Grant Thornton, 30 Finsbury Square: structured cabling across a decade of workplace transformation
Relocation, refurbishment and headquarters consolidation: ACCL’s structured cabling partnership with Grant Thornton at 30 Finsbury Square, London, spanning almost ten years.
Over almost a decade, ACCL supported Grant Thornton through three distinct phases of workplace transformation at 30 Finsbury Square: relocating the former RSM Robson Rhodes business, a major building refurbishment, and finally the consolidation of Grant Thornton’s London headquarters in 2017.
The result
ACCL supported Grant Thornton through a decade of change at 30 Finsbury Square. The relationship delivered:
- A long-term client relationship spanning almost ten years
- Multiple phased relocations and refurbishment programmes
- Brand-Rex Cat6 IIM infrastructure retained and reconfigured
- Leviton Cat6 cabling installed for a Wi-Fi-first workplace
- Dual North and South SERs for resilient network distribution
- Extensive out-of-hours working to protect business continuity
Services delivered
Overview
Some projects are remembered for their size, others for their technical complexity. The Grant Thornton project at 30 Finsbury Square, London, is memorable for both. Over almost a decade, ACCL supported Grant Thornton through multiple phases of workplace transformation: the relocation of the former RSM Robson Rhodes business, a major building refurbishment, and finally the consolidation of Grant Thornton’s London headquarters.
This long-term relationship demonstrates ACCL’s ability to support clients throughout every stage of their workplace evolution while delivering resilient, future-ready structured cabling infrastructure with minimal disruption to business operations.
Phase one: relocation to 30 Finsbury Square
ACCL had developed a close working relationship with RSM Robson Rhodes over many years. Following the merger with Grant Thornton, ACCL was appointed to support the relocation of the former Robson Rhodes business from City Road to 30 Finsbury Square.
At the time, the building was occupied by two major organisations: Invesco occupied three floors while Grant Thornton initially occupied four. Although each company operated independently, both shared the building’s primary communications infrastructure, with the main communications room in the sub-basement. The existing installation was a Brand-Rex Category 6 system with Intelligent Infrastructure Management (IIM), with every floor served by both North and South Secondary Equipment Rooms providing resilient fibre and copper connectivity back to the main communications room.
Testing and reusing the existing infrastructure
ACCL was commissioned to survey, test and reconfigure the existing structured cabling system to accommodate Grant Thornton’s new office layouts and workstation arrangements. Before any relocation work began, every link was tested and certified to verify the integrity of the existing installation, allowing the client to retain and reuse the high-quality Brand-Rex infrastructure wherever possible, reducing costs while maintaining a fully certified network.
The relocation was delivered floor-by-floor, each allocated a four-week installation programme. Close coordination between ACCL, the fit-out contractor, furniture installers and the client’s IT department kept every phase on schedule while maintaining uninterrupted service to both Grant Thornton and Invesco.
Phase two: full building refurbishment
Following Invesco’s departure from 30 Finsbury Square, Grant Thornton commenced a comprehensive refurbishment programme to consolidate its occupation throughout the building. The refurbishment ran over approximately twelve months on a phased floor-by-floor basis, allowing business operations to continue while each area was transformed. Having successfully delivered the initial relocation, ACCL was retained to undertake the structured cabling works throughout.
Building a Wi-Fi-first workplace
Working alongside the project design team and Grant Thornton’s IT department, ACCL designed and installed additional structured cabling to support the firm’s move towards a Wi-Fi-first workplace strategy, creating a more flexible working environment while maintaining resilient wired infrastructure for critical business systems. The installation used a Leviton Category 6 structured cabling solution, extending the network throughout the building.
Each floor contained approximately 800 data outlets, distributed from both the North and South SERs, providing resilient network distribution, simplified cable management and flexibility for future office reconfigurations. Every installation was fully tested, certified and documented before handover.
Project context
Professional services headquarters · 30 Finsbury Square, City of London
Structured cabling in the City of London →Planning a phased office refurbishment?
ACCL supported Grant Thornton through three phases of relocation and refurbishment at 30 Finsbury Square without disrupting business operations. Talk to us about a phased cabling programme for your own building.
Phase three: headquarters consolidation
During 2016, 30 Finsbury Square underwent a further major refurbishment to accommodate the relocation of additional Grant Thornton staff from the firm’s Euston offices ahead of the HS2 redevelopment. By this stage, ACCL had become the trusted structured cabling partner for the building and was once again appointed to coordinate the works throughout every floor.
