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One of the so-called ‘big four’, KPMG is one of the largest companies of its kind in the UK and has gone to considerable lengths to make sure its new London office space is up to the standards it requires.
A variety of design features have been incorporated into the building specifically with the aim of encouraging and maximising collaboration at the site, while a BREEAM Excellent rating for sustainability has also been achieved.
Around a fifth of the tower at 15 Canada Square, which carries some 400,000 sq ft of grade A office space, was constructed using recycled materials and KPMG is aiming for major CO2 emission reductions in years to come.
“It was a very great honour that the Queen performed the official opening of our new building,” said John Griffith-Jones, KPMG’s chairman in the UK.
“We are excited and proud that 15 Canada Square creates a first-class working environment for both our people and our clients. It is a key milestone in the firm’s history which, I believe, has far-reaching benefits for the way we do business.”
With the opening of its new Docklands headquarters, KPMG has begun what it describes as a “dual hub strategy”, with its partners operating out of office space in Salisbury Square in the City of London and thousands of other staff working from the new site in Canada Square.
The accountancy firm has operating bases in more than 20 locations across the UK, including office space in Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff, Newcastle and Glasgow.
Editor’s notes: As of May 2023, KPMG still occupy the 14-storey highly specified office building at 5 Canada Square.
Queen Elizabeth passed away in September 2022 and was succeeded by her son Charles who was crowned King on May 6th 2023.
A few days ahead of the Coronation, Charles’ son, William and his wife Kate, rode through London to visit a pub in Soho to support the work of the hospitality industry in the run-up to the Coronation. They road the Elizabeth Line which was opened by the Queen in May 2022 – a line that had been over 20 years in the making and now connects key districts of London.