Liberty, the campaigning organisation that defends human rights and civil liberties, has moved to its new home in the heart of the City of Westminster after 30 years in a dark Dickensian building South of the river.
Liberty called in office relocation specialists, Interactive Space, to project manage the move and design and fit-out the new space to ensure it would be fit for purpose and reflect its public profile.
Through a stringent cost engineering programme, Interactive Space created new cellular offices, a media room, disabled lift and a number of other features within a space, which have made the new office fit for Liberty's requirements.. The company also appointed asbestos and dilapidation surveys and moved Liberty in all within a 4-week time frame.
Jo Shone, Director of Operations at Liberty said; "Everything went extremely smoothly, Interactive Space took a lot of hassle out of my hands. At every stage they were clear and transparent, producing detailed design and cost plans and flagging up items that could potentially take us over our extremely tight budget. There were no nasty surprises and we moved in to our new home on time, ready to continue championing human rights from day 1."
Says David Atkinson, CEO of Interactive Space "Whenever we work with NGO's there is always the question of finding the right solution at the best possible cost. Throughout the entire process, we kept a keen and respectful eye on every detail and, within an extremely tight budget, have helped Liberty move into a building that is bright, inspirational and fit for purpose."
Liberty's previous premises in a converted house near to London's Borough High Street, was deemed no longer suitable for it to operate as effectively as it could. Staff and volunteers were severely restricted in terms of space, natural light and meeting and disabled facilities. It was time to find a more suitable home.
At 5,000sq ft, the new building at Strutton Ground, SW1 is twice the size of their previous home. Its location is ideally placed for Parliament, Scotland Yard and the Supreme Court, allowing Liberty to be even more persuasive, right on the doorstep of the key decision makers. And the building enjoys an abundance of natural light and a more open-plan environment, allowing staff to effectively collaborate and communicate.
Benefits of the new Liberty HQ include;
- Space for volunteers to help with campaigns and legal advice services
- A location for human rights lawyers to meet and share learning
- A drop-in location for MPs, peers and journalists seeking up-to-date briefings on key issues
- A library and media centre
- Space for educational workshops and events, campaign launches and press conferences
- A location for partner organisations and like-minded NGOs to share expertise and pool resources
- Fully accessible for disabled people
To help fund the move to the new HQ, Liberty launched a successful Capital Appeal campaign in September 2009, where members and supporters could buy a ‘Future of Liberty brick' inscribed with their individual messages of support.
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