Property and office design group Space Solutions has merged with Glasgow-based workplace design specialist haa design to create a new “stronger force” in the workplace design sector.

Founded in 1994 by Hugh Anderson, haa’s award-winning consultancy-led design practice counts J.P. Morgan, the University of the West of Scotland, the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, Cisco and Pinsent Masons on its client roster and has completed over 400 projects spanning the last two decades.

The ten-strong team from haa will relocate to Space Solutions’ Glasgow office before the end Q1 2017, working closely alongside Space Solutions while retaining the haa brand.

The senior management team expect the combined Space Solutions-haa to emerge as an even stronger force in the workplace design market and continue to compete for the top contracts across the commercial, public, further education and professional services sectors.

Steve Judge, managing director at Space Solutions, said: “We believe the quality of the team and the experience haa brings to Space Solutions will be quite transformative in terms of the proposition we are able to offer clients and the merger is consistent with our strategy to add strength to our service and product lines across the group.”

Derek Binnie, director for strategic growth at Space Solutions, said: “Hugh Anderson and haa design have been at the forefront of the UK office design industry for over twenty years. We have both come through challenging recessionary times by offering high value support to clients and through working in a collaborative way with the rest of the property industry with a view to achieving the best possible outcomes for our customers - something that will remain a mainstay following the merger.”

Hugh Anderson, haa’s managing director, added: “We describe ourselves as ‘commercial architects’ in the sense that we understand business, taking a research-driven approach to how buildings and people combine to the greatest effect.

“What we often explain as ‘from the inside out’ is all about creating the most productive environment for workforces in the 21st century and with this philosophy we realised we were very much on the same page as Space Solutions when we were approached and started talking about how we could join forces to deliver an even better service to customers.”

Space Solutions employs 230 people across its main offices in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Livingston and Dundee.