Michael Scott and his team of young architects and designers were engaged to design the scheme, with discussions beginning 1944. Initially a circular two-storey building was proposed for the site and with outline planning permission granted on these plans, the stores were demolished. The planned building was rose from 2 to 4 storeys, as the newly formed Córas Iompar Éireann (CIÉ) sought to amalgamate all of its disparate offices across the city into the one building. "The Irish Times" featured a photomontage of the proposed new building with the Custom House on its front page. The montage claimed to be drawn from the submitted plans with Dublin Corporation on 3 October 1946. Scott began legal proceedings against the paper, claiming that the montage was libellous due to its misrepresentation of his design. He eventually settled for an apology and costs from the newspaper in April 1947. The prospect of a tall modern building imposed behind the Custom House generated considerable criticism from the public, and led to assurances from the Corporation that advice would be sought on the approval of any plans.