A new chapter: announcing a practice merger and B corp certification

Our practice is founded on the principle of continuous evolution, and this applies to both the buildings we look after, and how we operate as an organisation. As of August 2024, we have merged with the York-based practice Ferrey & Mennim, and became a certified B Corporation.

Ferrey & Mennim is highly regarded for its conservation, residential and ecclesiastical projects such as St Magnus Cathedral and Hull Minster.

Both practices specialise in conservation and heritage architecture, including repair and alteration of complex historic buildings as well as designing new buildings, promoting regenerative and inclusive design. This merger is a part of a succession strategy that secures the practice’s future in line with both studio’s values.

“It was important to us that we join forces with a practice that shares our values of conservation best practice whilst developing the skills and encouraging our unique and talented colleagues. We were very impressed with the breadth, quality and volume of work that Ferrey & Mennim is undertaking, and we are confident that our new colleagues have much in common with us – providing a high standard of care in managing change within the historic environment.”

— Dorian Proudfoot, director and York studio lead at Donald Insall Associates

“The merger will ultimately enable us to provide greater resources for each project including a diverse range of additional skills in heritage, planning and technical design. Our current Clients should see a seamless transition to the new practice arrangement, and we look forward to working with our Insall colleagues to deliver larger, more complex projects as a part of a bigger team.”

— Andrew Boyce, director, Ferrey & Mennim

This merger has taken place while becoming the latest architecture practice to become a Certified B Corporation™, joining over 2,000 companies in the UK B Corp community that demonstrate high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

A score of 87.0 was achieved across five key pillars of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers; the breakdown can be accessed here (the median score for ‘ordinary’ businesses is 50.9).

“The heart of conservation is the creative process of caring for a building or a place, aiming to not only make good, but make better. We apply those principles of continuous improvement to all aspects of our practice: to our clients and our team. There is a strong synergy between our ethos and B Corp’s vision of conducting business in the knowledge that people and place matter, they are at the core of all we do. Reviewing where we are and how we can do better must be a constant process.

“The certification process was comprehensive and thought-provoking; it takes a high level of determination and stakeholder buy-in for practices to achieve certification, and going through the process has enhanced our respect for both the B Corp movement, and those who have become a part of it.”

— Jennifer Beaumont, Director, Company Secretary, and Chair of the Employee Ownership Trust at Donald Insall Associates

As part of our ongoing conservation work at Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham, the practice is committed to developing heritage craft skills as part of Historic England’s five-year Heritage Building skills programme. 19 trainee craftspeople to gained direct site experience facilitating live, on-site training at the project’s Camellia House and Ionic Temple.

Building on the culture that embraces and welcomes change and innovation, our practice will now enter B Corp’s framework of continuous improvement, undertaking an assessment and verification process every three years.

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Jennifer Beaumont

Jennifer Beaumont
Dorian Proudfoot

Dorian Proudfoot
Andrew Boyce

Andrew Boyce