On St Andrew Square’s Dunard Centre site, ground was broken in December with piling work having been completed this month.

Scheduled to open its doors in 2029, the future 1000-capacity hall project has seen 244 piles being installed in the ground, forming a structural base.

In the second phase, Balfour Beatty, the project’s construction partner, will start excavation works to form the building’s 10-metre-deep basement level. Roughly 36,000 square metres of material will need to  be taken away from the site.

Jo Buckley, chief executive of the Dunard Centre, said: “Anyone who has passed by our site over recent months will have noticed the daily arrival and departure of trucks and machinery, and a regular hum of activity as the groundworks have progressed.

“To see such a rapid transformation of this long-empty site has been incredibly exciting to watch, and I am grateful to Balfour Beatty’s team for their swift and efficient progress during this first chapter.”

Supported by the Royal Bank of Scotland and situated behind the RBS Head Office building at No 36 St Andrew Square, the project will see pedestrian pathways between St Andrew Square, Register Place, and St James Quarter.

Martin Mcgough, project director at Balfour Beatty, said: “As we move into the next phase, we look forward to continuing to apply that capability to deliver the next stage of this landmark project.”

The venue, designed by David Chipperfield Architects and Reiach and Hall Architects, will be the UK’s first Nagata Acoustics hall in the UK. 

The project is being funded by £25m from the city region deal. This consists of £10m from the Scottish and UK governments respectively and £5m from the city council. In addition, £100m has been raised by Impact Scotland, the charity behind the project.