No2 Freer Street, a new landmark office building located in the heart of Edinburgh, has achieved practical completion.
Developed by Vastint Hospitality as part of its New Fountainbridge mixed-use development, it comprises 59,554 sq ft of Grade A office space over seven floors, providing a welcome boost to the city’s commercial property market.
In addition to No2 Freer Street, phase 1 of New Fountainbridge includes the newly open 262-bedroom Moxy hotel with rooftop bar, other commercial and retail units plus extensive public realm. It is set within a masterplan of new pedestrian and road routes with landscaped green spaces which will re-connect Fountainbridge to the Union Canal.
Gijs Vermeulen, project manager at Vastint, said: “Reaching practical completion of this high quality building is an achievement that everyone involved can be extremely proud of. Building during a pandemic hasn’t come without its challenges but I am delighted to say that the hard work of the team has resulted in a first-class office building for Edinburgh.
“Our vision for the overall development is starting to come to life and there is a buzz to the area which will only grow as the plans progress and we add more elements to the site.”
The building has a double height entrance, high quality finishes throughout and flexible floor plates which range from 2,000 sq ft to 9,500 sq ft. It offers 13 car park spaces and 46 cycle spaces (with the potential for more) and has shower/changing facilities with lockers. Benefitting from an abundance of natural light, all office floors have openable windows and VRF air conditioning throughout. A ‘band raster’ ceiling system allows for easy partitioning therefore reducing fit-out costs. It is one of Edinburgh’s greenest buildings with EPC ‘A’ and BREEAM ‘Very Good’ ratings achieved. There is also a unique 3,500 sq ft roof terrace with views of Edinburgh Castle and the Firth of Forth.
Notable features include the Wi-Fi enabled multi-use reception, which has breakout spaces, meeting rooms and a café that will be run by an independent operator. Fit-out of this area is about to commence.
Its location in the heart of the city centre allows occupiers easy access to a host of public transport options, the main retail thoroughfares and endless amenities.
The scheme was designed by 3DReid with McLaughlin & Harvey as the main contractor and HD Property Consultants as project managers. Other consultants included Fairhurst (structural engineers) and RSP Consulting Engineers (M&E engineers). CuthbertWhite is the letting agent for the office space and jointly with Savills they also market the ground floor retail/leisure units.
Chris Cuthbert, Director at CuthbertWhite, said: “The completion of this stunning and cutting-edge office building is another step forward in the transformation of the site and the Fountainbridge area. It provides the perfect balance for occupiers looking for flexible and efficient office space in a central and easily accessible location with a focus on wellbeing.
“This offering is rare and I am certain that it will be considered as a strong option by a large pool of occupiers looking to relocate in or to Edinburgh. The efficiency of the floor plate design, coupled with the amazing ground floor informal breakout space, is a huge plus for forward thinking occupiers.”
Chris Jetten, development manager at Vastint, added: “This project represents the regeneration of an important city centre brownfield site which has sat vacant for ten years. With the delivery of the office building at Freer Street, phase 1 is now complete. The start of the construction of phase 2 is planned for this summer. It will deliver new homes to provide high quality living over a variety of property types including town houses, single storey and duplex apartments, and penthouse suites with roof top terraces.
“It is a special location steeped in history. Located between the main business district, Union Canal and Bruntsfield and the Meadows, there are a host of amenities. It is surprising how well the different functions work on this site, the aim is for them to reinforce each other in order to create a vibrant destination for working, living and enjoying.”
