A new office refurbishment on Great Victoria Street has been developed with a generation of hybrid workers in mind.
Offices across Northern Ireland are still largely closed or operating at reduced capacity due to the coronavirus outbreak, with most firms now adapting to working from home. Recent statistics showed that most employers in Northern Ireland expect to keep their workforce at least partly remote in a new hybrid employment model that splits work between the office and home.
Businesses have been adapting their offices to open safely at around 25-50% capacity, and some are already planning for the long-term needs of a hybrid workforce. Now a new £25m office building development has been announced for Q2 2021 that has hybrid workforces and staff wellbeing specifically in mind.
Situated in Belfast's Great Victoria Street, the building refurbishment is named The Vantage and is expected to support up to 750 permanent staff once complete. The completed building will have two additional floors on top of what's currently built, and will offer 67,500 sq ft of Grade A office space right across from the Great Victoria Street bus and train station.
The building will include a number of amenities designed to promote wellbeing and help enable a hybrid workforce that works part time in the office and part time at home, including built-in showers, changing facilities, and bicycle storage. The entryway is also a wide open space and uses contactless security turnstile tech.
Stephen Surphlis, Managing Director of building developer MRP, commented on the build: "The Vantage is a real show of confidence in the local economy following the disruption caused by coronavirus. [...] Conscious that more people than ever before will be connecting with colleagues virtually, the building will also be certified for the highest level of internet connectivity."
Source: Written based on press release
