Looking forward to 2026

Since 1947, we have led exemplary architecture, masterplanning, and heritage consultancy, protecting, enhancing, and evolving some of the world’s most significant historic buildings and places.

As we enter our 79th year, our global team has come together to share a collective vision for the year ahead.

Social value beyond compliance

We will continue to be a force for good, delivering lasting social, economic, and environmental value through the work of our global team. Social value is not a box to be ticked, but a mindset that informs every project. We see each commission as an opportunity to create meaningful outcomes for places and the people who shape and inhabit them. Supporting communities, local economies, skills, and wellbeing is not an obligation, but a fundamental measure of our success. 

Our commitment extends beyond the work we deliver for clients. It is embedded in our wider business objectives and guides how we support our people and engage with the world around us. This includes the continued development of our JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) strategy, robust B Corp impact monitoring and improvement planning, and the growth of our charitable partnerships and community-focused initiatives. 

Sustainability through action

We will continue to turn sustainability from principle into practice, driving measurable progress across our projects and the wider industry as we work towards our 2030 climate goals. Our heritage-first, conservation-led approach will prioritise reuse, repair, and long-term stewardship as essential responses to the climate emergency and resource scarcity. 

Building on our commitment to adaptive reuse and low-carbon design, we will expand Nothing New, our thought leadership initiative launched in 2025, using the lessons of heritage to champion a circular economy. Through research, advocacy, and active participation in sustainability conferences and industry forums, we will share knowledge, challenge conventional thinking, and aim to inform policy, skills development, and decision-making. 

Guided by the belief that the most sustainable building is often the one that already exists, we will embed circular thinking at every stage of our work, from retrofit and material selection to performance-led design that reduces embodied carbon. Sustainability will remain a defining measure of how we design, conserve, and collaborate, now and on the path to 2030 and beyond. 

Collaboration and craft as a design tool

The best outcomes are achieved through collaboration, and this will remain central to how we work. Building on a long history of successful partnerships, we will continue to work closely with clients, communities, consultants, and stakeholders, valuing diverse perspectives and shared knowledge to shape thoughtful, inclusive design. 

Craft sits at the heart of this collaborative approach.

By working with a wide range of craftspeople, makers, and specialist trades, often rooted in local traditions, we help sustain skills, support livelihoods, and ensure that heritage is cared for with integrity and understanding. These relationships enrich our design process, strengthen creativity, and connect our work more deeply to place. 

Through collaboration, we create more than buildings and places: we build shared ownership, foster local pride, and deliver social value that extends beyond the life of a project.

By bringing together people, skills, and ideas, we ensure our work is informed, resilient, and meaningful for the communities it serves.