 2000 for a 100-metre building on a site next to that of the U2 tower. The DDDA objected to this in 2005 as it wanted the U2 tower to be an isolated landmark. Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council is the local authority for the city of Dublin in Ireland. It has 52 members and is the largest local authority in Ireland. Until 2001, it was known as Dublin Corporation.-Legal status:...
refused to extend planning permission on Carroll's undeveloped site after it expired. As of September 2007, Carroll was appealing this in the Commercial Court
Commercial Court
Commercial Court may refer to:* Commercial Court * Commercial Court * Commercial Court...
.
Some residents of Ringsend
Ringsend
Ringsend is a southside inner suburb of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey, about two kilometres east of the city centre, and is the southern terminus of the East Link Toll Bridge....
have accused the DDDA of "arrogance", claiming that extra revenue from two towers could fund social housing schemes in nearby areas. Others expressed discontent at the presence of a skyscraper in a historically low-rise area.
Concerns were expressed about a possible conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
for U2 in the building tender process, when it emerged that the band were joint backers of Geranger. After the original BCDH bid's success, it was pointed out that U2 manager Paul McGuinness
Paul McGuinness
Paul McGuinness is the main shareholder and founder of Principle Management Limited: an artist management company based in Dublin, Ireland, which has managed U2 from the start of their successful career...
is the brother-in-law of BCDH architect Felim Dunne.
The impact of the 2007 Subprime mortgage financial crisis brought doubts on the viability of the BCDH design. Journalists speculated that the extra engineering expense of the complicated "twisting tower" design was excessive, and that an alternative design would be used instead. Construction tenders were able to submit price quotations for both the original BCDH design and an alternative of their own choosing. There has been speculation that lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
s may be taken, by BCDH and by those builders who bid based solely on the BCDH design, that the DDDA was not empowered to scrap the original design.
Delays at all stages of the design and planning phases have been commented upon. The estimated cost and completion date moved from €55m and early 2008 in September 2006 to €200m and late 2011 in October 2007.
Design
The predicted price of a 2-bed apartment in the tower was estimated in October 2006 at €1-1.5 million.BCDH design
The BCDH design had a 45-degree twist, half the 90-degree twist of the Turning TorsoTurning Torso
HSB Turning Torso is the tallest skyscraper in Sweden and the Nordic countries, situated in Malmö, Sweden, located on the Swedish side of the Öresund strait. Upon completion, it was the tallest building in Scandinavia, the tallest residential building in the EU and the second tallest residential...
in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
. It had a shoulder height
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
of 100m, to the top floor of apartments, and a pinnacle height
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
of 130m, including a service level
Mechanical floor
A mechanical floor, mechanical penthouse, or mechanical level is a storey of a high-rise building that is dedicated to mechanical and electronics equipment. "Mechanical" is the most commonly used term, but words such as utility, technical, service, and plant are also used...
and the two-storey penthouse recording studio. There were a total of 36 storeys. The footprint
Surface area
Surface area is the measure of how much exposed area a solid object has, expressed in square units. Mathematical description of the surface area is considerably more involved than the definition of arc length of a curve. For polyhedra the surface area is the sum of the areas of its faces...
was a 26.6m square. The building was primarily to consist of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s, with commercial premises on the ground and first floors, a two-level basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
parking garage, and the penthouse.
The dramatic twisting geometry of the tower posed a significant structural engineering challenge, resolved using a column structure of inclined columns following the twist of the building and the stiff circular core for torsional stability. 26.6 m² floor plates twist by an equal amount per storey about the circular core, housing lifts and services risers as well as a double-deck lift
Double-deck elevator
Double-deck elevators are designed with two elevator cars that are attached, one on top of the other. This allows passengers on two consecutive floors to be able to use the elevator simultaneously, significantly increasing the passenger capacity of an elevator shaft...
for service/firefighting and penthouse access.
Foster design
The design chosen on 12 October 2007 was a tilted triangle. It had mainly luxury apartments, with a public viewing platform at 100m, just below an acoustically-insulated egg-shaped pod containing the U2 recording studio. Above this was to be an "energy centre" containing wind turbineWind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s and a large solar panel. The east and west facades were crinkled in the manner of fish scale
Fish scale
Fish scale may refer to:* The rigid plates on the skin of a fish* Fishscale, an album by Ghostface Killah* Fishscale cocaine* Fish Scales, a rapper...
s, with concealed balconies
Balcony
Balcony , a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade.-Types:The traditional Maltese balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a...
. The north facade would have been sleek, while the south facade had further solar panels. The building would have straddled the end of Sir John Rogerson's quay, allowing traffic to pass through its base.
Environs
A five star hotel was planned to be located adjacent to the tower, with a block of 34 social and affordableAffordable housing
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
apartments.
A bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
for pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
s and public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
would have crossed the Dodder/Grand Canal mouth outside the tower, as a continuation of Sir John Rogerson's Quay towards the East Link Bridge
East-Link (Dublin)
The East-Link is a toll bridge in Dublin, Ireland, on the River Liffey, owned by Dublin City Council and operated by NTR plc. The lifting bridge, which links North Wall to Ringsend, is the last bridge on the Liffey, which opens out into Dublin Port and then Dublin Bay just beyond...
. This was designed by UK consultants Flint & Neill.
External links
- Business & Planning: The U2 Tower from DDDA website
- U2 Tower from BCDH Architects website
- Unbuilt Ireland - U2 Landmark Tower details of some of the submissions for the architectural competition