HFD Group scoops top accolade at Scottish Property Awards

HFD Group has been named property company of the year in the Scottish Property Awards, with its flagship project, 177 Bothwell Street, also picking up the title of development of the year.

The group comprises six divisions to support the full property lifecycle: property, construction, offices, services, energy and DataVita – its IT and data centre business – and celebrated its 30^th anniversary in 2021. The company was commended by the judges for a series of achievements over the past year, including more than 250,000 sq. ft. of new lettings and regears, the acquisition of the Fortis data centre facility, the introduction of a new dedicated energy division, and the work of the HFD Charitable Foundation.

177 Bothwell Street, which is set to be Glasgow’s largest single office building, was named commercial development of the year, in recognition of the Grade A development’s sustainability credentials among a range of factors. With 100% of the energy used at the office development coming from an identified, local renewable supply, the fully electric, zero-emissions building has committed to achieving an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) A score of less than eight – 45% more energy-efficient than a standard A-rated building.

The development is also the first Scottish property to commit to attaining the new SmartScore accreditation for smart buildings and has achieved a ‘Platinum’ WiredScore certification, a standard recognising best-in-class connectivity.

Occupiers already committed to the building include Virgin Money, BNP Paribas, AECOM, CBRE, and Transport Scotland, while HFD’s flexible serviced offices business, HFD Offices, will operate from dedicated space within the building.

177 Bothwell Street features a rooftop terrace and running track, 318 cycle spaces, electric vehicle charging points, and touchless technology throughout the building. An independent economic impact assessment concluded that the development will generate £2.8 billion of gross value added (GVA) to the Scottish economy over 25 years. 

The Scottish Property Awards are designed to recognise the best new commercial and public buildings in Scotland and winners were announced at a dinner in Glasgow last night (30^th March).

William Hill, CEO of HFD Group, said: “Over the past three decades, HFD Group has evolved significantly, and we are proud to be positioned at the heart of the Scottish property landscape. We are committed to delivering projects with a positive impact on the communities we operate in, as well as the environment. Sustainability is not new for us – we delivered Scotland’s first ‘A’ rated EPC building back in 2008 – but we are continuing to go one step further in reducing the carbon footprint of the built environment, for instance with dedicated renewable energy sources across the portfolio.” 

Michael McDowall, director of HFD Property Group, added: “177 Bothwell Street has been designed specifically around the needs of occupiers, particularly in the post-pandemic world, with sustainability, wellbeing and connectivity at its core. The property already has a strong tenant line up, many of which were secured in the peak of the Covid-19 disruption, highlighting the exceptional quality of accommodation on offer.”