The Obel Tower is a highrise building in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, located on Donegall Quay on the
River Lagan beside the
Lagan Weir
The Lagan Weir, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, crosses the River Lagan between the Queen Elizabeth Bridge and the M3 cross-harbour bridge. Prior to the building of the weir, the river would be subject to tidal fluctuations, and low tide would ex ...
. Measuring in height, the tower is the
tallest storeyed building in Ireland, dominating the Belfast skyline. On completion it overtook the previous tallest building in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
,
Windsor House (80 m).
History
Obel Tower was developed by the Karl Group at a cost of £60 million. Its name derives from "
obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...
" and "old Belfast".
The tower contains 233 apartments. The first 182 apartments released in March 2005, priced from £100,000 to £475,000, were reserved off plan within 48 hours.
Construction work on phase one of the project, the foundations and 2 storey basement carpark, began in January 2006. In mid-2007 construction work on the site ceased, and all of the construction equipment was removed; construction then recommenced on 17 June 2008.
Planning permission was granted in January 2008 for an extra two floors to be added to the tower to cater for further demand in apartment space. The anticipated completion date was originally summer 2010; however, owing to the construction moratorium the building was not completed until spring 2011. These extra floors brought the overall height up from 80.5 metres to 85 metres.
In April 2011 it was announced that London law firm
Allen & Overy
Allen & Overy LLP (informally A&O) is an international law firm. The firm has 580 partners and over 5,600 people worldwide. In 2022 A&O reported an increase in revenue to GBP1.96 billion and is the second largest law firm headquartered in t ...
was to rent all of the available office space at the Obel.
In October 2011 local catering firm Mount Charles opened its second 'Fed and Watered' branded cafe in one of the retail units on the ground floor.
On Friday 30 November 2012 administrators were appointed to Obel Ltd, Obel Offices Ltd and Donegall Quay Ltd. The three firms control the residential complex. According to the BBC, the main firm, Donegall Quay, is unable to pay debts to the former
Bank of Scotland Ireland (BoSI) — believed to be more than £51m.
New York based Marathon Asset Management acquired the Obel development for more than £20m during 2014.
Obel 62 (the tower) received a £2m refurbishment during 2016. The work included refurbishment of communal areas and installation of a solar window film by Solartek Films Ltd.
See also
*
List of tallest buildings and structures in Belfast
*
List of tallest buildings in Ireland
This is a list of the tallest habitable buildings on Ireland, the island of Ireland (used for living and working in, as opposed to masts and churches). This includes both Northern Ireland, United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The island o ...
Gallery
File:Belfast (050), October 2009.JPG, Obel Tower, October 2009
File:Belfast (076), October 2009.JPG, Obel Tower, October 2009
File:Belfast (066), October 2009.JPG, Obel Tower, October 2009
File:Belfast (087), October 2009.JPG, Obel Tower, October 2009
File:Obel16.jpg, Obel Tower completed
References
External links
Obel.co.uk, Obel Tower official site*{{cite web , title = Price of a place in tower is 'sky-high' , author = , url = http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Price-of-a-place-in.3568393.jp , publisher = Newsletter , date = 7 December 2007
Broadway Malyan
Buildings and structures in Belfast
Residential skyscrapers in Northern Ireland
Towers in Northern Ireland