The new visual control tower at Dublin Airport has won the Commercial Building of the Year in the Building and Architect Awards 2021. The 86.9m tower is the largest occupied building in the State.
The control cab can facilitate up to 12 air traffic positions with wide ranging views. The base of the building has staff facilities. It also contains electronic systems for technical support and control of the equipment, systems and building environment.
The infographic below shows the tallest buildings in Ireland by height. The next nearest in height is Capital Docks, a mixed use office and residential tower at Grand Canal Dock, at 79m. In Cork the mixed use Elysian Building is 69m.
32 million passengers in 2019
In 2019 Dublin Airport handles 32 million passengers and was one of the busiest in Europe. The new control tower has been built to handle parallel runway operations for the new Northern Runway. It will also be preparing for future growth at Dublin Airport.
The elegant modern structure was designed by architects Scott Tallon Walker. Construction was by BAM Ireland, Arup and Linesight, working with the Irish Aviation Authority.
The current tower was built in 1990 and will remain operational for backup purposes when the new tower is fully operational.
At present the tower is going through live trials in advance of opening. The new facility will be ready for dual runway operations when the Northern parallel runway is introduced at Dublin Airport in the third quarter of 2022.
Dublin Airport has won many architectural awards over the years. The original 1940s terminal building designed by Desmond FitzGerald with the Office of Public Works has won many prestigious awards. It was designed in the International Style.