Architect's consortium to design 120m tower in Dublin for the rock band U2

Foster + Partners has won the competition to design the U2 Tower in Dublin docklands.

The 120m tower will include hotel, retail and retail accommodation, with a viewing deck at 100m and a recording studio at its summit.

The architect is a member of a winning consortium, Geranger Ltd, alongside Ballymore Properties, investor Patrick McKillen and U2’s band members and management, trading under the name of August Partners.

The tower’s design has a troubled history. Its original design, by Dublin practices Burdon Dunne and Craig Henry Architects (BCDH), was for a 60m tower.

After the planned tower was increased in height, six consortia were invited to submit bids to develop the BCDH design, but were also given the option to tender a new design.

The consortium featuring Zaha Hadid and Fosters+ Partners submitted new designs, and the latter subsequently won the competition.

There were also conflict of interest issues surrounding the original BCDH design, after it emerged that Burdon Dunne architect Felim Dunne is the brother-in-law of U2 manager Paul McGuinness.

Construction is expected to begin early next year.