18 November 2022
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Logitech International and JCD Group today hosted a ceremony to mark the opening of a new sustainable office building at City Gate Plaza in Mahon, Cork. The building, delivered by JCD Group, has been let to and furbished by Logitech to host its approximately 300 employees, of diverse nationalities and backgrounds, in Ireland.
Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Dara Calleary TD, Bracken Darrell, President & CEO Logitech, Anne Carrigy, CIO Logitech and Dónal Travers, Global Head of Tech IDA Ireland at the official opening of the Logitech new state of the art facility in City Gate 2 Mahon, Cork.
Photo Darragh Kane
Local Cork girl, Molly Daly, cut a ribbon to symbolically open the new Logitech building as part of the ceremony. Molly is the star of the children’s book Molly the Mouse, which was the result of a Logitech partnership with the charity Make-A-Wish Ireland in 2020. In 2020, Make-A-Wish granted a wish for Molly, who lives with a rare condition called Kabuki syndrome.
A vision of sustainability and hybrid work
This new office in Cork highlights Logitech’s leadership in reshaping the new logic of hybrid work and sets Logitech as a benchmark for sustainability. The space’s human-centred design emphasises the company’s sustainability-focused business approach. Creating an inspiring workplace in Cork through sustainability, including waste reduction, healthy work environment, and innovation, is a reflection of Logitech’s purpose and mission.
The City Gate Plaza Two building is designed to the latest Gold standard in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Its striking architecture provides for highly efficient floor plates, and a facade blending techrete with the latest energy-efficient glazing. A sophisticated building management system monitors the building’s energy consumption on an ongoing basis. Electric vehicle charging stations are installed in the car park as well as cycle parking spaces. These, along with showers and changing facilities, encourage alternative modes of transport to work.
The interior spaces are laid out to support a hybrid style of working where employees can work from the office, from home or elsewhere as necessary. With that in mind, there are open spaces designed to promote creativity and open collaboration, video-enabled rooms for meetings, and video-enabled unassigned desks to allow people to find a place for work between meetings wherever they are in the building.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar, congratulated Logitech on such an innovative building. He said, “Congratulations to Logitech on the opening of their innovative new building. The design highlights the company’s sustainability-focused business approach while providing a healthier place of work for its 300 employees. The announcement showcases their innovation and creativity in the tech industry, and indeed that they are leaders in sustainability. I wish the team every success on this exciting new chapter for the company.”
Dara Calleary, Ireland’s Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, spoke at the opening ceremony, underlining the significance of the building as an example of a future-looking, sustainable office adapted to nurturing talent working hybridly: “I’m delighted to mark the official opening of Logitech’s new office building in Cork today. Logitech has long demonstrated its commitment to Cork having established here in 1988. Each and everyone of us must act and make changes for a more sustainable future. Businesses have a particular role to play and it is very welcome to see companies such as Logitech make sustainability a business priority. This striking new building was developed with its people and sustainability to the fore featuring sophisticated energy consumption monitors and EV charging stations, as well as flexible use spaces for hybrid working. I wish the team at Logitech every continued success.”
Also present at the ceremony was Bracken Darrell, Logitech’s president and chief executive officer, who said. “Cork has long been a key site for Logitech, home to a diverse range of talents in design, engineering, product development, supply chain, sustainability, and business support functions. Our new Cork offices have been designed with a hybrid-first mindset, redefining how a workplace supports its teams with a variety of collaboration spaces that foster inclusivity and innovation. They are also sustainable and flexible, helping our teams be creative and productive, so in turn they can contribute more to the communities in which they live. Since its establishment, our Cork office has prioritised sustainability across all practices, while ensuring it is a place of inspiration, collaboration, and well-being for all. We’re very grateful to IDA Ireland for their consistent support over the years.”
John Cleary, CEO of JCD Group said, “It has been great working with the Logitech team and our design partners, Henry J Lyons, who are the building architects, and Wilson Architecture who designed the fit out to deliver this next generation, state-of-the-art office building. The building has been designed to embrace how the use of offices has changed over the past few years. It provides a great example of the importance of collaborative environments mixed with private workspaces, as well as the provision of multiple outdoor and indoor amenity spaces. This all leads to an enhanced employee experience. Sustainability has been at the core of every design decision and, in collaboration with Logitech, we are very proud to have delivered this building to such a high standard.”
11 year old Molly Daly from Cork with Bracken Darrell, President & CEO Logitech at the official opening of the Logitech new state of the art facility in City Gate 2 Mahon, Cork.
Photo Darragh Kane
11 year old Molly Daly from Cork with Dónal Travers, Global Head of Tech IDA Ireland, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Dara Calleary TD, Bracken Darrell, President & CEO Logitech and Anne Carrigy, CIO Logitech at the official opening of the Logitech new state of the art facility in City Gate 2 Mahon, Cork.
Photo Darragh Kane
