We want to take this opportunity to wish all our staff and clients a Merry Christmas from everyone at Benchmark Architects.

Looking back, it’s been an exciting year with lots of highs and a few lows. We started the year as the rest of the world in lock down, but quietly behind the scenes started our new office renovation in MK. Then as we were allowed to go back to work our commercial team did their big move into to the very cool Victoria House on Avebury Boulevard.

Our Bespoke Homes team went through a restructure, which was a tough time. We appreciate our client’s patience over that transition – so thank you for bearing with us. The new structure brings a new level of service, one better equipped to look after our clients and we have seen some fantastic designs being approved at planning and completed throughout the year. We also became LABC Regional Winners this year, winning Best Residential Extension for a project located in Bedford. Congrats to everyone involved in its delivery.

Our Commercial portfolio has grown massively in 2021 with many new projects and many planning applications submitted from new housing schemes with passivhaus standard living to student accommodation schemes, such as our PBSA scheme for StudyInn, in Leicester; which is well underway and aiming for a September 2022 opening. Notably our Built-to-Rent Landrow Place scheme in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter for @Abrdn is now complete and many of the units already let. Well done team for a sterling job!.

It’s been exhilarating to see our first crematorium design come to fruition, with Huntingdon now opening it’s doors. Hambleton is fast on its heels with completion due early next year. We had a planning application submitted for East Cambridgeshire Crematorium with a decision due shortly. And Rushcliffe Oaks Crematorium, Netherhouse Farm Crematorium and Hatfield Bereavement Centre are soon to break ground, having completed their technical packages.

We have welcomed a whopping four new members of our commercial team and one to our bespoke homes team. It’s great to have some fresh new thinking to build on what our stellar team are already achieving.  And we have kicked off our Collaborate event programme which saw Steve Eccles, from First Base and Tracy Flynn of Cranfield University present two exciting projects happening in the centre of Milton Keynes and cannot wait to host more in the New Year. It was great to welcome everyone to share in our celebrations in September when we finally managed to have our Launch Party. Thanks to all who came. And our Managing Director, Mark Doohan, became Chair of the Bedfordshire Association of Architects.

We are all looking forward to 2022 and can’t wait to continue working on all our projects and excited for all the new projects we will start next year.