U2 is to get a new recording studio in a 60-metre landmark tower as part of a radical redevelopment of Dublin's docklands.
The building, which will be similar in height to Liberty Hall, will be located on Britain Quay, where the River Dodder joins the Liffey. It is expected to be completed within three years.
The top two floors will be dedicated to a new recording studio for U2, just around the corner from their old premises on Hanover Quay, which the band was unable to save despite a planning battle more than a year ago.
The twisting tower design, created by a team of Dublin-based architects, Burdon Dunne and Craig Henry Architects, was chosen from more than 500 entries from around the world.
Mr Felim Dunne, a brother-in-law of U2 manager Mr Paul McGuinness, is a member of the winning consortium. The designs were considered anonymously by a judging panel, according to a spokesman for the Dublin Docklands Development Authority.
The Docklands Authority, which owns the site of the planned building, estimates it could cost up to €40 million to build, but has yet to decide how it will be financed. It expects the rest of the tower to be occupied by a mixture of office and residential units, along with a possible bar, restaurant and entertainment venue.
U2's Adam Clayton was one of the seven-member judging panel which chose the design.
The chief executive of the Dublin Docklands Authority, Mr Peter Coyne, said it would be a spectacular building and would form a landmark on Dublin's quayside.
"We now have a concept for a building and are very excited about that. It will give us an iconic landmark for the area. In terms of moving it forward, we have a lot of work to do as we have to take the concept through detailed design."
He said Mr Clayton was happy with the design, although the other U2 members had yet to see the winning entry.
The band was forced to move from its old recording studio as it stood in the way of the redevelopment of the Grand Canal Dock area. The Docklands Authority also declined to comment on suggestions that the deal with U2 involved a straight swap for the top floors of the proposed tower.
A number of other imaginative entries from London, Ohio, Paris and Dublin were singled out for praise. The included concepts based around the sail of a boat.
