In 2019, College staff moved into a newly renovated office at 6 Alie Street in Aldgate, London. The decision to relocate, and to renovate the building, was grounded in careful long-term planning.
Now home to staff, London-based examinations, committee meetings and College events, 6 Alie Street is a multifunctional space designed to benefit our members and meet the evolving needs of the College for decades to come. It was carefully designed with environmental features that support our carbon reduction and Net Zero targets. In this way, the building directly contributes to Aim 5 of the 2024–2029 College Strategy – be a well-resourced, sustainable and inclusive organisation.
To gain a deeper insight, we spoke to Daniel Ross, CEO of the College. In this interview, Daniel tells us the story behind 6 Alie Street and how it supports the College’s strategic aims.
To meet our service and sustainability requirements, it soon became clear that demolishing the building and constructing a new premises to our specification was the preferred option, and not much more expensive than a refurbishment ... Being a brand-new building afforded us the opportunity to build many sustainability initiatives into the design.
What prompted the move to 6 Alie Street, and how does it align with the broader mission of the College?
The College used to occupy a 20,000 square foot office space in Carlton House Terrace overlooking St James’s Park. We had a long leasehold of this space, which in 2015 had just over 50 years to run, and we had this space for a peppercorn rent. We had to think about the optimal time to exit this building while there was still value in this lease with a good element of the term left to run. We would not have been able to afford to extend the lease beyond its original term.
Together with the Crown Estate, who were the freeholder of the building, we applied for planning consent to turn the building back into residential use, which it had been up until 1940. As the London super prime residential market was at its peak, we jointly marketed the property with the Crown Estate and eventually an acceptable offer was received.
The College’s share of the proceeds allowed us to purchase a freehold building, 6 Alie Street. We then had to decide whether to refurbish or rebuild the site. To meet our service and sustainability requirements, it soon became clear that demolishing the building and constructing a new premises to our specification was the preferred option, and not much more expensive than a refurbishment.
The building must fulfil 3 distinct requirements:
- to be the office for the College’s administrative functions
- to be a space where members can visit
- to generate income through various initiatives, including a conference centre and by letting spare office space to tenants.
The specification of 6 Alie Street is designed to last the College between 50 and 100 years and removes the necessity for the College to have to move again as the whole process was quite disruptive. We ended up in temporary accommodation for 4 years while we searched for and subsequently developed the site.
The building is not the College; our extensive body of members from the UK and internationally are. However, we now have a freehold building that is 45,000 square feet, which means there is space if the College wishes to expand in years down the line. It is large enough to hold most of the London examinations and run academic update conferences, with state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities. It is also large enough to house all of the College’s staff with space for honorary officers to work while they are at the premises.
[The building] supports the College’s long-term financial sustainability by diversifying and complementing our income streams. The additional revenue brought in by the building’s facilities enables us to limit increases in subscription fees within the current climate of high interest rates, inflation and general costs. Without this supplementary income, subscription fees would have to increase dramatically and to unmanageable levels.
How does the building support the College’s financial sustainability (e.g. does it bring in net positive income against the running costs)?
We have let the 5th floor and part of the 7th floor of the building to external paying tenants. In addition, the award-winning Events @ No6 conference venue generates a profit for the College and a contribution to the overheads of running the building.
This supports the College’s long-term financial sustainability by diversifying and complementing our income streams. The additional revenue brought in by the building’s facilities enables us to limit increases in subscription fees within the current climate of high interest rates, inflation and general costs. Without this supplementary income, subscription fees would have to increase dramatically and to unmanageable levels.
In this way, 6 Alie Street helps to ensure the College remains financially viable in an ever-changing world. This enables us to continue to support and advocate for our members, and deliver our key services for the profession.
We have solar panels on the roof that generate some of the electricity used to run the building, alongside a green roof that supports urban cooling, air quality and local wildlife. We also recycle rainwater collected on the roof to reduce our water usage.
How does the building contribute to the College’s sustainability and net zero objectives?
The College has a target date of 2040 for Net Zero, and an interim target of a 42% absolute reduction by 2032 as compared with our baseline. 6 Alie Street has achieved a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) rating of Excellent and has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of 27.
Being a brand-new building afforded us the opportunity to build many sustainability initiatives into the design.
We have solar panels on the roof that generate some of the electricity used to run the building, alongside a green roof that supports urban cooling, air quality and local wildlife. We also recycle rainwater collected on the roof to reduce our water usage.
Inside, the building is air cooled rather than air conditioned, with exposed concrete contributing to this process. We also have LED lighting throughout the premises, which automatically switches off after no movement is detected after a short time in each room. These sustainability features are significant in reducing the College’s energy usage and environmental impact. 6 Alie Street has allowed us to set our ambitious carbon reduction and Net Zero targets – targets that we simply would not be able to achieve in an older, less modern building. You can read more about our carbon reduction and Net Zero strategy here.
How does the space enhance the experience for members visiting the College?
As well as hosting the College’s staff and administrative functions, 6 Alie Street is predominantly a space to serve our members. We want our members to feel welcome and comfortable, which is why we have dedicated space for any fellow or trainee to use if they are in London, with a members’ room and library. Sometimes this space is used for holding meetings, in which case we will always find members an alternative space within the building to sit.
We also have an extensive number of meeting rooms if members are attending College committee meetings or undertaking other functions or to meet with the College staff who are administering the various College functions.
Members are also able to hire out our Events @ No6 event spaces and catering at discounted rates.
Looking ahead, are there any further plans for developing or enhancing the College’s facilities at 6 Alie Street?
6 Alie Street was built with the long-term future of the College in mind. With such a modern and energy-efficient specification, there are currently no plans to further enhance the building. We will ensure that our audio-visual facilities remain up to date and in good condition so that internal College meetings can take place on a remote or hybrid basis. This saves our members who volunteer for College activities from having to travel to London, further reducing our environmental impact.
Is there anything else you’d like to add on the value of the 6 Alie Street building for members?
The building is a freehold. As such, it will always be an asset for the College and its members whatever the College decides to do in the long term.
We hope that this interview has provided an informative insight into the decision behind the renovation of 6 Alie Street, and the subsequent value this provides for College members.
You can learn more about the history of Alie Street and the surrounding area, as well as the relocation and renovation process, in the Alie Street blog, written by past College President Dr Suzy Lishman CBE in 2015–2016. Just search “Alie Street blog” in the search bar on the website to find the full series.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the Member Engagement and Support team.
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