The U2 Tower was a cancelled
skyscraper which was proposed to be constructed in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, Ireland. The site proposed was in the South
Docklands (SODO)
campshires, at the corner of
Sir John Rogerson's Quay
Sir John Rogerson's Quay is a street and quay in Dublin on the south bank of the River Liffey between City Quay in the west and Britain Quay. Named for politician and property developer Sir John Rogerson (1648–1724), the quay was formerl ...
and
Britain Quay, by the
confluence of the
River Liffey
The River Liffey ( Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the Riv ...
, the
River Dodder
The River Dodder ( ga, An Dothra) is one of the three main rivers in Dublin, Ireland, the others being the Liffey, of which the Dodder is the largest tributary, and the Tolka.
Course and system
The Dodder rises on the northern slopes of Ki ...
, and the
Grand Canal.
[
] The design announced on 12 October 2007 was by
Foster and Partners
Foster + Partners is a British architectural, engineering, and integrated design practice founded in 1967 as Foster Associates by Norman Foster. It is the largest architectural firm in the UK with over 1,500 employees in 13 studios worldwide ...
. Reports suggested a building height of 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 was planned to be an
apartment building
An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...
, 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
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...
200m.
In October 2008, the project was cancelled because of the
economic downturn at the time.
[
] Proposals to revive the plan were reported in July 2013. However, they did not come to fruition and the 79-metre, 22-storey
Capital Dock development has since been built on the site.
History
![U2 Tower site with cranes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/U2_Tower_site_with_cranes.jpg)
The
Dublin Docklands Development Authority
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority ( ga, Údarás Forbartha Dugthailte Bhaile Átha Cliath) (DDDA) was created by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act 1997 to lead a major project of physical, social and economic regeneration in ...
(DDDA) was established in 1997 to
regenerate the
brownfield sites and underused
warehouse
A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities ...
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
Compulsion may refer to:
* Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so.
* Obsessive–compulsive disorder, a mental disorder characterized by ...
the site of U2's previous studio on Hanover Quay. In October 2002, the DDDA announced an
architectural design competition
An architectural design competition is a type of design competition in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel ...
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 Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the RIA, the academy retained the word "Royal" after most of Ireland became in ...
, the chairman and two other members of the DDDA, Dublin's
City Architect, and
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. C ...
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'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...
'' 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 (no
BCDH Architects of
Blackrock
BlackRock, Inc. is an American multi-national investment company based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with trill ...
, 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
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...
, but 78 metres to the
pinnacle of the glass screening device.
In September 2005, the DDDA revised the height of the U2 tower from 60 metres to 120 metres. This was in conjunction with the also-cancelled 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 Port
Dublin Port ( ga, Calafort Átha Cliath) is the seaport of Dublin, Ireland, of both historical and contemporary economic importance. Approximatively two-thirds of Ireland's port traffic travels via the port, which is by far the busiest on the ...
.
[
] Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government 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
Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...
.
On 31 October 2008, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority announced that they were cancelling the construction plans due to the economic conditions at the time.
On 25 November 2011, it was announced that U2 Tower land had been handed over to the
National Asset Management Agency
The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA; ga, Gníomhaireacht Náisiúnta um Bhainistíocht Sócmhainní) is a body created by the government of Ireland in late 2009 in response to the Irish financial crisis and the deflation of the Irish ...
(NAMA) to settle debts.
Problems
Developers Dunloe Ewart (subsequently taken over by
Liam Carroll) had secured
planning permission
Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building per ...
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 ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Dublin in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the council was ...
refused to extend planning permission on Carroll's undeveloped site after it expired. In September 2007, Carroll appealed this in the Commercial Court.
[
] Some residents of
Ringsend
Ringsend () is a southside inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey and east of the River Dodder, about two kilometres east of the city centre. It is the southern terminus of the East Link Toll ...
accused the DDDA of "arrogance", claiming that extra revenue from two towers could fund
social housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, d ...
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
Paul McGuinness (born 16 June 1951) is the founder of ''Principle Management Limited'', a popular music act management company based in Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland. He was the manager of the rock band U2 from 1978 to 2013.
Early life
...
is the brother-in-law of BCDH architect Felim Dunne.
The impact of the
2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis
The United States subprime mortgage crisis was a multinational financial crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010 that contributed to the Financial crisis of 2007–2008, 2007–2008 global financial crisis. It was triggered by a large decline ...
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.
Delays at all stages of the design and planning phases were commented upon. The estimated cost and completion date later 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 Torso
Turning Torso is a neo-futurist residential skyscraper built in Malmö, Sweden in 2005. It was formerly the tallest building in the Nordic region until September 2022, when it was surpassed by Karlatornet in Gothenburg, which is still under ...
in
Malmö
Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal pop ...
. It had a
shoulder height of 100m, to the top floor of apartments,
and a
pinnacle height of 130m, including a
service level
Service level measures the performance of a system. Certain goals are defined and the service level gives the percentage to which those goals should be achieved. Fill rate is different from service level.
Examples of service level:
* Percentage o ...
and the two-storey penthouse recording studio.
There were a total of 36 storeys.
The
footprint
Footprints are the impressions or images left behind by a person walking or running. Hoofprints and pawprints are those left by animals with hooves or paws rather than feet, while "shoeprints" is the specific term for prints made by shoes. The ...
was a 26.6m square.
The building was primarily to consist of one-, two-, and three-bedroom
apartments, 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 m
2 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.
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 turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each yea ...
s and a large
solar panel.
The east and west facades were crinkled in the manner of
fish scale
A fish scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of the skin of a fish. The skin of most jawed fishes is covered with these protective scales, which can also provide effective camouflage through the use of reflection and colouration, as ...
s, with concealed
balconies
A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor.
Types
The traditional Maltese balcony is ...
.
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
Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded into a focus on the hotel experie ...
was planned to be located adjacent to the tower, with a block of 34
social
Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not.
Etymology
The word "social" derives from ...
and
affordable apartments.
A
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
for
pedestrians and
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...
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
The Tom Clarke Bridge (), formerly and commonly known as the East-Link Toll Bridge, is a toll bridge in Dublin, Ireland, on the River Liffey, owned and operated by Dublin City Council. The bascule-type lifting bridge, which links North Wall to ...
. This was designed by UK consultants Flint & Neill.
[
]
Kennedy-Wilson proposal
It was reported in July 2013 that Kennedy-Wilson, an American firm, was planning to buy the site off NAMA and develop an 18-story U2 Tower, half the height of the earlier plan.
This plan was later cancelled, being replaced by the 79-metre, 22-storey
Capital Dock development which currently stands on the site.
See also
*
Heuston Gate
References
External links
Business & Planning: The U2 Tower from DDDA website
from BCDH Architects website
details of some of the submissions for the architectural competition
{{commons category, U2 Tower
Foster and Partners buildings
Dublin Docklands
Ringsend
U2
Unbuilt buildings and structures in the Republic of Ireland
Residential skyscrapers
Towers in the Republic of Ireland
Skyscrapers in the Republic of Ireland
Office buildings in the Republic of Ireland