AIB and Goodbody take up residence in heritage building on Dawson Street

About 900 staff from AIB and professional services group Goodbody have moved into new office accommodation on Dawson Street in Dublin.

AIB Group said that following its acquisition of Goodbody in 2021, it “simplified its combined office footprint and provided a more collaborative workplace”.

It said Goodbody, which has since departed its offices in Ballsbridge, is now “well integrated” into the AIB Group. Some 400 of its staff moved into the restored offices in Dawson Street alongside their 500 AIB Capital Markets staff in recent weeks.

AIB Capital Markets, which has a balance sheet of over €20 billion and annual revenues of over €1 billion, provides institutional, corporate and business banking services to AIB Group’s larger customers, and customers requiring specific sector or product expertise.

Goodbody offers further capabilities in wealth management, corporate finance, asset management and wider capital market offerings.

The centrepiece of the new office is the restored 1964 building at 11-12 Dawson Street, formerly home to New Ireland Assurance, the first Irish-owned life insurance company in the country.

The new offices, which are an amalgamation of three different buildings dating from the 1930s, 1960s and 1970s, have been restored, extended and upgraded to a Ber B2 energy efficiency rating.

Combined they offer approximately 5,600sq m over six floors. Goodbody occupies three of the six floors.

The building’s entrance features a bronze-finished double door with Celtic engravings symbolising the four provinces of Ireland. The restored interiors were constructed using mainly Irish materials including protected green Connemara and black Kilkenny marble.

Stained glass windows by Abbey Stained Glass Studios bridge the floors. These include a window featuring Cú Chulainn.

AIB chief executive Colin Hunt said: “We are very proud to act as custodian of this magnificently restored building with such a wonderful historical and architectural pedigree in the heart of Dublin city and to make it once again a home for Irish enterprise.

“We are also very pleased to welcome our Goodbody colleagues and to acknowledge the significant contribution Goodbody has made to the country’s development for over 150 years.

“From these buildings, we are together providing the capital to support our 3.3 million customers with financial services that empower them to build a sustainable future for themselves, their communities and the wider Irish economy.”