Obel Tower in Belfast

This is a list of the tallest habitable buildings on the island of Ireland (used for living and working in, as opposed to masts and churches). This includes both Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. The island of Ireland has relatively few tall buildings. The island's first tall building was Liberty Hall, built in 1965, which stands at 59.4 metres (195 ft). The current tallest habitable building on the island of Ireland is the Obel Tower in Belfast, Northern Ireland at 85 metres (279 ft).[1][2][3] The tallest storied building in the Republic of Ireland is Capital Dock in Dublin, at about 79 metres (259 ft).[4][5]

Tallest habitable buildings

Republic of Ireland

Rank Name Location Type Year
completed 		Floors
(above ground) 		Height Picture
1 Capital Dock Dublin Mixed-use 2018 22[5] 79 m (259 ft)[6]
2 The Exo Building Dublin Office 2021 17[7] 73 m (240 ft)
3 The Elysian Cork Mixed-use 2008 17[8] 71 m (233 ft)[8][9]
4= Google Docks Dublin Office 2010 15[10] 67 m (220 ft)
4= Cork County Hall Cork Office 1968 17 67 m (220 ft)[11]
6 Millennium Tower Dublin Residential 1998 16 63 m (207 ft)
7 Liberty Hall Dublin Office 1965 17 59.4 m (195 ft)
8 One George's Quay Plaza Dublin Office 2002 13 59 m (194 ft)
9 Riverpoint Limerick Mixed use 2008 15 58.5 m (192 ft)
10 Crowne Plaza Dundalk Hotel 2007 14[12] 58 m (190 ft)
11 Sandyford Central, Block D Dublin Residential 2023 17[13] 57.1 m (187 ft)[13][14]
12 Clayton Hotel Limerick Hotel 2002 17 57 m (187 ft)
13 Boland's Quay Dublin Mixed use 2020 13 54 m (177 ft)
14 Metro Hotel, Ballymun Dublin Hotel 2005 15[15] 52.1 m (171 ft)[16]
15 Alto Vetro Dublin Residential 2008 16 51 m (167 ft)

Northern Ireland

Rank Name Location Type Year
completed 		Floors
(above ground) 		Height Picture
1 Obel Tower Belfast Residential 2010 28 85 m (279 ft) [2][1][3]
2 Grand Central Hotel Belfast Hotel 1975 23 80 m (260 ft)
3 Belfast City Hospital Belfast Hospital 1986 15 76 m (249 ft)
4 City Quays 3 Belfast Office 2022 16[17] 73.8 m (242 ft) [18]
5 The Ewart Building Belfast Office 2022 17[19][20] 73 m (240 ft)
6 Belfast Hilton Hotel Belfast Hotel 1998 16 63 m (207 ft)
7 BT Riverside Tower Belfast Office 1998 14 62 m (203 ft)
8 Divis Tower Belfast Residential 1966 20 61 m (200 ft)
9= Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast Hospital 2012 12 57 m (187 ft)
9= The Boat Belfast Residential, Office 2010 15 57 m (187 ft)
11 Ulster University Campus Belfast Education 2022[21] 12[22] 55.5 m (182 ft)
12= Linium Square Belfast Office 2005 13 55 m (180 ft)
12= Causeway Tower Belfast Office 2004 13 55 m (180 ft)
12= Great Northern Tower Belfast Office 1992 13 55 m (180 ft)
15 Belfast City Hall Belfast Government building 1906 N/A 53 m (174 ft)
16 Grainne House Belfast Residential 1968 17 52 m (171 ft)
17 Europa Hotel Belfast Hotel 1971 13 51 m (167 ft)
18 Lanyon Place Belfast Office 2014 12 50 m (160 ft)

Tallest buildings by city

This list only includes cities with buildings taller than 50m. Cities in light blue are in Northern Ireland.

