Suites at a high-tech office block on the quays are aimed at those in the legal profession
OFFICE SUITES for sale and to rent in a new building beside the Four Courts in Dublin city centre are aimed primarily at barristers looking for high quality accommodation.
Ormond Building, a five-storey block overlooking the River Liffey at Ormond Quay, will also include a mediation centre, consultation rooms, video conferencing and a range of other back-up facilities for many of the 1,200 barristers based around the Dublin courts.
Estate agent HT Meagher O’Reilly, who is marketing the 3,600sq m (38,750sq ft) building, will be showing the various office options to interested parties for a week starting tomorrow.
Selling prices start at €8,180 per sq m (€760 per sq ft) on the first floor while rents will be from €592 per sq m (€55 per sq ft). Office sizes will range from 47sq m (505sq ft) and, according to the agent, two barristers will be able to purchase an office unit between them from €228,000 or rent one from €1,300 per month.
Ormond House has been developed by John Paul Construction – a firm operating in the Dublin office market for some 60 years – on a long vacant site bought by public tender from Dublin City Council in 2007 for around €9.5 million.
The new block, designed by architects DMOD, is an impressive addition to the quays, illustrating the vicissitudes of what was once one of the city’s best known quarters, from luxury and commerce to poverty and decline and back to commerce and law.
The distinctive new block is a cohesive blend of classic and modern materials. The stone columns and double-glazed façade are topped with zinc-clad offices at penthouse level with generous terraces looking across the Liffey at the city council’s modern headquarters.
Paul Hanly of the selling agent says the location of Ormond Building “50 steps from the Four Courts” will provide the legal community with a professional image in a corporate building with a strong visual identity. The area has good transport links, including the Luas, and there are numerous car-parks within easy walking distance.
Internal finishes in the building are equally impressive, particularly in the handsome reception lobby which features Jura limestone, black granite, timber, a floating leather wall, recessed lighting and an unusual water feature to mirror the Liffey.
Office suites vary in size and orientation, and come with third generation specification, including raised floors, perforated metal ceiling tiles, air conditioning, Category 6 data cabling, TV piping and toilet and tea station facilities.
Occupiers will be able to avail of a professional design and fit-out service through John Paul Construction and DMOD Architects. For security reasons each office is accessed with its own key system and the building can be entered at any time by owners and tenants.
The selling agent says that running costs in Ormond Building will be significantly lower than equivalent blocks through reduced power consumption and cooling costs.
The building has a high level of insulation to reduce heating costs, on-site document storage which reduces transport costs and a special phone system to enable free calls to be made within the building and to any linked exchange.
“The more efficient the building, the lower the service charges will be, something that is increasingly important for occupiers today,” says James Meagher of HT Meagher O’Reilly.
An important part of the information technology service being fitted will include the latest developments in firewalls and preventative security.
