Houlihan Lokey – London

Delivering a landmark fit-out in the heart of Mayfair

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…The Aura Consulting team have worked with us since 2018 when they were appointed as cost consultants and project managers in connection with our move into our new European Headquarters at One Curzon Street. We continue to use them on other projects in London.

Simon Woolton, Head of Corporate Development, Houlihan Lokey

Spec

Brief

Houlihan Lokey, a leading global investment bank, appointed Aura Consulting to deliver the full workplace fit-out of its UK headquarters at 1 Curzon Street, a prestigious address in the heart of Mayfair. The original 50k sqft project has since expanded into an 80k sqft multi-phase programme over 8 years.

The initial brief focused on uniting business units into a high-performance workspace reflecting Houlihan Lokey’s reputation for excellence. Subsequent phases involved delivering an additional 30k sqft across several floors while the building remained in full occupation, requiring a careful strategy to maintain staff experience and minimise disruption.

Challenges

Design Continuity Across Phases.
As the scope expanded, Aura revisited and upgraded parts of the original fit-out to ensure a consistent design language and performance standards across all areas of the building.

Contractor Transition.
A key success was the seamless transition between contractors during the process, achieved without delay or compromise to budget.

Occupied Building Delivery.
Several later phases were delivered while staff remained in situ, requiring a complex migration and phasing strategy to keep disruption to a minimum while continuing business-as-usual operations in parallel.

Highlights

Sustained Partnership.
What began as a single workplace fit-out evolved into a five-year strategic partnership, testament to Aura’s ability to consistently deliver in live environments at a high level.

Luxury Fit-Out.
The design and delivery reflect the prestige of the location and the client. The workplace features high acoustic standards, bespoke furniture, and premium finishes throughout, including a high-specification kitchen and dedicated client-facing suites.

Seamless Business Continuity.
The staged programme ensured uninterrupted operations across all departments. Staff relocation plans were carefully choreographed to align with fit-out progress, maintaining staff wellbeing and experience throughout.

Sustainability.
This was a core theme across all phases. Aura worked closely with the design and contractor teams to integrate energy-efficient systems, responsibly sourced materials, and circular economy principles into the project.

Let’s Talk About Your Project

Whatever stage you’re at, Aura is here to provide clarity and support. Get in touch and we’ll guide you through the next steps.