By Business & Finance 
One Microsoft Place, Leopardstown, Dublin (Photo: Naoise Culhane)
An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD was joined at the Leopardstown opening by Peggy Johnson, Executive Vice-President, Microsoft Corporation; Cathriona Hallahan, MD, Microsoft Ireland and Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland.
The €134 million campus, at One Microsoft Place, Leopardstown, Co. Dublin, is a state-of-the-art workspace with Microsoft members from different parts of the business holding a diverse range of skills.
The CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, says the new facility is aimed at bringing everyone in the business together with a common mission of helping every person and organisation on the planet achieve more.
Leo Varadkar commented on the launch event, saying: “The opening of this campus is a landmark day for Microsoft, which first came to Ireland 33 years ago, and a testament to the calibre of our tech talent who have contributed so positively to Microsoft’s global growth.”
Peggy Johnson, Executive Vice-President of Microsoft, said: “Technology is rapidly changing how we live, work and play, and Microsoft is a major force driving this change. Working together as One Microsoft, we are bringing our talents together to achieve more – for our customers, our partners and our own employees.”
Microsoft Ireland’s Managing Director Cathriona Hallahan said at the opening: “As part of the development of the new campus, we invested over €5 million in the creation of a dedicated innovation and education hub, DreamSpace, with a supporting digital skills programme. We plan to bring 100,000 young people and their teachers to our campus over the next four years to give them an understanding of the transformational nature of technology, equip them with the digital skills they need to engage fully with technology and encourage them to use their imagination to create their own future.”
The design and layout of the building is based on a mountains and lakes theme. At the centre of the atrium is a wood-carved mountain and a digital lake with an LED waterfall flowing into it. Also at the campus are relaxation areas, a range of catering facilities; a gym, yoga pod, treatment rooms, a mother’s room, a podcast room, hang-out areas and the latest Microsoft technologies.
RKD Architects and Gensler were the lead designers with Mace and CBRE providing project management services. Also, BAM was the lead contractor working alongside Jones Engineering.
Cathriona Hallahan concluded: “For those who have the privilege of working here every day, it will be an inspiring space designed to meet professional and lifestyle needs. Combine all of the physical elements with the talented people that come in through the door every morning, bringing life into the physical space each day and this truly becomes one of the most inspiring places to work in the country.”
