Engineering consultant Xburo making capital gains with new Edinburgh office

Mechanical and electrical engineering consultant Xburo has opened an Edinburgh office to develop its burgeoning East Coast projects and client base – as it looks to grow overall headcount.

The Glasgow-based firm said Niall Ryan will lead its Edinburgh expansion, having joined the company as a director after more than a decade with WGM Consulting Engineer as operations director.

Mr Ryan will be tasked with growing the firm’s list of East Coast projects, including the Western General Hospital, Broadway Park and Tayside Elective Centre. Most recently, the company began working with Ambassador Group on masterplanning Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh.

The latest office opening comes after the firm in December announced that it was launching a presence in London, which it said has opened doors into “significant” technical due diligence projects across the south of England and Wales.

From left: Michael Gribben, Niall Ryan, Joanna Moran, and Thomas Brady. Picture: Neil Hanna Photography.

The firm said that due to its ongoing projects and other recent wins, including a contract on a major property portfolio acquisition for a large Scottish based-investment company and work with the Ministry of Defence to deliver refurbishment projects, it is currently engaged in projects in excess of £100 million.

Director Michael Gribben, who founded Xburo UK alongside Thomas Brady in 2018, said the firm has been winning more retainer clients, and bigger projects.

He added: “London in particular has grown far more quickly than we ever expected. With the amount of projects we were winning in Edinburgh and the east, solidifying our foothold with an office and by growing our team was the logical next step.

Xburo says it is currently engaged in projects in excess of £100m. Picture: Neil Hanna Photography.

“We’re incredibly excited to have Niall on board. His significant expertise in education and healthcare, and experience with new office disciplines such as Passivhaus design will be invaluable. ”

The firm has already begun to build a team in the Scottish capital, ​​with Joanna Moran, a mechanical engineer previously with WGM Consulting Engineers, Blyth & Blyth Consulting, and James Black Associates, adding her Passivhaus design experience to further bolster the team’s sustainability offering.

Mr Ryan commented: “There are so many opportunities to build on our current project portfolio in Edinburgh, not only because of the growth of the city, but because of the need to support clients in achieving Scotland’s target of net zero carbon by 2045.

Sustainable

“That’s why we’re building a team with extensive sustainability experience. I look forward to working alongside Michael, Thomas and the team to develop a sustainable long-term presence in the East Coast, while further establishing the company’s reputation within Edinburgh’s [mechanical, electrical and plumbing] consultancy market.”

Xburo has also secured a number of new client wins from its Glasgow HQ, including a major project to support the installation of surgical robots for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

The firm added that it has supported the NHS throughout its response to the pandemic, and has delivered more than a million square feet of healthcare projects since March 2020, including the Covid-19 test facility at Gartnavel Hospital by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and NHS24’s Scotland-wide rollout of modern flexible-working environments.

The firm added that the 13-strong team is set for further expansion thanks in part to the return of the office, as it continues to work on major office redevelopments in partnership with firms such as Ryden, JLL, PMP, Doig and Smith, Currie and Brown, Thomson Gray and Avison Young.

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