Rio takes more space at airport

Eight months after revealing plans to build a remote operations centre at Perth Airport, iron ore giant Rio Tinto has signed a deal to lease 6,000 square metres of space at the emerging office park.

The lease will make Rio the sole tenant for the office park's Echo building.

It follows the signing in December of a 10-year lease over two hectares of land, where Rio plans to build an operational control centre.

About 320 staff will be based at the control centre and offices.

The decision follows the near-completed leasing of the park's first office building, Alpha, which is due to reach practical building completion at the end of the month.

Airport leaseholder Westralia Airports Corporation (WAC) and the federal government's Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government will each take half a floor in the stage two section of the Alpha building, with Belmont-based accounting practice, McGillivray Partners, recently signing on for 1,300sqm on the first level.

A half-floor remains vacant at ground level, with the other having been recently signed to a mining company.

The first 4,000sqm stage of the building was leased to engineering group SKM, the Water Corporation and WAC.

Bravo, the park's second building, is currently being marketed for about $375/sqm, although Rio is likely to have paid slightly less than this for its offices.

Construction is also commencing for building Kilo, which will house a gymnasium, as well as retail and office space.

Rio's new site at the airport will extend its office footprint out of the CBD, where its operations are spread across a number of sites.

The company has signed the entire 13,000sqm of space available at the new Wesley Centre, and has leased offices on two Mill St sites, as well as buildings on the Esplanade and William Street.