IN Brief:
- Three refurbished floors at 65 Haymarket Terrace provide nearly 20,000 sq ft of office accommodation beside Haymarket Station.
- Upgrades include new variable refrigerant flow air conditioning and LED lighting, with the property targeting an EPC A rating.
- The programme also provides showers, lockers, secure cycle storage and an expanded reception area.
A client of CBRE Investment Management has completed the refurbishment of three floors at 65 Haymarket Terrace in Edinburgh, bringing nearly 20,000 sq ft of upgraded office accommodation into use beside Haymarket Station.
The programme includes new variable refrigerant flow air conditioning and LED lighting, while the property is targeting an EPC A rating. Showers, lockers and secure cycle storage have also been installed, and the entrance and reception area have been expanded and modernised.
The work upgrades an existing office building rather than replacing its structure. Floors, façades, cores and much of the base building remain in service while mechanical, electrical and interior elements are renewed to improve energy performance and the quality of the available workspace.
Variable refrigerant flow systems alter the amount of refrigerant supplied to indoor units as heating and cooling demand changes. In an office with separate zones and varying occupancy, that allows individual areas to respond more closely to their own loads than a system delivering the same output across an entire floor.
Efficient operation still depends on controls and commissioning. Temperature sensors, indoor units and external plant have to work together, and poorly balanced controls can cause simultaneous heating and cooling or leave equipment running when spaces are empty.
The LED lighting upgrade reduces electrical demand compared with older fittings, particularly where controls switch or dim lights in response to occupancy and daylight. Lighting also contributes heat to occupied spaces, so lower electrical consumption can reduce part of the cooling load during warmer periods.
An EPC A target cannot be delivered by one item of plant alone. Heating and cooling efficiency, lighting, controls, building fabric and operational patterns all contribute to the calculated performance, while the actual energy used after occupation depends on how tenants operate the space.
The building previously carried a lower EPC rating before refurbishment, so the completed works are intended to improve its position without demolishing and rebuilding the property. Retaining the structure also avoids discarding the material already embodied in the frame and other long life elements.
Secure cycle storage, showers and lockers support commuting by bicycle and public transport, which is particularly relevant beside one of Edinburgh’s main rail and tram interchanges.
Haymarket Station sits immediately beside the property and provides national rail, tram and bus connections as well as pedestrian routes towards Edinburgh’s West End and city centre. The refurbishment therefore combines building upgrades with facilities suited to a location where many occupants can reach the office by public transport or bicycle.
Existing occupiers include Harper Macleod, Thorntons Solicitors and Brulo, so the project has added new accommodation within a building that remained an established workplace throughout the refurbishment programme.
Working within an occupied building creates constraints that do not arise on a vacant shell. Existing tenants elsewhere at 65 Haymarket Terrace still require safe access, working services and functioning escape routes while refurbishment takes place around them.
Mechanical and electrical work can be particularly intrusive because pipework, cabling, controls and drainage often pass through risers or plant areas shared between floors. Contractors have to isolate the correct systems, complete new connections and return them to service without disrupting accommodation outside the work zone.
The enlarged reception affects the whole building rather than only the refurbished floors. Access control, circulation, lighting and finishes at the entrance have to continue serving existing occupants during construction, so temporary routes and phased work become part of the delivery plan.
Knight Frank says demand for Grade A accommodation in Edinburgh continues to outpace supply while little new space is coming forward. Refurbishing an existing building can add modern accommodation without waiting for the longer planning and construction programme associated with a new development.
Mechanical systems, energy use, connectivity, floorplate efficiency, accessibility and common facilities all influence whether older accommodation can compete with newer offices. The Haymarket project addresses several of those elements while retaining the underlying building and its established city centre location.
Three refurbished floors are now available across nearly 20,000 sq ft, with Knight Frank marketing the accommodation. The completed programme gives the building new services, improved shared facilities and an energy performance target intended to extend the useful life of the existing offices rather than replace them with a new structure.
