The architects behind the design of the new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) are closing their office in the Granite city.
Keppie Design, which was also part of a winning consortium chosen for the design of the ill-fated redevelopment of Union Terrace Gardens (UTG), said 25 jobs were at risk of redundancy in Aberdeen, Manchester and Perth where it was also closing offices.
A spokeswoman for the company insisted there was “absolutely no impact at all on the AECC project as this is – and always has been – run from Keppie’s Glasgow office”.
The firm said it will retain its offices in Inverness, Edinburgh and its Glasgow headquarters. The firm employs 3 people in Aberdeen.
The company said the move was an attempt to “dramatically reduce” its costs. The company booked a £528,000 pre-tax loss in the year to the end of July 2015 as turnover slumped 4% to £7.5million. The firm said at the time that the fall off in income was due to “a number of reasons… principally delays to the start of certain projects, while others have been put on hold, in some cases as a result of the collapse in the price of oil”.
Keppie was behind a number of projects in the region, including the £35million redevelopment of the Capitol building on Union Street. The firm was also behind the award winning design of Scottish Natural Heritage’s flagship headquarters in Inverness.
In 2012, the firm’s plans for a £140million revamp of UTG was chosen from a shortlist of six after an international design competition. The “Granite Web” team included New York architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro and landscape architects Olin Studio. The scheme was scrapped by city councillors despite a public referendum in which a majority of more than 4,000 people backed the project.
The firm was appointed by Henry Boot Developments to design the new £333million AECC in 2014. Construction on the 12,500-capacity venue is expected to start in July and be completed by spring 2019.
In a statement Keppie said: “After careful consideration, we have chosen to restructure the business and are currently in consultation with 25 employees in Aberdeen, Manchester and Perth on the proposed closure of these offices. This period of consultation started on Wednesday 1 June will last until Wednesday 15 June.
“It is important to highlight that Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness offices and staff will not be affected by this. It is also important to emphasise that this decision has been made to strengthen the business and allow us to move forward from an even more solid and more secure base. Keppie Design has a great heritage, a very talented team who are involved in lots of exciting projects, and have a bright future ahead. The proposal to close these three offices would dramatically reduce our overheads, allowing us to protect the business for the future and move forward from a position of increased stability.”
