Building consultancy opens new chapter with office move to iconic Cardiff building

(l-r) David Champs and Paul Tambini, Directors and Co-owners of T C Consult

A cost consultancy and project management firm has moved into one of Cardiff’s most recognisable office buildings, as part of its growth strategy to become a £2 million business by 2024.

TC Consult has doubled its floor space and moved its eight-strong team into the unique Old Coach House at the entrance to the city’s Sophia Gardens.

The building was converted from a residential property in 2007 to offer 1,500 sq ft of office space, complete with high-speed fibre broadband and private parking.

“Moving to our new offices in Sophia Gardens represents an important milestone in the development of TC Consult and reflects the ambition we have for the business and the exciting opportunities we see ahead,” said Paul Tambini.

“We wanted a commercial space that better represented our brand and profile as one of Wales’s fastest growing cost consultancy and project management firms and the iconic Old Coach House does just that.

“In addition, located as it is so close to the city centre, on the edge of Cardiff’s leafy parkland and right by our national sports centre, makes it a coveted place to work, and our talented team are very excited by what the new location has to offer.”

TC Consult was established in 2007 by co-founders Paul Tambini and David Champs, just before the financial crisis hit the UK property sector. After successfully trading through this difficult financial period, the firm acquired quantity surveyors Bankswood & Partners in 2012, moving from Newport to Phoenix House, on Cardiff’s Cathedral Road.

Today, the firm advises a diverse collection of clients, including Aston Martin Lagonda, 3M plc and Unite the Union, and is involved in projects as far afield as Belfast, Glasgow, Leeds, Loughborough and London.

Offering traditional quantity surveying services, alongside project management, fund monitoring and development consultancy, TC Consult develops long-term relationships with clients, building designers and contractors and prides itself on the ability to unlock difficult and complex development projects.

TC Consult hopes to build on its recent successes and increase its headcount further over the next two years. It has ongoing projects at several sites in the National Museum Wales portfolio, with others in the pipeline for Melin Homes, Mon Motors Group and Snowdonia-based adventure company, ZipWorld.

The new office, which is run on renewable energy, allows scope for expanding the team, and will soon boast an electric vehicle charging station to accommodate a new company-owned electric team car that staff will use for off-site meetings.

“We have a progressive plan for growth but that requires us to invest in the team and get the right people on board, and the new offices are part and parcel of that,” added Mr Tambini. “Meanwhile, the new electric pool car, our paperless office policy and the fact that we are fuelled by renewable energy are all part of our commitment to becoming more sustainable as a business in light of the environmental challenges we are all facing.

“We are now able to offer staff a fantastic working environment, to go with the commitment we’ve always had towards investment in technology and developing our people within the business. It is an extremely exciting time for TC Consult and we’re looking forward to the next step in our journey.”

Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord in the deal, while TC Consult was advised by Acuity Legal and Thomas Carroll Group.