CIBSE Premises Project

CIBSE has announced it will leave Balham and buy a new head office in central London.

We are delighted to announce 222 Balham High Road has now been sold. 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.

Chief executive Ruth Carter says members she has spoken to have been positive about the move. ‘When members visit Balham, they look at it with affection and give a wry smile – but while they may reminisce about their interviews, their reaction is “great, when are you going”,’ she says.

The CIBSE Board did consider redeveloping the existing site, but the cost of turning it into a modern, sustainable facility would have been prohibitive.

To oversee the move, CIBSE has set up a Premises Advisory Committee (PAC), chaired by Paddy Conaghan FCIBSE. Sub-groups have been looking at different aspects of the project, such as building performance and finance, and represent CIBSE’s Regions, Societies and Groups.

See the members and structure for the PAC below:

The Board has laid out seven project deliverables. The top three objectives are that the new head office is tailored to CIBSE’s requirements, has a central location for staff, and aligns with decarbonisation and building safety goals.

The others are that the office: suits CIBSE members and partners; is affordable; supports modern, global working practices; and acts as a net zero demonstration project.

One of the key considerations for a move to central London is accessibility for the growing international membership of CIBSE, which now makes up 29% of the total.

CIBSE is keen to be transparent about the move and wants to engage the wider CIBSE community to create an exemplary building that inspires others on the path to net zero.

Once a property has been confirmed the PAC will be looking to the CIBSE community to turn the building into a head office fit for the Institution. 

See below for the latest updates on the CIBSE Premises project.