Building a Better Future: Our Year as a B Corp
Share Article
Architecture should be a force for good.
More than simply the design of amazing buildings, architecture is about shaping beautiful places that are inclusive, sustainable and people-focused. That’s why the B Corp accreditation matters so much to us – it doesn’t just keep us accountable to high standards of social and environmental responsibility, it helps us continue to grow in the right way.
Reflecting on the past year, we’ve made some amazing progress and there’s a lot to be proud of. We’ve pushed ourselves to do better in every domain, including sustainability, social value, governance and growing our team.
In this article, we wanted to give you a short round-up of our latest B Corp Impact Report, distilling the big messages down into a bitesize format.
Putting people first and investing in our team
This year, we doubled down on our commitment to employee wellbeing, training and financial security.
A huge step forward in this arena has been the introduction of mandatory training on key topics like anti-bribery, modern slavery and workplace harassment. This approach empowers every member of our team to understand their responsibilities and maintain the highest ethical standards.
Financial well-being has been another major focus. We moved to a new pension provider, reducing fees for employees while offering one-to-one financial planning. In a climate where economic uncertainty is a concern for many, providing our team with the tools to make informed financial decisions is a huge part of our responsibilities as a conscientious employer.
Career development remains a priority, too. Our new Coaching Culture platform shifts performance reviews from one-off annual meetings to ongoing conversations, helping employees build confidence, resilience, and leadership skills. Meanwhile, Pinnacle, our on-demand online training system, gives our team access to industry-leading learning resources at their fingertips.
These efforts have paid off – not just in terms of employee engagement but also in external recognition. We were once again named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work, commended for LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and shortlisted for Employer of the Year in the Architects’ Journal AJ100 Awards.
Cutting a path toward sustainable design and net zero
Sustainability is in danger of becoming a buzzword. Everyone’s talking about it, but there has to be substance behind the words. Our approach is to always look to reduce our environmental impact while designing buildings that help others to do the same.
This year, we made strides in decoupling financial performance from direct carbon emissions. After a post-COVID bounce, we’re now seeing net emissions fall, and we’re determined to maintain this downward trend. Our long-term goal is to cut emissions in half by 2030, using 2019 as our baseline.
We also played an active role in shaping the UK’s approach to sustainable architecture. We were part of the UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard pilot, sitting on the Storage and Distribution working group, and we earned a place in Architecture Today’s inaugural Regenerative Design Index. Both initiatives help drive best practices in the industry and push for higher environmental standards.
On the project front, we continued to prioritise sustainable design:
- Croydon Drive Estate, Manchester – A large-scale PAS2035-compliant retrofit transforming a social housing estate into an energy-efficient, future-proofed neighbourhood.
- Fletcher Street, Stockport – A Passivhaus Low Energystandard residential development focused on energy efficiency, accessibility, and age-friendly design.
- Cheadle Eco Business Park, Stockport – A Net Zero Carbon Building Standard pilot project that sets a new benchmark for commercial developments.
57% of our workload focused on improving existing buildings and working with existing stock instead of tearing it all down and starting from scratch. By making the most of existing structures, we can preserve the carbon already embodied in the built environment.
Strengthening our communities
As well as our commitment to delivering the highest quality projects through our architectural designs, we’re also deeply committed to making a difference in the communities we work with.
Our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Committee has been more active than ever, hosting events and workshops to help raise awareness on topics such as accessibility in building design and non-binary visibility.
We also made real strides in increasing representation within our own industry. This year, we mentored three female architects through their professional qualifications and promoted two women to our management team—small but meaningful steps towards a more inclusive sector.
Our charitable efforts continued in full force, with over £26,000 raised for good causes. This included:
- Supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) through fundraising events and design work for their Alder Hey House refurbishment.
- Our annual Cumbrian Challenge hike, raising funds for Walking With The Wounded.
- Organising food and clothing collections for Lifeshare, a homeless charity.
- A company-wide bake-off for Macmillan Cancer Support.
One of our biggest milestones was breaking ground on Embassy Village, Manchester – a pioneering project providing 40 homes for homeless men. Designed with our support, the scheme will offer residents a supported environment to help them transition to independent living.
Doing business the right way through governance and resilience
Amidst economic challenges, we’re both in a good financial position and upholding the values that make us who we are. We introduced a new performance-related bonus structure, awarded inflation-linked salary increases of 19.8% over three years, and maintained key accreditations such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
We also strengthened client relationships through new Knowledge Share Sessions, offering training on topics like Passivhaus design and the UK BIM Framework. Our Annual Client Survey saw a 36% response rate, with high satisfaction scores reinforcing that we’re on the right track.
Looking ahead, we’ve set ambitious new goals:
- Maintaining charitable giving at 2% of company profits.
- Ensuring every employee contributes at least 7.5 hours of social value activity per year.
- Aligning all projects with the UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard.
2025 is also a massive year for us – it marks our B Corp recertification. While we’re confident we’ll maintain our status, we’re not resting on our laurels. We’re already looking ahead to 2028, setting new targets that will continue to push us to greater heights.
Our continuing commitment
We’ve taken a lot of strides in 2024. There’s so much to celebrate and it makes all the hard work that goes into these outputs worth it.
But we know there’s always more to do. As we enter the next phase of our B Corp journey, we’ll keep pushing for better – whether that’s through greener buildings, more inclusive workplaces, or deeper community engagement.
Architecture isn’t just about buildings; it’s about shaping the world we live in. And we’re proud to be shaping it for the better.
