Kier Construction has been awarded the management contract for the construction of the new Digicel headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica, and the official ground-breaking ceremony was recently attended by Jamaican prime minister, the Rt Hon Bruce Golding, and Digicel Group chairman Dennis O'Brien.

The site is idyllically located on the waterfront in downtown Kingston and is the spearhead project for the rejuvenation of the area. The development will span a total area of more than 211,000sq ft, comprising an 11-plus-storey basement office building, food court and two-storey ancillary building over a basement car park.

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The new Digicel global headquarters will be one of the most environmentally friendly major office buildings in the Caribbean, making use of both solar and wind power, as well as geothermal cooling systems. The building will feature three wind turbines on the roof of the 11-storey tower, 15,000sq ft of solar panels and solar glass on the roofs of all three buildings. Meanwhile, the geothermal cooling system will reduce power consumption and eliminate the use of both drinkable water and unsightly cooling towers.

Kier has been on site since August 2010, having already been awarded the early works package of the CFA and soil modification works package. This was successfully completed in December and the works are currently progressing well with the basement slab to the tower now completed.

The project, which will see Digicel bringing its 1,000-plus Digicel Group and Digicel Jamaica staff together under one roof for the first time, is due for completion in July 2012.

(CD/GK)