Kim Neville speaks with Rob Bearyman of Bennetts Associates about how the now employee-owned practice has over its three decades combined resilience, collaboration and pioneering sustainable design.

Bennetts Associates has built its reputation over more than three decades on conviction, resilience and a pioneering approach to sustainable design. Founded in 1987 by Rab and Denise Bennetts, the practice has navigated shifting architectural trends and periods of financial turbulence. Director Rob Bearyman reflects that “conviction and resilience were essential.”

Rather than conforming to the postmodernist wave of the late 20th century, the practice championed an early commitment to sustainable, “resource conscious” architecture delivering long-term value through robust, elegant design. “The ability to weather difficult conditions established a culture of resilience and rigour that continues to define the practice today,” says Bearyman.

Practice organisation & set up 

From the outset, the firm sought to do things differently: designing buildings that were adaptable, functional and rooted in long-term purpose. Collaboration was embedded in its culture, ensuring architecture, structure and services worked seamlessly together.

In 2016, the practice took a significant step by transitioning to employee ownership. This shift was decided upon to deepen collaboration across the studio, and foster motivation and a stronger sense of collective responsibility. As Bearyman explains, “Directors provide direction, but leadership is encouraged at all levels and remains collaborative and open.” He goes on to note that the firm’s culture is “not static” but continuously evolving to meet the changing needs of the business, an approach that nurtures how teams engage with and deliver projects. 

Bearyman characterises the firm’s growth as “steady and deliberate.” From its beginnings in a single London office, Bennetts Associates has expanded into a 70-strong practice with studios in London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Each location is firmly rooted in its local context, yet closely connected to the collective culture and knowledge of the wider practice. The company has a hybrid working model, which has enabled flexibility to become a permanent part of its operational model.  

The practice has developed expertise across a wide range of project types, including offices, cultural venues, life sciences, industrial and logistics facilities, higher education and masterplanning. As Bearyman explains, “Each sector strengthens the others: insights from designing theatres inform the design of workplaces, while innovations developed for universities enhance performance in laboratories and other specialist facilities.”

Digital tools connect teams seamlessly across three studios, broadening collaboration and knowledge sharing. Bearyman states that in-person design reviews, workshops and site visits remain essential for creative energy and culture. The balance lies in combining digital efficiency with the dynamism of studio interaction. Practice wide gatherings and study trips ensure cohesion across locations, while hybrid structures support inclusivity and wellbeing.

Practice ethos, leadership & mentoring

The practice sees today’s built environment being reshaped by both environmental and socio-economic pressures. Bearyman says the firm’s commitment to ‘more with less’ underpins its approach to design and the measure of value it brings. He continues, “What began as a stand against superficiality in the late 1980s has evolved into a practice shaped by the climate emergency and the call for inclusivity.”

That ethos extends into emerging technologies. The firm approaches AI with what Bearyman calls “cautious curiosity”. The primary value at present is that AI can manage repetitive tasks, freeing up architects’ time. Bearyman explains, “The ethos of the practice is built on integrity and evidence, which means AI must always be transparent and under human oversight”. 

Bearyman describes the practice’s leadership style as “rooted in respect, trust and openness.” He adds, “Our focus on environmental performance and integration informs how we mentor, encouraging teams to see structure, services and fabric as connected systems rather than separate disciplines.” This solidifies the firm’s belief that architecture is both collaborative and educational.

Mentoring is treated as two-way learning, embedded in day-to-day operations and reinforced by what the practice calls its Next Generation mentoring programme. Relationships are valued “not just for their outcomes but for the enjoyment of the process,” with collaboration viewed as something to be rewarding as well as productive.

The practice has embraced the guiding principle of “doing more with less,” which leads to its vision of creating buildings that “reveal their beauty and utility over time.” While the firm does not subscribe to a signature aesthetic, it seeks a consistent approach rooted in context. As Bearyman explains, “Each generation of projects strengthens that ethos, ensuring consistency across time while remaining relevant to changing conditions.” He adds, “If there is a signature, it is an attitude rather than a style, one that prizes honesty, responsiveness and long-term value.”

Bearyman describes the practice’s approach to sustainability as “embedded in rigorous, measurable ways rather than aspiration.” The firm was the first to adopt approved science-based targets and is transparent with its own emissions and those of their projects.

As Bearyman explains, “We were founder members of the UK Green Building Council, are involved in the RIBA Sustainable Futures Group, and most recently have been heavily engaged in developing embodied carbon guidance for designers in partnership with LETI and the NZCBS.” The practice continues to go beyond established standards, setting itself the ambitious goal of reducing emissions by 75% by 2030.

In 2025, Bennetts Associates achieved the highest B-Corp score of any architecture practice worldwide, an accomplishment Bearyman calls a “proud achievement.” The company’s ‘more with less’ research explores how to reduce cost, carbon and risk simultaneously by simplifying buildings and avoiding over-design. Performance is validated through carbon benchmarks, NABERS ratings, and post-occupancy studies, ensuring sustainability is both evidenced and verifiable.

Projects 

An award-winning creative adaptation at the Edinburgh Futures Institute maximised space and usability, a sequence of large, multi-purpose rooms that eliminate redundancy while providing the adaptability demanded by modern teaching. Six Nightingale ward wings were restored and reconnected through widened circulation routes and staircases, now serving as natural breakout spaces and informal meeting areas. The wards have been carefully stripped of intrusive additions to recapture their former grandeur. The public realm has also been reimagined, with a new ‘communal scale’ plaza creating a refined setting for the main entrance.

Another demonstration of reuse combined with a new design is Landsec’s Timber Square, London. A 10-storey Grade A commercial office was reworked from an extended 1950s printworks, and a 15-storey addition is a new hybrid steel and CLT Grade A commercial office building, comprising offices, retail and leisure uses, with terraces and/or roof gardens. It is currently by volume the largest commercial development in the UK using CLT and has the tallest hybrid frame. Bennetts’ design approach prioritised minimal finishes and exposed joints, with performance validated through carbon assessments, NABERS and post-occupancy studies.

The practice has been shortlisted three times for the RIBA Stirling Prize (for Hampstead Theatre, Jubilee Library in Brighton and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon). It has also received multiple RIBA National Awards and Civic Trust Awards. Bearyman says that while awards validate the ethos, attract talent, and set benchmarks for the wider industry,” the greatest achievement is “the body of work.” 

Future

The industry is facing pressures to deliver greater environmental and social value while adhering to tighter budgets. To address these, Bennetts Associates is focusing on brand and identity, diversity and inclusion, efficiency and competence, business development, and financial governance. Bearyman explains, “The challenges are significant, but they reinforce our clarity of purpose.”

The firm has pivoted towards whole-life carbon accountability, retrofit and circular economy principles. Bearyman adds that inclusivity and wellbeing are increasingly on the agenda “as essential components of environmental design.” 

The practice continues to deliver projects across its broad portfolio while progressing international work in India. Bearyman says the aim is to “set benchmarks for resource conscious design in demanding climates.” He explains, “It’s not about diversification for its own sake, but about applying established principles of resilience, adaptability and design clarity to sectors and regions where they can make the most difference.”