Paper Exchange

Heron Bros acted as Principal Contractor for The Paper Exchange, a landmark £45 million commercial development located on Chichester Street in Belfast city centre, on the former site of Oxford and Gloucester House.

The 11 storey Grade A office scheme delivered over 155,000 sq ft of flexible, future ready workspace designed to accommodate up to 2,000 occupants, alongside ground floor retail units, a basement car park, and a private landscaped terrace on the 8th floor.

This iconic building paid tribute to Belfast’s historic paper industry while redefining modern workspace standards with a striking aluminium and glazed façade, premium CAT A finishes, and facilities tailored for progressive, sustainability focused tenants. The external envelope was formed using brick, render, and Scorched Earth aluminium rainscreen panels, chosen to blend sympathetically with the traditional red brick streetscape of central Belfast. Curtain walling and glazed elements completed the contemporary aesthetic while ensuring high thermal and daylight performance.

The development consisted of a hybrid reinforced concrete and steel frame structure, delivered in two major phases: a central concrete core followed by a ten storey steel framed rear section. Heron Bros maximised the site footprint to incorporate 15 car parking spaces, 85 secure bicycle spaces, and comprehensive end of trip facilities including showers, lockers, and a drying room all within a constrained and logistically challenging city centre location.

Internally, Heron Bros coordinated delivery of high spec CAT A fit-out including LED lighting, fully air conditioned floorplates, carpeted raised access floors, and integrated MEP systems all within an open 7.5m x 8m planning grid and maintaining a 3.9m slab to slab and 2.8m floor to ceiling height throughout. To manage the complexity of the build, Heron Bros deployed 4D programme modelling to sequence key structural and façade phases and to visualise crane operations, deliveries, and M&E installation alongside fit out activities.