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ABERDEEN HARBOUR ANNOUNCES ROUNDHOUSE REFURBISHMENT

Aberdeen Harbour has announced a major refurbishment that will see the former Roundhouse at North Pier turned into modern office accommodation.

At a cost of £190,000, work is already underway to transform the 19th century Roundhouse into a suite of offices across all four floors.

The refurbishment work will be carried out by Morrison Construction, with the plans prepared by Aberdeen Harbour and GPA Humphries Architects. The development will see a number of upgrades made to the existing building to provide improved access, several offices and meeting facilities, while maintaining many of its original features.

Ken Reilly, engineering director of Aberdeen Harbour, comments: "The Roundhouse is a wonderful building and I'm delighted that it will be inhabited once again, since moving the port's vessel control team to the fully equipped Marine Operations Centre on North Pier in 2006. Official records suggest that the Roundhouse was built around the 1800s, so not only does this latest announcement mean that we are making vital improvements to the areas surrounding the harbour, we are also preserving some of its heritage."

The redevelopment work is due for completion in July 2009. Seacroft Marine Consultants Limited, leading providers of marine and offshore consultancy and offshore marine safety services worldwide, will be the sole occupants of the Roundhouse moving from their existing premises at Waterloo Quay.

Michael Cowlam, technical director of Seacroft Marine, explains: "The Roundhouse is offering Seacroft an opportunity for further expansion as we continue to land more short and long-term support contracts. We have seven members of staff relocating from Pioneer House on Waterloo Quay and are currently recruiting for an eighth person to join the team.

"Aberdeen is at the centre of our market and the chance to run our operation from the iconic Roundhouse building at the heart of Aberdeen's marine and offshore activity, in the energy capital of Europe is one that could not be missed. Our support services require an active involvement with the vessels within the port itself and some of our training services take place in Aberdeen Harbour's ship simulator in the adjacent Marine Operations Centre, so the location for us is ideal."