Small groups of young people talking in a myriad of accents walk from the deli on the corner towards the Google offices that now dominate the Barrow Street end of this huge new development, exotic-looking lunch takeaways in their hands. Nearby, some of the young residents lounge in the sun in the quiet landscaped gardens that punctuate the new apartment buildings.

But overlooking it all, dramatic, unique, iconic . . . any number of superlatives describes this wonderful structure . . . is the Alliance Building, the glass-clad circular apartment block that has been built inside the preserved frame of the city's old gasometer.

For the past decade Dubliners have watched the creation of this building by Liam Carroll's Danninger Group, who bought the 7.8 acre gasworks site back in 1996 for what was then a record 8m.

From desolate wasteland, the company has built a whole new community, peopled these days by young IT professionals from Google, young families and relatively high-earning buyers. Over the past few years, 650 apartments in the new blocks built in this O'Mahony Pike-designed new neighbourhood have all but sold out to both investors and owner occupiers.

But now, the long-awaited units in the landmark gasometer frame have been launched for sale.

And on the first day they were opened to public view, despite headlines about the prices of between 675,000 and 1.075m for a top storey with the best view, sales of 35m were recorded.

"This is truly a one-off, " says David Cantwell, a director of agents Hooke & MacDonald who is in charge of the launch.

"This can never be repeated anywhere in this country. I believe this is the best development site in the city; it has history in the old gasometer frame, location in Dublin 4 . . .and the standard of design and build reflects this."

Altogether, there are 200 apartments built in a deep cylindrical shape inside the sturdy gasometer frame. They are ranged like eight doughnut rings over eight storeys . . . and each apartment is shaped like the segment of a circle, narrower on the inside and wider on the outside, with the robust painted iron columns of the gasometer defining the perimeter of each apartment.

Inside, although the apartment themselves are obviously new, as you look out there's a feeling of being part of something very historic. You can reach out from the window and touch the giant steel columns, one of the few examples remaining of our limited industrial past.

The entrance to the building makes you gasp when you first go through the cobbled arch, the giant bolts and criss-crossing of the frame looking unfeasably bulky close up.

Inside the frame, it's not an exaggeration to say the atmosphere is remiscent of old Roman buildings . . . natural light filtering down onto the huge maple tree planted in a raised central planter which dominates a stone-flagged courtyard .

The brightly varnished doors and windows add to the sense of tiers rising upwards while two iron staircases, specially made to match the ironwork of the gasometer frame, rise up in glass wells that also house the lifts.

The 78sqm (840sq ft) apartments are all the same size and layout but the three Helen Turkington-styled show apartments demonstrate clearly how different they can look.

Wide entrance halls provide storage and hotpress as well as an open area wired for computer and phone which could be used as a laptop workstation.

The second bedroom faces into the internal walkway and courtyard, while the sittingroom looks out through those specially commissioned windows, each with a different view of old Dublin. Some look onto the old redbricks of Ringsend and the docklands, others straight out to Lansdowne Road where the new stadium is being planned.

Obviously, the higher you go the better the view and, says David Cantwell, although they were not for sale in this launch, a list of names interested in the top storey is already being compiled.

There is an internal, stonecarpeted walkway encircling each floor and it's out here that the now natural gas boiler for each apartment is located There is a galley kitchen at the back of the livingroom, a mirrored wall cleverly adding to the sense of space. Integrated appliances are included.

Both bedrooms are double rooms, while there is a large and en-suite with the master bedroom. Each room has neat ivory fitted wardrobes. A large bathroom finishes the accommodation.

Parking costs an extra 40,000.

Price: Two-bed apartments from 675,000 to 1.075m Agent: Hooke & MacDonald, 01-6318402