The Atlantic Quarter is a proposed mixed-use residential and commercial development of 12 buildings on a 5-hectare site in the docklands area of Cork

Cork (city)

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

 city, in Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. The proposal includes three tower-blocks and a new swing bridge

Swing bridge

A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...

 over the River Lee

River Lee (Ireland)

The Lee is a river in Ireland. It rises in the Shehy Mountains on the western border of County Cork and flows eastwards through Cork City, where it splits in two for a short distance, creating an island on which Cork's city centre is built, and empties into the Celtic Sea at Cork Harbour on the...

.

The €1-billion development was launched on 6 March 2008, with the planning application lodged the following day, and is the largest development ever planned for Cork. It was the first major planning application since the adoption by Cork City Council

Cork City Council

Cork City Council is the local authority which is responsible for the city of Cork and its immediate hinterland in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment...

 of the South Docks Local Area Plan on 11 February 2008. The Council's decision on the application is due on 1 May 2008. If planning permission is granted, the developers predict that it will be complete by 2013.

Atlantic Quarter has been described as capable of rivalling Dublin's docklands area and acting as a counterweight to the International Financial Services Centre

International Financial Services Centre

The International Financial Services Centre is a major financial services centre in North Wall, Dublin, Ireland. The centre employs 14,000 people and was the brainchild of an associate of businessman Dermot Desmond...

 in Dublin and the Titanic Quarter in Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

. Ireland's Enterprise Minister, Micheál Martin

Micheál Martin

Micheál Martin is an Irish politician who has been leader of Fianna Fáil since January 2011. He is a Teachta Dála for the Cork South Central constituency...

, welcomed the project as one of the most important developments ever undertaken in Ireland.

Location

The site is located to east of Cork City Centre, on the south bank of the River Lee, at the former Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

 Distribution site in the ‘Marina Precinct’ of the South Docks. It is bounded by Centre Park Road to the north, a link road to the west, Monahan's Road to the south, and adjoins the Páirc Uí Chaoimh

Páirc Uí Chaoimh

Páirc Uí Chaoimh is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in the Ballintemple area of Cork in Ireland, where major hurling and Gaelic football matches are played. It is the home of Cork GAA...

 stadium.

Developer

The developer is Howard Holdings, a Cork-based property company whose earlier City Quarter project is regarded as the first regeneration project to take place in Cork’s docklands.

The principal architect is London-based Foster and Partners

Foster and Partners

Foster + Partners is an architectural firm based in London. The practice is led by its founder and Chairman, Norman Foster, and has constructed many high-profile glass-and-steel buildings....

, with other design work by Patel Taylor, Scott Tallon Walker

Scott Tallon Walker

Scott Tallon Walker is an architecture practice with its head office in Dublin, Ireland and further offices in London, Galway and Cork. It is one of the largest architecture practices in Ireland...

, Wilkinson Eyre, Urban Strategies, HKR Architects, Mitchell and Associates, Arup

Arup

Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...

, WYG, DLPKS and Cunnane Stratton Reynolds.

Buildings

The 1bn euro mixed-use project includes:

• Three tower-blocks of 30, 20 and 10 storeys in height.
• 51,000 m2 (550,000 sq ft) of office space.
• A 11,000 m2 (120,000 sq ft) event and conference centre capable of hosting over 5,300 people.
• A 205-room four-star hotel.
• 575 residential units catering for 1,600 residents.
• Bars, restaurants, shops and cafes designed to exploit the revamped dockland areas.

The development is described in more detail in the Britannica/Engineers Ireland paper: (http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/34311788/ATLANTIC-QUARTER-PROMISES-TO-TRANSFORM-CORKS-DOCKLANDS)
The €80m swing bridge, which will open to allow boats use the river, will be the biggest in Europe. Provisionally named the Eastern Gateway bridge, Greg Coughlan of Howard Holdings said the bridge was essential for the project to proceed. The developer would design the structure, but wants the Irish government

Irish Government

The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...

to fund the bridge's €80 million construction cost.