The Moira-based group, which also operates from a base in the USA, will be responsible for the curtain walling on the project which comprises the new television and radio centre, along with a 16-floor hotel and 19-floor office block.

The contract consists of curtain walling facades from ground to third floors with rainscreen cladding and window inserts to the tower areas of the building and ceramic granite rainscreen tiles to various other areas.

Design is under way for the £12.4m project which is due to begin on site in January 2009 and run for one year.

One of the biggest projects under way within the McMullen Group at present, the Salford development comes just as another high profile scheme is drawing to a close.

For the past years, the firm has been closely involved in the conversion of the iconic Highbury stadium in London, the former home of Arsenal, into a major residential development.

The company has doubled turnover in the last two years and has operations throughout the UK, Ireland, USA and Poland.

Earlier this year, the group acquired rival firm Systems Aluminium Ltd (SAL) and, despite the current economic climate, sales director Colin Clatworthy said the group aimed to do the same again taking turnover in the UK and Ireland to more than £50m in the next two to three years.

“We’ve had a few projects where they have sent it in for tender and they’ve cancelled within a couple of days but the enquiry level has stayed reasonably good.

“I think we’re seeing things like academies and hotels, projects which are going to go ahead anyway, still happening and we’re seeing a slowdown in the residential market. Even then we have the Obel in Belfast which is going ahead though there is caution and it is slowing down.”

Nevertheless, he said the order book was full for the next year ahead, with around £45 million worth of business.

“We have work at this time next year but not sufficient to keep the factory up to full capacity, so we are looking for the autumn from the third quarter on in 2009 but certainly the first three quarters of next year are pretty full.”