| The Exo Building | |
|---|---|
 The Exo Building topping out in June 2020 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Under construction |
| Architectural style | Modernist |
| Location | North Wall Quay, Dublin 1, D01 W5Y2 |
| Town or city | Dublin |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°20′51″N 6°13′39″W / 53.34755°N 6.22755°W |
| Construction started | January 2018 |
| Completed | 2021 projected practical completion |
| Cost | €80m development finance |
| Owner | European Property Investors Special Opportunities IV (EPISO 4) Fund |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 73 m (240 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 17 |
| Floor area | 16,025 m2 (172,490 sq ft) |
| Lifts/elevators | 9 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Shay Cleary Architects |
| Developer | Receivers from Grant Thornton on behalf of the National Asset Management Agency |
| Structural engineer | O'Connor Sutton Cronin |
| Main contractor | Bennett Construction |
The Exo Building is a 17-storey office building located at the corner of North Wall Quay and East Wall Road in Dublin 1, Ireland. The building is adjacent to the Point Depot (now the 3Arena) fronting on to the river Liffey and Dublin port. As of 2021, it is the tallest office building in the Republic of Ireland at 73 metres tall.[1][2] Exo is in reference to its exoskeleton which reflect the traditional industrial crane and gantry landscape of the port area.
State owned postal services and delivery company An Post have signed a lease to become the anchor tenant of the building.[3]
History
edit
The site was part of Dublin Bay and included a series of islands at low tide up until the reclamation of the land following the construction of the North Wall in 1717. The exact location sat at the corner of the reclaimed land facing open sea on one side and the mouth of the river Liffey on another prior to the construction of the modern Dublin Port.[4]
The site was later used as a railway and support yard by the Great Southern and Western Railway Company as part of the overall Point Depot facility. Later in the 20th century as the site ceased being used as a railway and goods depot, the main warehouse changed use to a music and concert venue while the adjacent yard ceased being used to transport trains and good carts to the port and largely lay empty as a supporting space.
The Watchtower
editThe building was constructed on a site which was previously earmarked for a Harry Crosbie Celtic Tiger era 40-storey residential skyscraper named The Watchtower. The building was later revised down to 32 stories before planning was granted by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority in 2006.[5][6] While construction began on the building soon after with excavations being completed in full and foundations and a 3 storey underground basement nearing completion, following the collapse of the Irish property market, the scheme was ultimately mothballed.
A succession of one off amusements and instalments including the underground Harry's bar and the Wheel of Dublin were carried out in the filled-in space for a period owing to its location adjacent to the 3 Arena. Crosbie's loans ultimately transferred to NAMA in 2013 and soon after Grant Thornton were appointed receivers soon after.[7]
References
edit- ^ Kelly, Olivia. "Green light for plan to build Dublin's tallest office block". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ Staff, Fora. "A European investment fund has bought the site of Dublin's future tallest office block". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "An Post will start fit-out of new HQ early in 2021". independent. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "Turtle Bunbury - Award-winning travel writer, historian and author based in Ireland". www.turtlebunbury.com. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ Staff, Fora. "Whatever happened to... a 40-storey skyscraper in Dublin's docks?". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "The WatchTower, Dublin | 320172 | EMPORIS". www.emporis.com. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ MACCORMAIC, Ruadhan. "Work to begin on site of €800m 'Point Village'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 January 2021.