JPMorgan Chase welcomed employees and guests to the ribbon cutting ceremony at its new office in Glasgow. Located on Argyle Street in the city’s International Finance District, the 270,000 sq ft, 14 storey building employed 3,900 construction workers and took five years to finish.

The building features ‘experiential’ meeting spaces, conference rooms, work cafés and games rooms. The layout of collaboration space is configurable, with several equipped with touchscreens. There are amenities such as a wellness studio, nursing and mindfulness rooms.

The bank currently employs 2,600 people in Glasgow and is one of the largest technology employers and recruiters in Scotland, with the country having been home to the firm’s Technology Centre for 25 years.

The bank said it will continue to recruit locally, taking in around 75 graduates every year. The bank also runs a number of initiatives to encourage young people to choose computer science or STEM-based pathways. Elsewhere in Scotland, JPMorgan Chase is a significant employer in Edinburgh, with 1,400 employees.

“We have been among Glasgow’s top technology employers for 25 years now, and this is a deliberate long-term investment in the city and our employees,” said Lori Beer, global chief information officer at JPMorgan Chase.

“Time after time, Glasgow has proved itself to be a rich hub of tech talent and innovation, and today we are doubling down on being a part of the local community here.”

The building has also achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ certification, in line with the bank’s commitment to sourcing renewable energy for 100% of its global power needs, as well as a ‘Gold’ rating from the WELL standard, for management of lighting, water, air quality and noise reduction.

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It did this with solar panels that generate over 90 kW of power and uses a first-of-its-kind system where air-source heat pumps create both heating and cooling within a single process, with excess energy reused in the system to increase overall efficiency.

The building’s low-consumption LED lighting adapts to provide the exact amount of lighting needed during the day, automatically adjusting according to occupancy levels. It also features electric vehicle charging stations and bicycle racks for more than 270 people.