Eden offers perfect location for BDO North West team
Accountancy and business advisory firm, BDO, will take 23,000 sq ft of office space over three floors at sustainable development, Eden.
Eden is a £36m, 115,000 sq ft, 12-storey office building, complete with a roof terrace, at New Bailey in Salford, developed by ECF (English Cities Fund), a strategic joint venture between nationwide placemaker, Muse, Legal & General, the financial services group and global investor, and the Government’s housing and regeneration agency, Homes England.
Once complete, Eden will have the capability to run on 100% renewable electricity and has been designed using the UK Green Building Council’s 2035-2050 standards. Its ‘living façade’ has been designed to remove air pollutants including carbon, reduce urban temperatures offering thermal benefits to occupiers, and delivering a 174% net gain in the biodiversity of the area.
Eden will be home to BDO’s Manchester team from early 2024.
BDO in the UK has committed to running a net zero firm, and last month announced that its near term and long term targets for achieving net zero have been validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
The firm’s transition to net zero involves a near term target of halving its absolute scope 1 and 2 Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. In support of this, BDO’s ‘How We Work’ workstream has been established to reduce its operational emissions, adopt renewable energy and move towards working from sustainable office spaces.
Ella Woodward, development manager at ECF, said: “Agreeing a deal with BDO to make Eden, one of the UK’s most sustainable office buildings, its new Manchester home, has been met with great excitement by all involved.
“BDO absolutely shares our values around delivering a brighter, more sustainable future for all. Together with our partners, we’ve truly pushed the envelope with Eden to see what can be achieved when we work together with a common goal.”
Ed Dwan, partner at BDO in the North West, said: “Our move marks the start of an exciting new chapter for our North West team, which has grown significantly over the past seven years. In this time, we’ve expanded our headcount significantly with sector and subject matter specialists, welcomed record numbers of trainees and all adopted new ways of working. As the firm continues to invest in agile working, we will create a flexible and inclusive space in the one of the most vibrant locations in the region.”
Angela Cross, the new regional managing partner for BDO in the North West, said: “With its innovative design and sustainability credentials, Eden is the perfect address to support BDO’s future success in the region. I look forward to welcoming our fantastic team of around 500 people to this state of the art facility next spring.”
BDO is building a Sustainability and ESG Hub, which brings together specialist capabilities to advise businesses on their own sustainability transitions.
Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, said: “Eden features Europe’s largest living green wall, made up of over 350,000 plants, and is ultra-low energy by being net zero in operation. This has helped to put Salford on the global map once again and I hope that BDO and their employees enjoy the huge benefits from working here.”
Retained letting agents on Eden are JLL, Cushman and Wakefield, and OBI. Rob Yates at Cushman & Wakefield acted on behalf of BDO.
