Action on Hearing Loss was still known as the Royal National Institute for Deaf People when it bought its 26,873 sq ft head office in Shoreditch, then a rather dilapidated area of east London, in 1995.

Over the intervening years, changes in staff, working practices and technology meant the building became too big for the charity’s purposes. But the location became one of the most sought-after in London, and the value of the premises increased exponentially. This was too good an opportunity to ignore, so in 2013 the trustee board decided to sell the property and find somewhere smaller and more suitable.