Size
7,500 sq ft
Location
Edinburgh
Activity
Banking & Financial Services
Duration
8 weeks
Many businesses have emerged from the post-pandemic period with a desire to embrace hybrid working and RSM is no exception.
The company wanted a partner with UK-wide capability that could deliver its vision for a new office space in the heart of Edinburgh’s business district.
Office Principles was appointed to design and deliver a solution that was flexible, sustainable and able to accommodate an ever-growing workforce.
RSM is a leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services to middle market leaders across the UK and globally, with an office in Edinburgh.
With over 3,650 partners and staff in the UK and access to 51,000 people in over 120 countries across the RSM network, the business can meet its clients’ needs wherever in the world they operate.
Drag to compare before and after.
Overview
RSM invested in new office facilities on the third floor of 2 Semple Street, relocating around 100 people into grade-A office space in Edinburgh’s Exchange District.
The 7,500 sq ft space was earmarked for the creation of a hybrid working environment, capable of supporting the businesses’ future growth.
RSM’s vision was for an office environment that could cater for multiple uses and encourage greater employee collaboration.
Its design would also need to be environmentally responsible, reflecting the company’s desire to deliver a sustainable office space with green credentials.
Office Principles would be required to overcome several challenges, not least in recruiting local resources in Scotland’s capital city.
There would also be the issue of rising material costs and the need to undertake works in a live environment, with occupiers present on the floors directly above and below.
We are very pleased to have successfully completed this project in collaboration with RSM. The company was looking for a partner with UK-wide capability that could deliver in Edinburgh and elsewhere, and was impressed by both our design and overall proposal. This is a truly contemporary and flexible office space, which allows people to work in ways that best suit their needs. We’ve created zones for teams to pitch up and work and allowed the space to serve several different uses, so a meeting area can easily become a presentation zone. Not only is it an environmentally friendly workplace, it’s also a space that is flexible enough to evolve as RSM continues to grow.
Project completion
We have delivered a workplace that has been carefully designed to facilitate movement, using angled architecture to create a series of walkways and anchor points that bring RSM’s people together.
Separated into two distinct wings, the open plan space comprises a collaborative zone which is linked by staff breakout facilities, to a concentrative area featuring private booths and deskspace for personal and focused work.
Its many features include a striking client lounge, coffee bar and a range of meeting suites, which are flexible to accommodate events and presentations.
There are also several furniture options to suit a range of needs and preferences, including a large, circular table available for employees to reserve via a booking system.
One of the stand out elements of RSM’s new Edinburgh base is its cutting-edge acoustic properties.
We employed an independent acoustician to analyse our design and advise RSM on expected levels of acoustic comfort and privacy.
Walls were constructed slab-to-slab with double glazing to ensure good acoustic privacy and reduced reverb in meeting rooms.
While there is also hanging acoustic panelling in collaborative areas, retractable fins and floor standing ‘acoustic noodles’ - from Allermuir’s Baudot range - to optimise audio quality.
Full height glazing makes best use of natural daylight throughout the space and accentuates the views across the cityscape, while storage facilities have been created within existing columns to maximise the available space.
The workplace boasts impressive sustainability credentials, including FSC approved floor finishes and curtain fabrics, with all surfaces made from 100% recycled materials. It has achieved a SKA Gold rating.
Central to the project’s success was the strength of communication and relationship building with both RSM and other occupiers within the building. A schedule of works was devised that was considerate to the needs of all tenants, with access arrangements agreed to minimise disruption.
Following completion of the project, RSM commissioned Office Principles to deliver an additional piece of work focused on the delivery of power and lighting, and an extension to the kitchen facility.
The firm could have chosen a local contractor - it opted for continuity and a team it can trust.
The new environment has been specifically designed to facilitate collaboration within the office bearing in mind the increased use of hybrid working patterns. We were keen to make sure that the spaces we created allow colleagues and peer groups to collaborate, coach and support each other for the benefit of their development.