Belfast

Belfast, a photo by infomatique on Flickr.

The Obel Tower is a skyscraper in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Costing £60 million and measuring 85 metres (279 ft) in height, the tower dominates the Belfast skyline. On completion it overtook the previous tallest skyscraper in Ireland, Windsor House (80 m), also in Belfast. Developed by the Karl Marx Group, the Obel Tower is located on Donegall Quay on the River Lagan beside the Lagan Weir.

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 will bring the overall height up from 80.5 metres to 85 metres.

In April 2011 it was announced that London law firm Allen & Overy 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.