FRENCH energy service giant Technip has lodged plans for a major transformation of its north-east offices.
The group hopes to demolish one of the original office buildings at its Westhill site and build a modern complex in its place. Plans have been lodged with Aberdeenshire Council to demolish the existing block and create a new office development, as well as a multi-storey car park and covered walkway providing links to existing facilities.
The original building has lain empty for more than four months after employees were moved to different sites in anticipation of the project.
Its replacement will eventually house about 400 workers.
A Technip spokeswoman said the company hoped the new building would be completed by 2013.
“We have quite a large site for our subsea base and as we grow we need to enhance our buildings to ensure we have adequate space,” she said.
“We have decanted everyone out to buildings on other sites and the original building is empty.
“We have been in Westhill for a long time and we are improving our site here.
“We are really keen to have a state-of-the-art building which provides our staff with what they need. We are really pleased with the plans.”
The Technip site, in Enterprise Drive, has grown over the years to incorporate three main buildings and two smaller units, housing more than 800 employees between them.
The group arrived in the north-east 10 years ago when Technip took over another major offshore firm, Coflexip Stena Offshore, which had 500 employees at Westhill.
Technip posted pre-tax profits of £148million for the second quarter of 2011, a 21.8% year-on-year increase.
Onshore projects in the Middle East and offshore Africa have been credited with helping drive the company’s growth.