Energy service giant Wood Group is to relocate its corporate headquarters from the south side of Aberdeen to the city centre.
Announcing the planned move to the new iQ building in Justice Mill Lane yesterday, chief executive Allister Langlands said it would provide additional capacity to support the group’s growing activities in the eastern hemisphere.
He added: “The building that we have chosen is well served by public transport and also incorporates all the latest thinking, in terms of design technology, that helps us reduce our impact on the environment.
“The new office is an important step in consolidating our objective of continuing to improve the working environment for our employees.”
Wood Group said shifting the corporate HQ from John Wood House, at Tullos, would allow the company to consolidate several properties in the city. It added: “The move confirms Wood Group’s strong commitment to supporting North Sea oil and gas activities as well as confirming Aberdeen as its headquarters for its activities across the eastern hemisphere.”
The firm will occupy 65,000 square feet over three floors of the six-story, £45million iQ building, which it will share with energy group Centrica. It is thought at least 400 employees will make the move.
Wood Group, which has 6,000-plus people working in Aberdeen and the North Sea, out of a global workforce of more than 29,000, plans to make the switch during the third quarter of this year.
A spokeswoman at the company said John Wood House would be retained because it was needed to support growth.
Two years ago, the firm shelved plans for a £60million office development in Aberdeen after developer Miller Cromdale pulled out of the deal.
Had it gone ahead, the move would have seen Wood Group shift its HQ to a £60million office complex in Riverside Drive.
Wood Group has signed a 15-year tenancy for iQ, for which Centrica agreed lease terms at the end of last month in a deal thought to be a new Scottish record at about £31 per square foot.
Property developer Hazledene Group said having the building fully let within two weeks of its completion signalled a major upturn in demand for high-standard commercial property.