KPMG Edinburgh 

A warm reception

The office, housing 300 employees is now bright, modern and infused with warm natural tones. The space has been transformed into a place bursting with personality and influences of contemporary imagination.  Our glass partitions work in harmony with these elements, encouraging greater employee interaction and collaboration.  

The reception is the heart of the plan and provides a strong connection to both sides of the floorspace as well as to the city itself. To begin, we installed Shoreditch Edition Elite Aero pocket sliding double doors which are prominent within the reception area. As a result of the design of these doors, you can simply flick a switch and achieve total visual privacy. This system forms a large divide between the open, light reception area, and the charming open plan working space. We added Shoreditch bands creating contrast between the light natural wood, and the black partition frames. This works effectively due to the style and design of the partitions. Since the light colours of the reception area contrast with the black Shoreditch Edition partition frames, this also creates a large thematic shift between spaces.  

 Working areas

Conceptually the two wings reflect the contrasting sides of Edinburgh from the irregular medieval Old Town (South Wing) and the rhythm and regularity of the New Town (North Wing). Consequently, upon entering the working space, you may notice the shift in colours. Michael Laird have kept continuity using natural wood tones. In addition to these natural tones, earthy greens and bright reds contributed to opening up the space with quirky and imaginative details. Furthermore, this distinct change in the colours used creates an aesthetically interesting setting for employees to work in. Accordingly, desks are present in the workspace of the North Wing and staff are encouraged to sit wherever is convenient for them. Likewise, communal seating areas within the  promote collaboration in this attractive working environment.

“Our objective was to create a space that enhances our client interactions and helps us to collaborate, innovate and excel.”

Catherine Burnet, Scottish Regional Chair, KPMG

 
Secondly, walking through the space, you will notice the beautiful Revolution 54. The design allows sunlight to penetrate these meeting rooms as well as adding another element of imaginative architecture. Designing bespoke double-glazed partitions ensures they fit the space perfectly as well as providing acoustic privacy. 

A contemporary café 

Similarly, we installed Revolution 54 Shoreditch Edition partitions to the communal café area, which adds to the flow of the space. The Shoreditch bands match the black lighting bars, creating a harmonious flow throughout the space. In addition to the design, Revolution 54 boasts functionality in providing further acoustic reduction encouraging colleagues to interact without disrupting the rest of the office. We installed this to reduce any sound intrusion emanating out of the busy café. 
 

The dynamic doors

In short, you will find our doors installed in multiple areas of this modern office. Most importantly, from the café area, to the working space and client meeting rooms, are the dynamic doors. Shoreditch bands or manifestation add personality, as seen on the client meeting rooms. Furthermore, the glass doors within the KPMG Edinburgh HQ  are rigorously tested and achieve an impressive acoustic rating (Edge Symmetry: Rw41dB), helping to keep meetings contained. A number of finishes include black as seen in KPMG’s offices, as well as different tones of bronze, used in projects such as GAM or Varde.

Edge Symmetry double glazed doors and timber doors were also used throughout the design to ensure differentiation. A clever bespoke double leaf door to the café entrance has one leaf which can remain open  whilst the other leaf is closed. A design technique used to control the flow of traffic in and out of the café area.

Glass partitions create a design that encourages interaction 

 KPMG specified an “open and collaborative space that is fun, quirky and reflects the locality”. A task achieved through interesting influxes of imaginative design. This is abundantly clear in the artistic wood panelling as seen in the reception. Intricate patterns are cut out of timber panels and positioned on the walls around the room. The design here works in harmony with our glass partitions in creating an open, quirky space which encourages interaction between colleagues.

We are proud to have contributed to this BREEAM: Excellent rated fit-out. An achievement that puts this project in the top 10% of fit-outs rated by BREEAM in regards to sustainable and environmental considerations.