CIBSE is delighted to announce the sale of 222 Balham High Road. This means the next phase of CIBSE’s plan for a Head Office suitable for the current and future needs of our employees and members, can move forward at a pace.
Even though the sale has been completed, we have negotiated a peppercorn rent on Delta House for the next nine months but are hoping to be moving out of the premises before Christmas. While we were awaiting the contracts to be signed, CIBSE has been working diligently to make sure that when this announcement is made, we have many key actions in place.
One of our top priorities was the safekeeping of the CIBSE library and its cherished legacy items. We have meticulously checked and stored these items, ensuring their preservation during the transition.
The Engineering Centre is now fully decommissioned and out of use, so all booked training is being delivered online or in pre-arranged meeting rooms within Delta House or elsewhere. This will continue until the new building is up and running. With increased training being attended and booked throughout 2024, it is critical to make sure we can satisfy the requirements.
A significant amount of work has already been done on gathering data from our Special Interest Groups to steer us on building performance. We have appointed a design team (more in a future article) to use this research to help us ensure we have a building that CIBSE’s members will be proud of.
We have also started a fundraising process. CIBSE’s financial position and reserves remain very healthy, but we have big ambitions and a growing remit from our members, and want to ensure that the investment in these activities is not affected by any acquisition plans.
We have therefore started working with a fundraising consultancy to look at the best way to support the opportunities that a new, centrally located, modern head office will offer. We will be sharing more details on this shortly, but we would warmly welcome any thoughts or questions around this.
We are of course, very actively looking for our new head office. The process of finding the building has been in place for some time, and we have engaged a company to investigate what is available. The team has been viewing potential premises, and now that the announcement has been made, we will be able to move quickly to find that building. This puts CIBSE in a strong position when negotiating for the best premises.
Ruth Carter, CIBSE chief executive is positive about the relocation ‘The move is the next big milestone for CIBSE. We have ambitious plans as a leading global Institution – our accessibility, reach and voice will support us in continuing our positive growth trajectory.’