Engineering firm moves 850 staff into new head office

Engineering firm WSP has moved 850 staff into a new headquarters in Manchester.

The firm had four offices in the city and has moved all its staff into a building in First Street.

The new office was officially opened by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

The engineering and professional services firm now occupies 54,000 sq. ft across the first and second floors of the building.

WSP will benefits from two of the building’s winter garden spaces on the first floor which provide double height breakout space for employees and visitors to enjoy.

WSP is also 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.

As well as marking the official opening of the office Andy Burnham was on hand to inspect designs and imagery for a new prototype emergency homeless shelter that has been developed in a collaboration between WSP’s design studio team and students from the Manchester School of Architecture (MSA).

All the materials used in the prototype pod are made from reclaimed materials and the pod has been specifically designed so it can be re-constructed with just the minimum of instruction or building experience.

Mark Hurley, head of planning and WSP executive leadership sponsor for the office move said: “We were delighted that the Mayor was able to officially open our new offices now that our people have settled in.

“Bringing our offices together in one place is important to us as a local employer, as it is rewarding for people to have the opportunity to work on projects that transform their own neighbourhoods.

“We were also coming up to a crucial stage in the development of the emergency shelters with the MSA students, so it was perfect timing to showcase the design as part of the visit as we know this is an issue about which he is very passionate.”

The mayor also took the time to speak to other WSP teams working on a range of projects that are close to his heart including: designing out loneliness from new builds, HS2, anti-congestion schemes, as well as the “Streets for all” strategy for Manchester which aims to address the needs of people and communities, not just vehicles and public transport.