Novell, the network software multinational, is constructing a headquarters building in the Dublin docklands which could accommodate up to 1,000 employees.
The company already employs approximately 140 staff in its offices in Treasury Building on Grand Canal Street. It was announced yesterday that it has successfully tendered for a landmark building to be built in the former Dublin Gas site in the Grand Canal Docks.
While no jobs announcement was made, a 10,000 sq m building, such as the one which is to be built, would normally hold between 900 and 1,000 employees.
It is expected the seven-storey office block will be ready for occupation within two to two-and-a-half years. In terms of the development of the docklands the announcement is the first major non-financial services company to move into the area supervised by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA).
Novell was selected by the board of the DDDA on Tuesday following consideration of six submissions. The office building is to be built with river frontage at the corner of Sir John Rogerson's Quay and Cardiff Lane.
The managing director of Novell Ireland, Ms Caroline Lonergan, said the new office building will help the company keep close to its major customers "and will help us attract the high calibre IT staff we are currently seeking".
Novell Ireland is the operations, customer service, finance and international product development centre which supports Novell's European, Middle East and African markets. It recently signed a strategic enterprise agreement with the Government which covers all central government, local government and semi-state companies. The Government is the first to have signed such an agreement.
Novell was founded in 1983 and has its headquarters in Utah, in the US. Its worldwide customers include almost all the Fortune 100 companies. It employs almost 5,000 people worldwide.
The development is the latest of a number of major IT proposals and expansions which are going to put huge pressure on an already stretched IT labour market.
From the DDDA's point of view Novell's involvement will act as a flagship for the development of the 9.6 hectare Dublin Gas site. The harbour site is to be the location for a £1.57 billion (€2 billion) project involving offices, apartments, shops, restaurants and arts and cultural facilities.
Up to now the development of the docklands has been based on financial services companies. The Novell headquarters will be a new departure, creating a greater diversity of employment in the area.
"This significant landmark building represents the first important step in the development of the Grand Canal Harbour," said Mr Peter Coyne, chief executive of the DDDA. "This is exactly the type of international anchor tenant the authority was seeking for this major landmark development."
The winning submission from Novell was designed by architects Anthony Reddy & Associates. An invitation for submissions for a second site in Grand Canal Harbour is to be issued by the authority shortly.
