The Spire of Dublin
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O'Connell Street looking north
Donal Murphy Photography (website) Download Original
Stainless steel spire as a monument to replace Nelson’s Pillar on O’Connell Street in Dublin, which was destroyed in 1966
The Spire is a circular cone 120 metres high and 3 metres in diameter at the base and breaks through the roof line of the surropunding buildings on O’Connell Street.
The width of 3 metres was considered optimal to allow the facades of Henry Street and Earl Street to frame the monument. A proportion of 1 to 40 was chosen for elegance, giving the tower a hieght of 120m.
Fabricated from rolled stainless steel plate the spire sways gently in the wind with internal active mass dampers placed to limit this movement.
At night the base is gently lit and the top twelve metres are illuminated by diodes from within to provide a beacon. The tip has a 2000 candela LED white aviation warning light.
The spire pasts through the 7m diameter cast bronze base that is set flush with the paving and has a varying depth spiral profile that recalls Celtic graphics and time.
Data
- Begun: Jul 2002
- Completed: Jul 2003
- Floor area: 39m2
- Sector: Public realm
- Total cost: £3.2M
- Procurement: GDLA82 contract
- Address: O’Connell Street, Dublin, Ireland
Tags 
Materials
Professional Team
- Architect: Ian Ritchie Architects
- Client: Dublin City Council
- Structural engineer: Arup
- Services engineer: Arup
- Quantity surveyor: Davis, Langdon and Everest
- Planning supervisor: Arup Consulting Engineers
- Main contractor: Joint Venture SIAC
- Main contractor: Radley Engineering
