SNP politician Nicola Sturgeon was digging the dirt in Glasgow.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister swapped her seat in Holyrood for a seat on a digger when she helped lay the foundations of a £60 million office block being built next to the old art deco Odeon Cinema at the junction of Renfield and West Regent Street in Glasgow city centre.

It will be the first Grade A office development in Glasgow's Central Business District to be built in five years. The 10-floor block, which will have shop units at ground level, won't be completed for another two years.

There's already interest from potential tenants who are investigating the benefits of moving operations to the city centre and setting up office in a development which will offer 143,000 sq ft of commercial and shop floor space when it's ready for occupation by April, 2015.

Construction on site got under way several weeks ago following site clearance work and, once completed, in 2016 the new glass-fronted block will tower above neighbouring buildings.

Speaking after helping pour concrete into the foundations, Ms Sturgeon said: "This project will bring investment and top quality office accommodation to Glasgow city centre.

"Big building projects such as these show the high level of private investor confidence in Glasgow and the employment and training opportunities available during and after construction."

The multi-million pound building project will help fill a gap in quality office accommodation market in the heart of the city.

Ms Sturgeon added: "This is good news for the construction industry and the office and retail sector."

And it's a major boost for Glasgow. The project is a joint venture involving London investors with Mountgrange Real Estate Opportunity Fund and M&G Real Estate, who say the development will rival anything found elsewhere in the UK.

Manish Chande, a senior partner at Mountgrange, said: "Scotland has provided us with a number of exciting investment opportunities. When considering those options we quickly identified Glasgow as a prime target for commercial investment."

He added: "There is a real demand for Grade A office space in the heart of the city and we are delighted to be working with M&G Real Estate on this visionary scheme."

1 West Regent Street is being billed by the developers as a landmark building. They say it will be one of Glasgow's "greenest" and will provide parking spaces for 40 cars and 54 bicycles. Built by construction giant Sir Robert McAlpine, the development includes staff changing rooms with lockers and showers.

Open plan, with a huge reception area, the block will offer prospective tenants a range of accommodation, from 12,798 sq ft to 13,627 sq ft, with the promise that each floor will be virtually column free.

A workforce of 200 is involving in the construction. The development will retain the old Odeon's distinctive art deco entrance.

The cinema, which used to doubled up as a concert venue, once attracted major acts such as The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

gordon.thomson@ eveningtimes.co.uk