Ballsbridge headquarters development hits the market

Offices: The Oval will provide a prestigious corporate headquarters, a range of flexible office sizes and a new focus for Ballsbridge. Jack Fagan reports

The Oval, the first major new business and retail environment to be built in Ballsbridge for many years, has been launched on the market by joint agents HT Meagher O'Reilly and Jones Lang LaSalle.

It is likely to be of interest to several leading firms planning to expand their facilities, including solicitors Matheson Ormsby Prentice which is seeking 11,612 sq m (125,000 sq ft) and Frys which is likely to require 9,290 sq m (100,000 sq ft).

Offering 13,500 sq m (145,313 sq ft) of accommodation on the site adjacent to Ballsbridge Motors on Shelbourne Road, The Oval will be a very distinctive building that dominates the area. A special feature is the creation of a new street with new public access to boardwalks along the River Dodder at the rear of the site. Its centrepiece will be the old red-brick laundry chimney of the former Spring Grove laundry, a landmark in the area since 1865.

With an unbeatable profile in Dublin's pre-eminent location and an original design that will become a classic in its own right, The Oval will provide prestigious corporate headquarters as well as a range of flexible offices sizes and a new focus for the area, according to the joint agents.

A strong selling point will be the inclusion of a gymnasium and swimming pool with the latest equipment. The joint agents are quoting an annual office rent of €485 per sq m (€45 per sq ft) together with €3,175 for each of the 76 car spaces.

The Oval's specifications include the first ever use in Dublin of a European-style terracota screen that reduces glare and deflects rain from the extensive glazed area which will provide maximum natural lighting. The office space, over five storeys, will be designed around a highly distinctive rotunda built around the 140ft high chimney, with the redbrick façade matching the old structure.

The design allows for unlimited options in terms of office layouts while generous ceiling heights will contribute to a bright and open working environment. The ground floor will face the public walkway to the Dodder and there will be 76 car-parking spaces and 250 bicycle places in an underground car-park.

A gym and changing rooms will also be part of the development.

Its well-established location puts The Oval close to the RDS and the DART as well as many of Dublin's leading hotels, top restaurants and pubs, not to mention Lansdowne Road rugby stadium. Among the major companies located in the area are the AIB headquarters, Goodbody Stockbrokers, Iona Technologies and Eagle Star.

The Oval is designed by Ashlinn Coleman architects and the developers are David Colgan, Finian McDonnell, Phil Monaghan and Pat Ryan, who have been involved together in other successful developments such as The Colonnade on Harcourt Street - let in its entirety to BCM Hanby Wallace - together with extensive developments in Sandyford over the last 15 years.

Further information is available from Deirdre Costello or Fionnuala O'Buachalla at Jones Lang LaSalle at Dublin 673 1600 or Declan O'Reilly or Deirdre Hayes at HT Meagher O'Reilly at Dublin 634 2466.