As discussed by Dublin, Architect and Developer

Dublin: I am a world-class capital city with unique Celtic-Irish qualities. My evolution is extending to the inner city regeneration of the docklands into a high quality urban quarter, which will contribute to the social and economic prosperity of my urban community and of the whole of Ireland on a sustainable basis.

Architect: I am familiar with the area and the opportunity this presents.

Dublin: I have one 'brilliant' site at Britain Quay. It would be perfect for a landmark building with outstanding architectural qualities acting as a beacon for the city and a symbol for the renewal of the area. Even though the site is long and narrow, it demands a tall building to be effective and highly visible.
The members of the rock group, U2, want to build a recording studio on the top floors of the building. They need excellent acoustics, great views, as well as roof gardens and terraces.

Developer: I require a marketable building, which will attract quality tenants and provide a good return on investment.

Architect: I am seeing a tower, which carries a horizontally active media zone. It is giving information to the public; about the day in Ireland, about the weather, about Irish life, about activities in the tower and which is also a revenue generator displaying paid messaging.
In addition to a Spa/Nightclub/Bar/Restaurant which will occupy the first four floors and U2's Recording Studio on the top two floors, the tower will have 10 floors of rentable studio space providing revenue from media and IT businesses, ad agencies, graphic and industrial designers.

Dublin: I think the architecture wants to be about this city and about Ireland. It wants to represent features that are common to all Irish people, like the weather, the rain and the wind and put them into a meaningful Irish context.
It wants to tell stories about Ireland by giving us information. It wants to reach back into our past and take us forward into the future by reconnecting the Celt with ecology and hedonism; from the song of Amhairgin to the microchip; to celebrate our prowess with technology.

Architect: I see wind and rain, which are both primal and primary influences on Irish life, literally, becoming the driving forces of the building. I see wind being converted into electricity.
I see the building skin collecting rainwater and channelling it into great cisterns within the building where it is filtered for irrigation of the roof gardens and warmed for irrigation of a Spa, Nightclub, Restaurant and Bar, which might be called 'Rain'. As the weather gets worse, the water flow increases, the wind turbines spin faster and the energy and enjoyment of the experience increases.
The Spa has interior and exterior spaces - some are roofless - a Storm Room allows bathers to enjoy the best and worst of Irish weather while being heated by jets of hot air. Excess water is directed back into the river via giant spouts.

Developer: Operating and maintenance costs must fall within acceptable calculations.

Architect: I see electrical energy being generated by Vertical Axis Wind Turbines surmounting the tower. Using innovative technologies integrated with the architecture, wind turbines can provide about 30% of the energy needs of the building. I see two 16m diameter, illuminated cylindrical rotors reflecting the city's industrial archaeology in the form of the gas cylinders which once occupied the Dublin docklands. The VAW turbines operate silently without hazard to birdlife.
Extensive use of vegetation at the fourth floor and roof levels will create improved microclimate and habitat for wildlife.
The water supply is captured from rainfall, filtered and stored.
The inefficiencies of the floor-plate are partly offset by use of revenue generating electronic billboards facing the trans-river traffic flow.

Developer: The building must not be too difficult to build.

Architect: The structure can be made of conventional cast-in-place concrete. The 10 repeating floors in the main body of the tower could be constructed using slip forms for speed, efficiency and economy.
The building skin is comprised of an energy efficient curtain-wall glazing system.
The wind turbines are not complex mechanisms, instead they are simple and inexpensive to build when compared to conventional horizontal axis wind turbines.
The base of the building from Ground to fourth floor is a rich environment of concrete forms, landscape, water, sound and spaces supporting a plethora of hedonistic activities.