Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has officially opened An Post’s new headquarters at the recently constructed EXO building on the north quay of the Liffey, beside Dublin Port and the financial district. The move marks the next phase of An Post’s business transformation and its digital development at the center of Ireland’s global e-commerce trade, logistics and financial services.
Six floors of the EXO building are now occupied by 900 employees comprising specialists and support staff working in digital, technology, finance, innovation, product development, marketing, financial services, sales, HR, customer support, legal and communications, all supporting An Post’s Mails & Parcels and Retail businesses, and its corporate center.
“Leaving the GPO is a significant moment in An Post’s history – some might even say the end of an era,” said Varadkar. “It’s also the beginning of a new one. Preserving links with the past and paying respect to all that the building symbolizes is essential, which is why the government committed that the GPO remain in public ownership, with the continued operation of the historic post office and museum.
“It is fitting that An Post has a new home in a truly ground-breaking building – in addition to its impressive sustainability credentials, the EXO building is the tallest in Dublin, and also unique in its award-winning architectural design, maximizing the use of space, and offering unrivalled panoramic views of Dublin. I wish An Post all the best as it continues on this journey of change and evolution, to an exciting and sustainable future.”
Free digital stamp
To mark their move to the EXO, where the postal service of the future will be created, An Post gave everyone in the country a free digital stamp on July 7. By downloading the An Post app, anyone could claim one free digital stamp for delivery of a regular letter within the Republic of Ireland, to be used immediately or within 31 days.
“An Post wants everyone to have the opportunity to experience the convenience of the digital stamp, which complements traditional stamps available at 920 post offices nationwide,” said An Post CEO David McRedmond.
The flagship EXO, the highest office building in Dublin, has been built to the highest standards of sustainability, certified as Platinum level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) and has a BER rating of A3. Light-filled with sustainable water, air-filtration and waste systems, it has multiple public transportation links and provides bicycle parking, and charging facilities for electric vehicles. The building’s eighth floor roof garden has been designed to support workday wellness, with living plant walls, native beach grasses and seating to encourage employees to take their breaks in the open air.
An Post will also retain a presence in the GPO. Over 180 employees will continue to work in a section of the office accommodation for approximately 18 months, and An Post will continue to maintain the building and oversee its cultural program until the building is transferred to the care of the OPW. The historic Public Post Office and award-winning GPO Museum will operate as normal.