The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
State-of-the-art BT office reaches new heights in the city
Major Dundee employer BT has marked a milestone in the construction of its new multi-million-pound home in the city.
A traditional topping out ceremony was held yesterday as construction at the Greenmarket site reached its highest point.
Delegates gathered at the top of the five-storey building to commemorate the completion of the rooftop.
Work began at the site last May and the exterior of the building is due to be completed in September this year. Work to fit-out the interior will then begin.
The office, which is expected to open next year, will be home to around 1,000 workers.
The telecoms giant will then vacate offices in Ward Road it has occupied since 1976.
Its new office will be equipped with the latest technology and feature a range of communal and collaborative spaces. It will also include a games area and an in-house coffee shop.
The building will also include EV chargers and a brown roof that will selfvegetate from windblown and bird seed dispersal. That will ensure its impact on the environment will be minimal.
The site will also comprise retail units and student accommodation.
Brent Mathews, BT Group property director, said: “This milestone marks a key step forward in our journey of bringing our colleagues together in the heart of Dundee. This investment highlights a significant and long-term commitment to Dundee.
“We want to create an inspiring environment where our colleagues here will be able to deliver the best they can for our customers as we continue the vitally important work of keeping the country connected.”
BT’S commitment to Dundee as a long-term location was announced in 2020 as part of the company’s BT’S Better Workplace Programme.
The programme is described as the largest workplace improvement and consolidation scheme of its type ever undertaken in the UK.
This month, the company reaffirmed its commitment to Dundee, despite plans to make up to 50,000 job cuts by the end of the decade.
Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said: “This is a huge investment and vote of confidence in our city and BT’S workforce here.
“It’s also another anchor tenant within our city centre, supporting the broader economy.
“I have been keenly following the progress of this building as it rises from what for so long was an undeveloped plot of land.
“The work that has been done in such a relatively short time has been great.
“It is real physical evidence of BT’S endorsement of Dundee as a good place to do business and recruit its present and future workforce.”