Bennetts Associates was formed in 1987 by Rab and Denise Bennetts. We are an employee-owned trust of around 70 people and since 2022, a certified B Corp® with offices in London, Edinburgh and Manchester.
We believe that timeless, humane and beautifully crafted architecture expresses the indivisibility of space, fabric, structure and services. We believe that the best buildings reveal their beauty and utility over time. We address with conviction urban place-making, genuine functionality and believe that truly long-lasting architecture is underpinned by our pioneering expertise in sustainability.
Our portfolio of projects is deliberately diverse across a wide range of sectors, scales and complexities in both the public and private sector. The variety and potential of cross-fertilisation of ideas between typologies generates a creative stimulus that we enjoy. Whilst being generalists, we have acknowledged specialist expertise in a number of areas such as workplace, arts/culture, education, masterplanning and sustainability.
In September 2016, the total shareholding of Bennetts Associates was transferred to an Employee Ownership Trust, a significant landmark in the development of the practice. This move aimed to safeguard the future of the practice by consolidating the values and attitudes that had informed its development over the 30 years since its inception. The move to Employee Ownership ensures that the fundamental ethos of the practice is protected for future generations, and that the company will continue to be run in the best interests of its employees.
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Our partnerships take many forms, from our active involvement with industry groups and select charities to memberships with key organisations in the built environment and those allied to the sectors in which we work. Below is a representative list of these associations.
Since February 2022, we achieved B Corp® certification, becoming the highest scoring UK architectural practice and joining the global network of companies committed to the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. Unlike other certifications for businesses, B Lab is unique in our ability to measure a company’s entire social and environmental impact.
To gain B Corp certification, the 'B Impact Assessment’ tool is used to evaluate how a company’s business model impacts five categories: workers, community, environment, customers and governance. B Corp Certification not only evaluates a product or service, but also the material positive impact of the company behind it.
Through research, we found that B Corporation aligned with our agenda and what we were looking to achieve. We realised that being a B Corp could help us develop a framework for continued improvement - to help us not just sit back and congratulate ourselves, but to encourage us to continue to drive to influence things for the better.
The median score for ordinary businesses who complete the assessment is 50.9. To achieve B Corp certification, the company must score at least 80 points, Bennetts Associates achieved a score of 121.5 which is exceptional and the highest of any architectural practice in the UK.
View our profile in the B Corp directory.
There are now over 4,700 B Corps with 670 in the UK and we're delighted to join the growing community particularly in the Built Environment sector. If you're interested in knowing more of our journey. Get in touch!