3 days ago
First office block ready for business on former Waterford Crystal factory site
The first building in what is being billed as Ireland's first co-located university enterprise quarter has been launched on the site of the former Waterford Crystal factory site on Waterford City's Cork Road.
Extending to 7,432sq m (80,000sq ft) across four floors of LEED Gold, WiredScore Gold and A3 Ber-rated office space, Building One at Glassworks is capable of accommodating approximately 800 workers.
The property offers occupiers flexible floor plates ranging in size from 130sq m (1,400sq ft) to 1,579sq m (17,000sq ft). The office accommodation is complemented by a double-height entrance lobby, two lifts, parking, electric-vehicle charging points, a concierge service, and landscaped public spaces including seating. Cyclists will have access to showers, changing rooms and lockers on the ground and first floor, in addition to a secure bike store.
Building One forms part of the wider 37-acre Glassworks campus, which upon completion, is expected to have capacity for a 6,000-strong workforce.
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An architect's impression of the planned Glassworks university enterprise quarter on the site of the former Waterford Crystal factory
The Glassworks scheme derives its name from the Waterford Crystal works, which ceased production on the site in 2009 after 62 years. Building One incorporates the former Waterford Crystal showrooms which have been remodelled as offices.
Located next to the South East Technological University's (SETU) academic and research facilities, the IDA Business & Technology Park and the IDA Industrial Park, the Glassworks development is aiming to emulate the success of other university-enterprise quarters internationally such as the University of Nottingham's Innovation Park and the Cortex Innovation District in St Louis, Missouri.
Building One was developed with the assistance of a €43 million investment by a joint venture formed between the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) and Waterford-based developer Frisby.
Commenting on the State fund's involvement in the development, ISIF director Nick Ashmore said: 'ISIF's commitment to Building One is an example of its double bottom-line mandate at work, investing on a commercial basis in a manner designed to support economic activity and employment in the State.'
He added: 'Glassworks will create unique opportunities for both local and international businesses and act as a cornerstone for the southeast's future development.'
Noel Frisby jnr of Frisby said: 'Building One offers sustainable world-class accommodation to innovation-driven businesses keen to take advantage of the resources and commitment that this prime location will benefit from in the years to come.'
Building One is being let by Peter O'Flynn and Siobhán Young of Cushman & Wakefield.
