WORK will begin on what is set to become Limerick’s tallest building in the coming weeks at the long-awaited Opera Square in the heart of the city centre.
Construction of the 14-storey office building, which will overlook the Abbey River at Bank Place, will accommodate the Revenue Commissioners Office and other government departments.
The first phase of development, which will cost approximately €70m, was launched this Monday (January 26) by Mayor John Moran and Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW), Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran.
It was confirmed that John Sisk and Sons was awarded the contract by Limerick Twenty Thirty (LTT) for the works.
The building will take around 30 months to complete, during which time up to 300 workers will be employed as part of the construction.
As a hub for government departments in the Mid West, the office block will consolidate up to 1,500 civil servants – 950 at any one time in a hybrid working model.
Once completed, it will deliver 100,000 square foot of office space in a building that will achieve the ‘Nearly Zero Energy Building’ standard.
LTT is a special purpose company owned by Limerick City and County Council that develops key strategic sites in Limerick to drive economic growth, create jobs, and revitalise the city.
Speaking in Limerick, Minister Moran said: “This new landmark building will play a key role in the modernisation of OPW’s portfolio and its strategic goal to create more agile, digitally-enabled workspaces that will meet the current and future operational needs of our client departments and achieve value for money.”
Retaining civil servants in a city centre location will make a major contribution to advancing the urban regeneration goals of Limerick City and County Council and Limerick Twenty Thirty DAC, the Department said.
Mayor John Moran said that “driving the Opera Square development has been one of those priorities that keeps me awake at night. Now, I feel, we have real momentum … It’s a clear signal of continued Government support for Limerick and our future.”
Chair of Limerick Twenty Thirty James Collins added: “When we set out on the Opera Square journey, the 14-storey landmark building was undeniably one of the most ambitious and exciting elements of the plans. Advancing it, as we are, confirms Limerick’s ambition to build a world-class urban core and Limerick Twenty Thirty’s capacity to deliver on that ambition.”