Waverley Court, City of Edinburgh Council Headquarters

Waverley Court, the headquarters for The City of Edinburgh Council, was procured as a commercially let development. The key objective was to create a landmark building which would demonstrate environmental excellence in all aspects of design and function, with exceptional levels of accessibility. The building achieved a BREEAM ‘Very Good’ rating due to the combined efforts of the design and construction team.

The project was constructed in the heart of Edinburgh, within a tight city centre site that lay adjacent to Waverley Station. Even though it is one of Britain’s busiest railway stations, it remained operational throughout the construction period.

The building was designed with 74 key performance indicators, including solar water heating, rain-water recycling, natural ventilation and façades designed to exceed Building Regulation requirements. All of these contribute towards driving down operating costs to below usual levels. Now a recognised landmark in Edinburgh, the City Council headquarters building provides a sense of pride for all of those who work there.

During the years in which the council has occupied Waverley Court, there has been a very high level of staff satisfaction with the offices and the facilities. The open-plan working arrangements and staff interactions have become a successful feature of a new way of working and these initiatives are extending throughout the office estates.