Spire of Dublin

The Spire, seen from the Henry Street

The Spire (English: " The tip " ) is a monument and landmark of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The Spire is officially called " Monument of Light " ( " Monument of Light" ), and in Irish "An Túr Solais " ( "Tower of Light" ).

The 123 meter (404 feet) high stainless steel needle is since 2003 in the middle of O'Connell Street and is illuminated at night. It stands on the site of the March 8, 1966 blown up by the IRA Nelson's Column ( " Nelson 's Pillar " ) and should be completed at the millennium, however, the completion delayed by three years.

Planned and designed was the longest sculpture in the world by the architectural firm Ian Ritchie Architects from the UK. For the structural analysis the engineering firm Arup was responsible. The needle of steel is 126 tons and consists of eight parts, which are held together by bolts 204 and a total of two kilometers welds. The Spire stands on a concrete foundation and has at its base a diameter of three meters, at the top of 15 centimeters. At its peak, in addition, a light is integrated, that can be perceived clearly to the Dublin Bay and the surrounding area. By damper inside the fluctuation at the top is limited to 1.50 meters. In the vernacular, the sculpture is both the name Spike and Stiletto in the ghetto or Stiffy by the Liffey. The Spire is also a popular meeting place for young people in Dublin.

The cost of the building amounted to around four million euros. The Spire was nominated construction prices for the following architectural and: RIBA National Award and Stirling Prize (2004), British Construction Industry International Award ( 2003), Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture ( 2005).

The Spire in the cityscape

Walking from The Spire

Construction of The Spire in 2003