Ian Ritchie Architects won the international competition for a monument in the centre of Dublin. The design is the flagship project of a wider improvement of the centre of Ireland’s capital city. Obviously creating a national monument has involved many interested parties. Dublin Corporation granted permission in 1999. The project was subsequently challenged in the High Court by two other competitors. The judge requested a full Environmental Impact Assessment (replacing a monument with a monument) from Dublin Corporation. This independent report was submitted to the Irish Minister of the Environment in June 2000. 120 metres high and 3 metres in diameter at the base, the tapering monument rises above O’Connell Street, breaking above the roof line with as slender and elegant a movement as is technically possible. Its structure and surfaces respond to the character and climate of the Irish landscape: the Spire sways gently in direct response to the wind and during daytime the monument softly reflects the light of Ireland’s sky. From dusk, the base is gently lit and the tip illuminated to provide a beacon in the night sky over Dublin. It has its roots in the ground and its light in the sky. The bronze base is flush with the surrounding paving, allowing individuals and groups to stand on the base and touch the spire surface. The base incorporates a spiral alluding to the continuity of Ireland’s history and an expanding future. The historical role of bronze in the development of Irish art is continued into the future as the base acquires both the patina from the Irish climate and the golden polish of human contact. The Spire was completed in 2003 in celebration of Ireland’s confident future in the third millennium. British Construction Industry International Award finalist 2003 RIBA Award & Stirling Prize shortlist 2004 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture 2005 Mies van der Rohe Award Shortlist 2005