Donald Insall Associates announces York merger and new B Corp status

Donald Insall Associates has completed a merger with York-based conservation practice Ferrey & Mennim. The announcement coincides with the firm’s attainment of Certified B Corporation status.

Ferrey & Mennim, established 102 years ago, is known for its work on conservation, residential, and ecclesiastical projects, including St Magnus Cathedral and Hull Minster. The practice’s three-person team has joined Donald Insall Associates’ York studio as part of a succession strategy designed to ensure the continuation of its work in line with the firm’s core values.

Dorian Proudfoot, director and York studio lead at Donald Insall Associates, said: “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.”

Jennifer Beaumont, director, company secretary, and chair of the Employee Ownership Trust at Donald Insall Associates, said: “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.”

Both practices share expertise in conservation and heritage architecture, including the repair and alteration of historic buildings, and the design of new structures.