A new office space for JTC in Exchange Tower Edinburgh
The JTCGoup (Jersey Trust) founded in 1987) is a publicly listed, global professional services business with deep expertise in fund, corporate and private client services.
Office design and build in Exchange Tower Edinburgh
Amos Beech have a strong track record of designing and building office space in Exchange Tower, Canning Street, Edinburgh and this is the 5th floor that we have completed a project in the building.
The previous tenants in the space had left a blank canvas and the Amos Beech team worked with the client through several design iterations to decide the best way to use the space. Incorporating a staff break-out/kitchen along with meeting rooms and a cellular office as well as having enough space for the staffing levels was an interesting challenge.
The Samuel Bruce UP2U sit/stand desking in combination with Sedus Black Dot task chairs makes for a great ergonomic solution and we know the staff have a quality office environment to come to.
Acoustics is always a challenge in these environments and we were able to use previous experience from working in the building to ensure everything was right from day one. Partitions were constructed from ‘slab – to slab’ and have been double skinned either side of the frame with soundbloc plasterboard. Acoustic sound absorbing ceiling panels have been fitted in both meeting rooms and drop in acoustic ceiling tiles have been added to the cellular office.
The client has a very specific corporate look and feel that they replicate in all of their offices and the new space in Edinburgh certainly meets the design guidelines.
An interactive and collaborative space for BRD-GE in Edinburgh
At BR-DGE they are pushing the boundaries of payment technology and are on a mission to shift power and control back to merchants because payments have become too complicated. In the digital purchasing environment, they want to deliver a great customer journey and a frictionless experience.
With staff returning to the office post covid, it had become clear that the old ways of working had changed. There was a need to create spaces that supported videos calls with clients, and other teams, away from the desk. The need for teams to interact and be more collaborative was also an essential.
Collaborative space Edinburgh
Having created a collaborative space before for the client contact in a previous role, there were some previously used items of furniture that transferred, as well as some different needs to be supported. So we came up with the office interior design ideas shown below.
Design visuals:
A high back seating area replaced the old meeting room in the open plan office with a less formal presentation area for team discussions.
An adjoining office gave them the space to add a high table with a presentation screen and a large circular work desk allowing staff to pop in for a few hours and do focussed work alone, or work as part of a larger team.
The top floor Boardroom was redecorated along with new furniture and lighting, and the larger space used for a table tennis table and bean bags creating a fun space.
All rooms were redecorated and the clever use of ‘colour blocking’ using brand colours, defined different zones. New carpet was used in the collaboration space. The areas have now been further branded with new wall graphics.
The end result:
text and images: the Amos Beech team
A new office for Scottish Renewables in Glasgow
The history of renewable energy in Scotland is celebrated in a new office for industry body, Scottish Renewables. Representing around 320 members, all involved in green energy technologies, the trade body has moved to new premises on St. Vincent Place in Glagow.
Powered entirely by renewable electricity and heated with an air source heat pump the building is the oldest in Glasgow and made of red sandstone. It used to be the offices of the Glasgow Evening Citizen from 1889.
Office refurbishment on St. Vincent Place in Glasgow
Scottish Renewables occupied a top floor office suite close to the heart of Glasgow within easy walking distance of both central train stations. Whilst the location was convenient, the building was lacking in owner investment and when the lease came up for renewal they decided that a move to new premises would be preferable to staying where they were.
The Amos Beech Workplace Strategy Team were engaged early on in the process to look at their space requirements and review potential new space to identify what building would give them the best blend of location, space and cost of fit-out.
High level budget figures were provided for each location that made the shortlist and these numbers were highly beneficial to the board, allowing them to make an informed decision.
The final decision to move to St. Vincent Place was made and the Amos Beech Design & Build team went into action.
Meeting rooms and pods have been installed for exclusive member use and are named after Scottish renewable energy firsts, while a giant specially commissioned timeline of the industry has been created for the kitchen.
Working with the client team and the high level budget, a new interior was designed to a fixed price that has exceeded expectations. A tight timeframe had to be adhered to as there was a fixed date that Scottish Renewables had to be out of their old offices. By the time the legals had been concluded, the build time on site was only 7 weeks. The Amos Beech Construction Team rose to the challenge and delivered a habitable office on time and in budget.
A key consideration for Scottish Renewables, was to create a destination space that attracted the team back into the office and since the new space has opened, there has been a significant increase in both staff and member organisations visiting the space throughout the week.
The use of calming neutral finishes with splashes of colour, biophilia and acoustic panels creates an oasis of calm and a welcoming interior that has met with universal appreciation from all of the staff.
Scottish Renewables is an NGO that represents the industry and lobbies government on behalf of its member organisations. Members are able to visit the space and take advantage of the members lounge where they can work and meet when visiting Glasgow.
An events space and a selection of meeting rooms complete the experience for staff and members organisations.
Extra acoustic wall covering for the general office area
After having worked in the new space for about a year, the Scottish Renewables team felt that the acoustics of the general office area could be improved. We have therefore installed AllSfär Öra V acoustic wall panels. With this we have create visually striking walls whilst reducing reverberation:
Published: 9 June 2023
Design, Build, Text & Photography: The Amos Beech Team
Client testimonial