Zendesk sets up data centre in Grand Canal offices

Zendesk, the cloud-based customer-service software platform, is setting up its European data centre in a newly occupied office building overlooking the Grand Canal at the junction with Ranelagh Road in Dublin 6.

The company has rented almost 1,858sq m (20,000sq ft) in One Grand Parade, a six-storey glazed block, which proved difficult to let when it was launched at the height of the recession in 2009.

Occupied
Five floors in the six-storey building are now occupied – the top floor was let early on in the marketing campaign – leaving 325sq m (3,250sq ft) on the ground floor still available.

The building is characterised by energy-efficient materials and air-handling systems, features that appeal to companies seeking to reduce running costs.

Zendesk, which will be paying close to the asking rent of €322 per sq m (€30 per sq ft), has a rapidly growing list of customers in Europe, who can avail of the company’s service across multiple channels – including via their website, email, phone or Facebook.

With a relatively small number of office buildings still available in the south inner city, companies like Zendesk have been forced to consider buildings on the periphery of the city.

New developments
The area along Grand Parade, where Zendesk has settled, is likely to see a considerable number of office developments in the immediate future.

One Grand Parade is beside the former headquarters of the Irish Nationwide Building Society, where the substantial grounds are expected to be used for an office scheme in the coming years.

On the opposite side of the Grand Canal, Ulster Bank is also likely to seek a buyer for the former McConnells Advertising building at Charlemont Place, which was bought during the boom by developers Bernard McNamara and Gerry O’Reilly and is now set to be substantially enlarged.

CBRE is letting agent on One Grand Parade, while Zendesk was represented by Shane Duffy of BNP Paribas Real Estate.