VERDANT – EDINBURGH

Brief

Following the success of the ONYX project, CEG instructed Innes BC on a similar challenging project to refurbish Haston House in South Gyle, Edinburgh, to provide a new best in class multi-let office accommodation. Haston House required a large scale refurbishment including new windows and curtain walling, new stair cores introduced to the building, new mechanical and ventilation systems, and high specification amenity facilities introduced such as an on site café and the basement plant room converted to a wellness suite including shower and changing space.

CHALLENGE

The client brief required us to introduce mechanical ventilation and air conditioning to the office floor plates however retain the existing floor to ceiling heights. The building structure prevented this therefore Innes BC, in our role as Project Manager and Cost Consultant, developed a strategy for coring the steelwork to allow the introduction of these new M&E services to meet the client brief.

The addition of the new stair cores and café required us to change the fire strategy of the building with Innes BC engaging a fire engineer on an alternative means of compliance in relation to fire safety and escape.

Despite delivering these works during the Covid-19 pandemic, Innes BC delivered this £5 million project on programme and within budget which has allowed the client to fill the vacant space in the West wing and Innes BC are currently instructed on the refurbishment and fit-out of the North wing.

KEY ASPECTS

The building has been rebranded as Verdant and as a result of the building refurbishment and fit-out, has achieved record rents in the West Edinburgh area with new Tenants secured such as Fujitsu and Bupa.

Innes Building Consultancy have been approached by new Tenants, to deliver their CAT B fit-outs due to the quality of the Landlord CAT A refurbishment. Innes BC have therefore delivered 70,000 sqft of CAT A refurbishment and over 30,000 sqft of Tenant fit-out.

ESG enhancements have been central to the scheme with sustainability, energy efficiency and green initiatives introduced to the building. The new glazing systems improves energy efficiency with gas removed from the building and replaced with electric VRF air conditioning systems.