Global Investment Firm — Edinburgh

GlobalInvestmentFirm

Location Edinburgh|Architect MLA|Contractor Robertson Construction

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High-performance glazing supports a lower-carbon Edinburgh headquarters

A global investment firm’s new 140,000 sq ft headquarters in central Edinburgh was designed by MLA and delivered by Robertson Construction as a flexible, long-term workplace within the city’s New Town Conservation Area. The refurbishment combines high acoustic performance, fire-resistant glazing and lower-carbon material choices within a restrained architectural language carried through offices, meeting rooms and the central atrium.

Acoustic privacy, precisely handled

Meeting rooms and enclosed offices demanded a high degree of discretion. Revolution 100 was specified with 12.8mm and 16.8mm acoustic laminated glass, achieving Rw52dB while retaining the clarity and proportion of a glazed interior.

Shoreditch Edition detailing gives the elevations a more deliberate architectural character, while Elite Affinity doors continue the acoustic performance through the entrances. Together, the systems create rooms that feel calm and private without becoming visually heavy.

A town hall at the heart of the atrium

The central atrium has been recast as a town hall for company-wide meetings, presentations and events. On the ground floor, Technishield 65 provides 30 minutes’ integrity and insulation, enclosing the space without diminishing its openness.

Above, Revolution 100 part-height screens continue the same visual language where fire resistance is not required. Matching finishes across both systems allow the atrium to read as one composition, even as the technical demands change from level to level.

Sustainability carried through the specification

The decision to retain and refurbish the existing building set the environmental direction for the project. Within that wider strategy, Optima’s demountable partitions can be dismantled and reconfigured as the workplace evolves, extending their useful life and reducing the need for wholesale replacement.

The aluminium used within the systems contains a minimum of 75% post-consumer recycled content, with independently verified embodied carbon below 1.9 kg CO₂e per kilogram. EPD documentation and BREEAM support further connected the glazing package to the project’s broader sustainability ambitions.

“You have produced a quality install, and any issues have been dealt with promptly. Look forward to the next one.”

Ben Allard, Senior Site Manager, Robertson Construction

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Global Investment Firm, Edinburgh