A major construction milestone has been celebrated at Northern Ireland's largest Grade A office development in Belfast Harbour.

Contractor Farrans was on hand to top out Belfast Harbour's City Quays 3, marking the completion of the building's external structure.

Belfast Harbour's largest property development project to date, the 250,000 square feet building will accommodate 1,800 people when complete.

The building is the latest component of City Quays, a contemporary, sustainable, waterfront development that includes commercial offices, retail, cafes, restaurants and multi-storey car parking, as well as the AC by Marriott Hotel. The area will be amplified by the recent announcement that Belfast Harbour plans to develop a multi-million pound urban garden and public space.

Construction started on City Quays 3 in 2019 and the development has supported 600 construction jobs during the build including a number of apprenticeship roles. Work on the building is expected to be completed before the end of this year.

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The project, designed by Belfast-based architects RPP, is being built to the BREEAM Excellent sustainability standard, placing it in the top 10 per cent of sustainable new buildings in the UK. The new building is also one of the first development projects in the city to incorporate design elements to help navigate the challenges of the pandemic and reduce surface contact in the workplace.

Joe O'Neill, Belfast Harbour's CEO, said: "Our 'Port for Everyone' vision is to develop an iconic waterfront for the city, working with partners to create a vibrant space that all communities can enjoy, and making Belfast Harbour an attractive place to live, work, visit and invest. That vision is one step closer with the topping out of City Quays 3, which will be Northern Ireland's largest Grade A office development.

"City Quays is already home to a growing community of diverse blue-chip businesses, with offices at City Quays 1 and 2 fully let and over 1,000 people working in the buildings. We are excited to be nearing the completion of City Quays 3 later this year."

Noel Cosgrove, project manager from Farrans, added: "We know that the people of Belfast have been watching the progress on City Quays 3 and in the last week we have fitted the final glass panels to successfully top out on this impressive structure. As a team we have a real sense of pride in what we are delivering here. The views from the building over the marina, Belfast Lough and the whole city will mean that every day will be different in this bright workspace."