Historic day for Waterford City as new Glassworks Building One launched at the former Waterford Crystal site

‘Where University meets Enterprise’ is the tagline for the Glassworks Building One, launched today and which sees the transformation of the former Waterford Crystal site into a co-located university enterprise quarter.

The site is being developed in a €43m Joint Venture by Frisby Ltd and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund.

‘Building One’, the initial 80,000 sq ft flagship office building, is expected to open by the end of the year. It will have capacity for 800 employees and will be Waterford’s first purpose-built, BER A3 rated office building that meets LEED Gold and WiredScore Gold standards.

The 37-acre ‘Glassworks’ site is set to feature offices strategically located beside the South East Technological University’s (SETU) academic and research facilities, and has the future potential to be redeveloped further as part of a University Enterprise Quarter.

The positioning of Glassworks, on Waterford’s Cork Road beside SETU, is aimed to act as an engine for high-quality employment, economic growth, research and education in Waterford and the wider south east region.

Planning permission has also been granted for a 582-student bed development on adjacent lands.

SETU President Professor Veronica Campbell says that Glassworks’ launch is a defining moment for the region and Ireland as a whole.

Glassworks will play a pivotal role in Ireland’s knowledge economy where students, startups and researchers can collaborate, test ideas and create the next generation of ground-breaking products, technologies and businesses.