Spire of Dublin

Spire of Dublin
Spire of Dublin
Monument of Light

The view from O'Connell Street
General information
Type Monument, sculpture
Location Dublin, Ireland
Coordinates 53°20′59″N 6°15′37″W / 53.34972°N 6.26028°W / 53.34972; -6.26028
Construction started 2002
Completed 2003
Cost €4,000,000
Height
Antenna spire 121.2 m (397.6 ft)
Design and construction
Client Dublin City Council
Architect Ian Ritchie Architects
Engineer Arup

The Spire of Dublin, officially titled the Monument of Light[1] (Irish: An Túr Solais) is a large, stainless steel, pin-like monument 121.2 metres (398 ft) in height, located on the site of the former Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Ireland.

Contents

Details

The Spire looking towards the Liffey

The spire was designed by Ian Ritchie Architects,[2] who sought an "Elegant and dynamic simplicity bridging art and technology". The contract was awarded to SIAC-Radley JV and it was manufactured by Radley Engineering of Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, and erected by SIAC Construction Ltd. The first section was installed on 18 December 2002.[3] Five additional 20m sections were added with the last one installed on 21 January 2003. The spire is an elongated cone of diameter 3 m (9.8 ft) at the base, narrowing to 15 cm (5.9 in) at the top. Construction of the world's tallest sculpture[4] was delayed because of difficulty in obtaining planning permission and environmental regulations. It is constructed from eight hollow tubes of stainless steel and features a tuned mass damper, designed by engineers Arup, to counteract sway. The steel underwent shot peening in order to subtly reflect the light falling on it. The metal changes colours due to its reflective properties.

During the day it maintains its steel look, but at dusk the monument appears to merge into the sky. The base of the monument is lit and the top 12 m (39 ft) is illuminated to provide a beacon in the night sky across the city.

Reason for construction

Nelson's Pillar stood on the site of the Spire until it was destroyed by a bomb in 1966.

The monument was commissioned as part of a redesigned street layout in 1999. O'Connell Street was perceived to have gone into decline from the 1970s. Some people blamed the appearance of fast food restaurants and the opening of bargain basement shops-all using cheap plastic shop fronts-visually unattractive and obtrusive, the existence of a number of derelict sites, and the 1966 destruction of Nelson's Pillar following a bombing, by former IRA members, as reasons for the decline in a once famous and attractive street.

In the 1990s, plans were launched to improve the streetscape. The excessive number of trees in the central reservation, which had overgrown and obscured the street's views and monuments, was reduced dramatically. This was controversial, as the trees had been growing for a century.[5] Statues were cleaned and in some cases relocated. Shop-owners were required to replace plastic signage and frontage with more visually attractive designs. Private car traffic was re-directed where possible away from the street, with its number of traffic lanes reduced, to allow more 'public ownership' of the street for pedestrians. The centrepiece of this regeneration was to be a replacement monument for Nelson's Pillar, the Spire of Dublin, chosen through an international competition by a committee under the then chairmanship of the Lord Mayor of Dublin Joe Doyle from a large number of submissions.

Award nominations

The monument has been nominated for the following:

  • 2004 RIBA National Award & Stirling Prize shortlist
  • 2003 British Construction Industry International Award finalist
  • 2005 Mies Van der Rohe Prize list

See also

References

External links

Gallery


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Spire of dublin — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Spire. Le Spire sur O Connell St. Le Spire de Dublin (An Túr Solais en irlandais) est une …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Spire de Dublín — Spire de Dublín. El Spire de Dublín, oficialmente denominado Monumento de la Luz, es un larguísimo cono de acero inoxidable de 120 metros de altura situado en O Connell Street, una de las calles más centricas de la capital irlandesa ocupando el… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Spire of Dublin — 53°20′59″N 6°15′37″O / 53.34972, 6.26028 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Dublin statues and their nicknames — Dublin statues are a significant feature of the cityscape of Dublin and many have acquired nicknames. The city s statues and other monuments have a long history of controversy about their subjects and designs, and a number of formerly prominent… …   Wikipedia

  • Spire (disambiguation) — Spire may refer to: * A Spire, tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building. * The Spire of Dublin * Spire, a character from Metroid Prime Hunters . * Blackrock Spire, an instance dungeon in World of Warcraft . * Endar Spire * …   Wikipedia

  • Spire — puede referirse a: Chicago Spire: Rascacielos que actualmente se encuentra en construcción en Chicago, (Estados Unidos). Spire de Dublín: La escultura de mayor altura del mundo, situada en una céntrica calle de la ciudad de Dublín (Irlanda). Esta …   Wikipedia Español

  • Dublin Metro — Info Locale Dublin Transit type Rapid transit Number of lines 2 Operation Began operation Propos …   Wikipedia

  • Dublin — This article is about the capital of Ireland. For other uses, see Dublin (disambiguation). Dublin Baile Átha Cliath Clockwise from top: Samuel Beckett Bridge, Trinity College …   Wikipedia

  • Dublin — /dub lin/, n. 1. Gaelic, Baile tha Cliath. a seaport in and the capital of the Republic of Ireland, in the E part, on the Irish Sea. 422,220. 2. a county in E Republic of Ireland. 1,001,985; 356 sq. mi. (922 sq. km). Co. seat: Dublin. 3. a city… …   Universalium

  • Dublin — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Dublin (homonymie). Dublin (en irlandais : Baile Átha Cliath) …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”