Firm moves 850 staff into new city centre offices

More than 850 WSP staff have today moved into their new offices at No8 First Street, Manchester.

The engineering and professional services consultancy now occupies 54,000 sq ft across the first and second floors of the building, a move that allowed WSP to bring together four existing offices spread across the city into a single, central location.

WSP – one of the largest engineering and professional consultancies in Manchester – will also benefit from two of No8’s winter garden spaces on the first floor which provide double height breakout space for occupiers and visitors to enjoy.

Mark Hurley, head of environment and WSP leadership sponsor for the move, said: “WSP had around 850 engineers, planners and environmental experts based in four offices in Manchester.

“This move has been some time in the planning and we are delighted with the end result which will allow more flexible and collaborative working.

“We looked at a number of office spaces across the city, but No8 met all our requirements both in terms of location and in offering a brand-new open plan space and supports WSP’s ambition to be carbon-neutral by 2025.

“This is a major investment for WSP and it underlines our commitment to the city and the North West as a whole.”

As well as being in a central location with great transport links, WSP will be seeking Fitwel accreditation for its new office, reflecting that the health and well-being of staff was incorporated into the design of the space from the outset.

Already settled in to No 8, WSP joins energy supplier Gazprom which took 40,000 sq ft of space across floors five and six earlier this year.