Providing great places to work across the UK: GBE HQ
Find out how the GPA set up the permanent home of Britain's new publicly-owned energy company
Marischal Square became the first GPA office to be opened by a royal when King Charles III visited the Great British Energy (GBE) headquarters in September 2026.
The GPA was instrumental in the creation of these headquarters, as teams from across the agency came together on a programme to deliver a modern and high-quality office within the space of a year.
The 785 square-metre workspace now hosts the GBE’s main corporate functions, supply chain activities and major development projects including ambitions in deep-water offshore wind.
It has been designed to ensure GBE staff are provided with an environment that supports their work and boosts their performance.
With Aberdeen viewed as the historic energy capital of Europe and a centre for clean energy, the GPA led on a market search of all offices in the city that could meet the requirements of GBE’s workforce.
This led to the GPA identifying Marischal Square as the best option, signing a lease deal that demonstrated strong value-for-money, a key strategic priority for the agency.
Following this, the GPA designed the building in line with the Government Workplace Design Guide, before commencing fit-out works throughout the space.
As part of the fit-out, the layout of the office was modified, while meeting rooms and a reception were added too. The lighting and ventilation systems were enhanced, with the space also redecorated and recarpeted.
The property technology at Marischal Square has also been improved after the GPA installed IT infrastructure, most notably GovWifi and GovPrint. This will ensure GBE’s staff are provided with a flexible and digitally-enabled office that is now capable of hosting all staff events.
Mark Bourgeois, the GPA’s CEO said:
“The delivery of the GBE headquarters at Marischal Square underlines the GPA’s commitment to providing great office spaces across the government estate, ensuring staff can work productively in every nation and region of the UK.
“This project also demonstrated the GPA’s desire to collaborate with both our departmental partners and the private sector, as we worked closely with GBE’s project team and our contractors throughout the programme.”
GBE CEO Dan McGrail said:
“Aberdeen is the natural home for Great British Energy. As the energy capital of Europe, it has the skills, expertise and energy heritage that will be vital as we invest in the industries and infrastructure of the future.
“Our new headquarters gives our growing team a high-quality, modern base from which to deliver that mission. We are grateful to the Government Property Agency for working in partnership with us to create a workplace that reflects the scale of our ambition and commitment to Aberdeen.”