Temple Bar Balloon

Client: Temple Bar Properties
Feasibility Study

In 2005 we completed a feasibility study for a tethered helium filled balloon with visitor facilities, situated on a prominent site in Dublin city centre. The 23-metre diameter balloon is attached to a passenger gondola, carrying up to 30 people. A cable moors the balloon to the ground, from which it can be winched into the air, with passengers, to a height of 150m, allowing spectacular panoramic views of the city.
The balloon is to be mounted on top of a two-storey pavilion, which accommodates the sales and ticketing, café and a shop at ground floor level, with a large conference space at first floor level. The inclined vertical structure, expressed on the outside of the building envelope, has been inspired by the yurt structures of Mongolian nomads. The pavilion is topped with a steel ‘nest’ structure, which provides support for the balloon’s mooring system when not in use.
The proposed balloon and structure is not site specific and could be built in any city or park. Should the need ever arise, the structure has been designed so that it can be completely dismantled and re-erected on another site.

Project team:
Seán Harrington, Ryan Gillespie, Gavin Smyth.