Despite the consistent flow of new office blocks in Dublin city, particularly along the southside of the docks, demand remains strong for buildings sufficiently sizeable to host headquarters for Ireland's growing financial services companies.
Bank of Ireland is one such firm which is currently in the market for a new headquarters. The bank, which recently moved its corporate banking staff out of La Touche House in the IFSC, having sold the building for €82.5 million back in 2002, had also agreed to sell its Baggot Street headquarters for more than €200 million in 2006. It is currently leasing the building while it looks for a new headquarters.
The IDA, which is currently located in the 12,077sq m Wilton House, beside PricewaterhouseCoopers' old headquarters Gardner House, is also looking for a new headquarters.
Others believed to be looking for office space sizeable enough to accommodate all their Dublin based staff include KPMG, while the Central Bank and the Financial Regulator are also suffering from capacity problems at its locations on Dame Street.
Meanwhile, insurance firm Aon has agreed to lease more than 3,700 square metres of office space in The Metropolitan Building, off Talbot Street in Dublin 1. The firm currently operates from three offices on Fitzwilliam Square, Lansdowne Road and Lower Mount Street, but will now amalgamate all staff in the new office. |
