Step inside State Street's Stunning Office

Global financial services company, State Street, has made the most of its new city centre office in Edinburgh’s Quartermile development with a high-quality fit out.

Project partners

  • CBRE
  • PTS Consulting
  • RSP Consulting Engineers
  • Cushman & Wakefield
  • AECOM
  • Scott Brownrigg Ltd
  • Verrex
  • Convergint

Project description

Quartermile is a mixed-use development that combines Grade A offices with public space and retail outlets. Designed and conceptualised by Foster + Partners, it embodies State Street’s corporate vision perfectly. Moving to this brand-new Cat A space has given its 800 employees a prime location and room for future growth.

It’s here that the leading provider of asset intelligence will reaffirm its presence in the city.

An enviable office

Our mandate was to create an office which supports employees and highlights the company’s professional outlook. State Street wanted a mix of social areas for employee downtime, informal working areas and high-quality meeting rooms to wow clients. We met this brief by providing a fantastic open plan office with different zones, as well as those all-important practical spaces including a catering store, deli counter and print hubs.

Working better, not harder

Our fit out is also helping the team take on new, better ways of working. They’ve now adopted an agile culture by incorporating hot desks in the open plan environment and flexible working spaces in the café. Employees can choose from a number of varied traditional and non-traditional workstations to suit different tasks.

Additionally, technology is shaking up the way meeting rooms serve the needs of employees. We installed a high specification voice-activated AV system, controlled by an iPad, and electric blinds to make these spaces responsive and fuss-free.

Overwhelming obstacles

Quartermile is in one of Edinburgh’s busiest commercial districts, which is a big part of its appeal. But while having amenities right on your doorstep is a huge plus, there are often many practical challenges that come with being in a central location.

We also had to navigate limited access into the building itself, especially for the delivery of bulky items which needed careful management and detailed logistical planning. Working closely with the building management team, we used specialist crane lifts to hoist materials and furniture up to the fifth floor of the building.

In good company

Our work didn’t stop at just transforming State Street’s office. We modified the developer’s base build fit out to get it ready for prospective tenants. Given the high-quality build and great location of Quartermile, our team focused on modifications to enhance its attractive offering. This included reconfiguring some areas into modular spaces by installing glazed and solid partitions with corresponding mechanical and electrical infrastructure, as well as new floors, ceilings, bespoke joinery and acoustic panels.

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