This proved to be one of the most challenging phases of the project. Unlike the previous refurbishment, the building was now fully occupied: existing employees needed to continue working uninterrupted while new workspaces, meeting rooms and collaboration areas were created to accommodate the incoming teams. Every floor required careful planning before work commenced.
Working around a fully occupied building
ACCL worked closely with Grant Thornton’s Facilities and IT departments, together with the principal contractor and associated trades, to ensure every phase was delivered safely and efficiently. To minimise disruption, the majority of the installation, testing, migration and commissioning works were undertaken outside normal business hours, including evenings and weekends, so new work areas could be commissioned out of hours and employees could return to fully operational workspaces.
The successful completion of this phase enabled Grant Thornton to consolidate its London operations within 30 Finsbury Square, which became the firm’s official London headquarters in 2017 following the move from Euston associated with the HS2 redevelopment.
Technologies used
ACCL’s role
Across three phases and almost a decade, ACCL acted as Grant Thornton’s trusted structured cabling partner at 30 Finsbury Square. Our role included:
- Surveying, testing and certifying the existing Brand-Rex cabling
- Delivering a floor-by-floor relocation programme
- Designing and installing Leviton Cat6 for a Wi-Fi-first strategy
- Coordinating with IT, Facilities and principal contractors
- Delivering extensive out-of-hours installation and commissioning
- Testing, certifying and documenting every phase before handover
Explore related ACCL services
Foreword by Wayne
“When I look back on our involvement at 30 Finsbury Square, I don’t immediately think about the thousands of cables we installed. I think about the people. Over almost a decade, ACCL had the privilege of supporting Grant Thornton through relocation, refurbishment and finally the consolidation of the firm’s London headquarters, and we became far more than a structured cabling contractor: we became a trusted project partner. I’d particularly like to thank Ian Boreham, Grant Thornton’s IT Manager, for the trust he placed in ACCL over many years. Relationships like these are the foundation of our business. Technology evolves and workplaces change, but trust, integrity and teamwork remain constant.”Wayne Connors, Managing Director, ACCL
Frequently asked questions
How long has ACCL worked with Grant Thornton at 30 Finsbury Square?
ACCL supported Grant Thornton across three phases of workplace transformation spanning almost ten years, from the initial relocation through to headquarters consolidation in 2017.
What was the first phase of the project?
ACCL supported the relocation of the former RSM Robson Rhodes business from City Road to 30 Finsbury Square, testing and reconfiguring the existing Brand-Rex Category 6 cabling to suit Grant Thornton’s new office layouts.
What structured cabling systems were used?
The building’s existing infrastructure was a Brand-Rex Category 6 system with Intelligent Infrastructure Management. During the refurbishment phase, ACCL installed a Leviton Category 6 structured cabling solution.
How many data outlets were installed per floor?
Each floor contained approximately 800 data outlets, distributed from both the North and South Secondary Equipment Rooms.
Why did ACCL install a Wi-Fi-first structured cabling system?
Grant Thornton wanted a more flexible working environment. The Leviton Category 6 installation supported the firm’s Wi-Fi-first workplace strategy while maintaining resilient wired infrastructure for critical business systems.
Was the building occupied during the works?
Yes. During the third phase in particular, the building was fully occupied, so the majority of installation, testing, migration and commissioning work was carried out outside normal business hours, including evenings and weekends.
When did 30 Finsbury Square become Grant Thornton’s London headquarters?
30 Finsbury Square became Grant Thornton’s official London headquarters in 2017, following the consolidation of staff from the firm’s Euston offices ahead of the HS2 redevelopment.
Did another organisation share the building?
Yes. During the initial relocation phase, Invesco occupied three floors of 30 Finsbury Square while Grant Thornton occupied four, sharing the building’s primary communications infrastructure in the sub-basement.
What does this project demonstrate about ACCL’s capabilities?
It demonstrates ACCL’s ability to support a client through multiple phases of workplace transformation over almost a decade, delivering resilient, scalable structured cabling infrastructure while maintaining business continuity in complex, occupied environments.
Planning a phased office relocation or refurbishment?
ACCL designs and delivers structured cabling for phased office relocations and refurbishments across occupied commercial buildings in London.
Talk to us about your site 0333 900 0101