Commercial Opportunity: We're on the move!

AN AMBITIOUS architecture and structural engineering business has revealed plans to move, after outgrowing its Sunderland premises.

Building Design Northern (BDN) – which is headquartered in Sunderland, with a second office in Ulverston – will list its stunningly restored Old Simpson Street School base for sale, after revealing plans to relocate to a larger office space.

The firm, which has grown from being a team of 10 in 2019 to having 33 employees, plans to add more people to its number within the next 12 months, and is exploring options to relocate to a larger space to accommodate its growth.

The plans mean the company will sell its current base – Old Simpson Street School – after completing a stunning restoration of the derelict building that saw it converted into a state-of-the-art office space, alongside eight luxury apartments which are available for short stays.

Richard Marsden, managing director of BDN – which recently restored the Grade II listed former stables building, Sheepfolds Stables, now a destination leisure venue – said:

The growth we have seen at BDN has been rapid, and we’ve already announced plans to expand our base in Ulverston, with the acquisition of a former police station, to ensure we have room for a larger team in the Lakes.

We have found ourselves in the same position in Sunderland, with the building we’re in no longer large enough to accommodate our team. We have explored the option of converting other parts of the school to office space to give us more capacity, but the reality is that we have outgrown the school and it’s time for us to move on.

We’ve started the search for a new base, which will create more capacity for us to expand, and the school being on the market will allow us the chance to find a new custodian of this fantastic building, while unlocking our capacity for continued growth.

To find out more about the Old Simpson Street School building, contact hello@bdnltd.co.uk. The property is on the market with Bradley Hall.