Plans for a new €400m cultural and commercial quarter in Dublin's south docklands were officially launched today.
The Grand Canal Square, designed by internationally-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, would have a diamond-shaped 2,000-seat-theatre with a glass curtained facade as its centrepiece.
Libeskind presented the master plan for the Freedom Tower and spire mimicking the Statue of Liberty's torch-holding arm being built on the site of the World Trade Center in New York that was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
'Daniel's designs mark an exciting step forward in delivering an architectural legacy for the Docklands and city of Dublin,' said Dominic Deeny, chief executive of the developing company, Chartered Land.
Later this year, the property company will unveil plans for a major re-development off Dublin's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street.
The Libeskind-designed theatre is the main facade of a large public square that has a five-star hotel and residences on one side and an office building on the other.
The Grand Canal Square is part of extensive regeneration of the city's south docks by the Dublin Docklands Authority (DDA).
The regeneration will also include a 100-metre high U2 Tower that will house luxury apartments with shops and restaurants, with the top floor reserved as a recording studio for the band.