City Building Height Floor count Completed
Belfast Obel Tower 85 m (279 ft) 28 2010
Dublin Capital Dock 79 m (259 ft) 22[5] 2018
Cork The Elysian 71 m (233 ft) 17 2008
Limerick Riverpoint 58.5 m (192 ft) 15 2008

Under construction

Name Location Type Floors
(above ground) 		Height Notes
College Square Dublin Residential and office 21[23] 79m[24] Construction commenced in 2022.
East Wharf Dublin Hotel and residential 15 52.7m Construction commenced in 2022.[25]

Cancelled

The below list contains details of buildings with a planned height of over 50m which were under construction but where the project was stopped or cancelled.

Name Location Type Floors
(above ground) 		Height Year cancelled Notes
U2 Tower Dublin Mixed-Use 36 130m[26] 2008 Would have been tallest building in Ireland if completed. 3 basement floors were completed at the time of cessation of the project. The site was later used to house Capital Dock.
The Watchtower Dublin Hotel 40 120m[27] 2013 Site was sold to Nama in 2013 and is now partially used as the site of the Exo Building.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Obel Tower > Glazed In Window Vents > Belfast". brookvent.co.uk. Brookvent. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Planning permission granted for what will be Ireland's tallest building in Cork". irishnews.com. Irish News. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021. Ireland's tallest building is currently the Obel Tower in Belfast, standing at 85 metres high
  3. ^ a b "Tallest building in Ireland taken over by administrators". thejournal.ie. Journal Media Ltd. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  4. ^ Ciarán Hancock (22 July 2016). "John Sisk to build major development at Capital Dock". Irishtimes.com. Irish Times. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "Capital Dock to set new benchmark with two-bed units renting at €3,300 a month". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 20 November 2018. Capital Dock is Ireland's tallest residential building at 22 storeys
  6. ^ "Huge new office development set for Dublin's Docklands". thejournal.ie. The Journal. 20 October 2015.
  7. ^ Olivia Kelly (31 March 2016). "Green light for plan to build Dublin's tallest office block". Irishtimes.com. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Cork anchor unit for over €13m". Irish Times. 9 April 2008.
  9. ^ "2008 – The Elysian, Eglinton St., Cork". Archiseek. 2010.
  10. ^ "Google snaps up Dublin's landmark Montevetro development". Independent News & Media. 17 February 2011.
  11. ^ "County Hall, County Cork". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 19 October 2018. Detached rectangular-plan seventeen-storey county hall, built 1968, [..] For many years it stood as the tallest building in Ireland at 67m
  12. ^ "Crowne Plaza Dundalk Could Be Set To Change Hands". Talkofthetown.ie. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018. The 14 storey, 129 bed Crowne Plaza Dundalk opened in September 2007
  13. ^ a b "Citizen Portal Planning". planning.agileapplications.ie. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Apartment Highlights - The Hudson - Dublin Apartments to Rent". The Hudson. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  15. ^ "€5.5m for hotel and apartments". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  16. ^ "Planning application: Metro Hotel, Dublin Airport, Santry Cross, Ballymun Road, Dublin 9". Dublin City Council. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Planning approval for £46m Belfast office block".
  18. ^ "Rooftop Illuminated Building Sign on South East Elevation". https://epicpublic.planningni.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2022. ((cite web)): External link in |website= (help)
  19. ^ McLaughlin, Sophie (13 January 2022). "Former linen warehouse restoration unveiled in Belfast city centre". BelfastLive. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  20. ^ "A 'topping out' ceremony marks huge milestone at 'The Ewart'". 23 August 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  21. ^ "Lyons visits completed Ulster University campus". economy-ni.gov.uk. 28 September 2022.
  22. ^ "FCBS scoops planning for £250m Belfast campus". architectsjournal.co.uk. 14 March 2013.
  23. ^ "An Board Pleanala approves College Square 21-storey-tower". Marlet. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  24. ^ "College Square, Dublin". Emporis. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  25. ^ "MKN applies to convert planned six office units to apartments". Business Post. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  26. ^ "U2 Tower Dublin". Archived from the original on 13 January 2021.
  27. ^ "The Watchtower Dublin". Archived from the original on 11 January 2021.
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