Office letting sees Ryden set up home in former art deco Aberdeen concert venue

Property adviser Ryden is taking space at an award-winning office development within a former Aberdeen cinema and concert venue.

The firm has signed up for a ten-year lease at The Capitol building as its new city centre office. Funded by M&G Real Estate, the former theatre hall was refurbished and extended in 2016 by Knight Real Estate and was subsequently recognised as city regeneration project of the year in 2018 by the Scottish Property Awards. It also won the British Council of Offices best commercial workspace in Scotland award in 2017. The listed façade and 1920s entrance halls were retained and incorporated into the new building.

Ryden is taking 2,680 square feet of Grade A office space at the 70,000 sq ft city centre office scheme, having signed for a ten-year lease. It will join existing tenants PwC and serviced office outfit Orega. The Capitol is one of several office and mixed-use assets owned by M&G Real Estate in Scotland, including the £350 million Edinburgh Haymarket development.

John Duxbury, head of UK portfolio asset management at M&G Real Estate, said: “This award- winning redevelopment has allowed us to create much-needed Grade A, sustainability-led office space in Aberdeen. This continues our strategy of developing assets of scale in prime locations where we are able to enhance the built environment. We are currently focused on this approach at some of our other major developments including 40 Leadenhall in the City of London and Haymarket in Edinburgh. These assets are attracting strong interest from leading occupiers.”