Edinburgh city centre offices get new lease of life including 'defurb' design and wellness room

The Stamp Office on Edinburgh's Waterloo Place is owned by CityBee, the UK office joint venture between Europi Property Group and Trinova Real Estate, with Knight Frank and EYCO acting as joint leasing agents. Picture by McAteer Photograph

Property professionals hope to address a demand and supply imbalance in Edinburgh’s office market after significant investment in a Grade A-listed city centre building.

The interior of the Stamp Office on Waterloo Place - adjacent to Waverley Station and the new St James Quarter - has been “comprehensively refurbished” within the listed Georgian façade, with three floors now available for new occupiers.

In addition to new-look receptions and common areas, facilities for active commuting have been added to the building’s basement level. These include cycle storage, a drying room, a “wellness room” incorporating Peloton bikes and changing and shower facilities. The interiors are said to have a “defurbished” design, bringing the historic building in line with modern occupier requirements, including exposed ceilings with visible pipework and vents.

The Stamp Office is owned by CityBee, the UK office joint venture between Europi Property Group and Trinova Real Estate, with Knight Frank and EYCO acting as joint leasing agents. Current tenants include health tech business Current Health and digital design consultancy xDesign.

Toby Withall, office agency partner at Knight Frank Edinburgh, said: “The imbalance between the supply of office space in Edinburgh and demand continues, making refurbishment projects critical to ensuring new, top-quality space is available for businesses who want to set up a base here or relocate within the city. Stamp Office is steeped in history and, combined with the prime location beside Waverley Station and St James Quarter, it is an attractive place for businesses to call home.”

A report last month suggested that a “critical” shortage of Edinburgh office space was likely to persist throughout 2024, despite the post-pandemic transition to home and hybrid working. Figures from property consultancy JLL showed that total office take-up in the capital last year totalled 661,000 square feet. This total represents an 18 per cent reduction compared to the ten-year average.

Hannah Done, associate director at JLL in Edinburgh, said: “It’s a hard-hitting fact that there is currently no availability of Grade A office space amongst Edinburgh’s build stock, and we anticipate that this trend will persist into 2024 without more speculative refurbishment from investors.”