Located at the new 9 Haymarket Square building, the 16,383 sq ft office is now open to the 433 people based out of Deloitte’s Edinburgh office.

The new space was designed in response to the findings of a Deloitte people survey where 86% of respondents ranked ‘collaborating with team colleagues’ and ‘interacting with others’ as their top three priorities when working in the office.

Douglas Farish, office senior partner for Edinburgh at Deloitte, said: ‘We listened to our people and incorporated what they wanted into the design of our new Edinburgh office.

‘The way we deliver work for our clients has evolved, so we needed to rethink our office environment based on how, when, and where we want to work to deliver the best for our clients’ needs.

‘We’ve created a very open and welcoming space for our people and clients, and it really is a physical manifestation of our culture – a place for collaboration, connection and innovation.’

Connected and flexible

With its open and transparent floors, the new space was designed to create opportunities for people to build relationships and work together in an inclusive way.

State-of-the-art technology, including 360-degree cameras and adjustable height desks, create an inclusive meeting experience, allowing for a seamless connection to those working away from the office, to ensure everyone has an equal voice in meetings.

The new office has also introduced ‘dancing’ walls in the collaboration spaces that double as interactive screens to allow for easy presenting and workshops.

Farish added: ‘We’re not mandating a set number of days in the office. Instead, we trust our people to manage their working week between client site, the office and home - and the new technology will enable seamless connection between our people and clients wherever they choose to work.

‘The configuration of the space, and the variety in the style and size of its rooms, allows those using it to be agile and productive, and creates environments that are easily adaptable for multiple use cases and changing business needs.’

The new office space was designed in close collaboration with staff to improve overall wellbeing and create a more dynamic work environment.

Kitty Milnes, a graduate in Deloitte’s risk advisory practice, commented on what the new office meant to her: ‘I am amazed at this office, it’s so different to how I imagined a professional services office to look. There are loads of collaboration spaces which suits my style of team working, and I can now swap between sitting and standing at the adjustable height desks.

‘There are so many textures and I love the sunflower seed eco cupboard doors and chain mail curtains. For those rare Scottish sunny days, there is also a lovely roof terrace, where our in-house beekeeper will be providing meet the bee sessions.

‘This really is so much more than an office and I’m excited that my career has started at Deloitte Scotland.’

The new Edinburgh office is the latest in a series of UK office announcements, including Bristol and Manchester, with a new Newcastle office being occupied in 2022.