- Blackrock Shopping Centre upgrade almost complete
9 December 2019, Dublin: Friends First, now part of Aviva Life & Pensions, have completed the development of an impressive, 75,000 sq. ft. Grade A office building in Blackrock, Co. Dublin. The building is occupied by a single tenant, Zurich.
Following the development of a detailed design and working with Lafferty Architects, we were awarded a grant of planning to develop a property more than twice the size at 75,000 sq. ft. In November 2017, we instructed Collen Construction to commence the demolition of the old Enterprise House building and construct the new office development
Suzie Nolan, Senior Property Fund Manager, Friends First Property Fund
The new building has now been completed to a very high specification and to a LEED Gold standard. Energy efficiency, sustainability and environmental requirements form an integral part of the new building’s design. The building is laid out over five floors on a podium above car parking. The upper floors boast fantastic views over Dublin bay and across to the Dublin mountains.
Friends First recently completed a significant upgrade of the nearby Trident House office. The project included upgrading the common areas, the façade and replacing the lifts. Zurich's IT Services Hub is now in occupation.
Adjacent to the two offices above, Friends First is in the process of upgrading Blackrock Shopping Centre, which is anchored by Musgrave SuperValu. These works are well underway, with new travellators installed recently and the installation of the bespoke glazed roof structure commencing in the coming weeks. There are eight new retail units available to let through joint agents BNP Paribas and Savills. There is also additional office space above the façade of the shopping centre which was launched to the market recently by BNP Paribas. Initial interest from potential retail and office tenants has been strong.