Founded by Mark Doohan in 2016, Benchmark Architects is a RIBA Chartered Practice based in Milton Keynes and Ampthill, Bedfordshire. From our Ampthill office we serve our domestic clients, working on one off new build houses, listed property renovations and extensions. While our Milton Keynes and London locations serve our commercial development projects, specialising in larger scale architecture.
We believe promoting a culture of collaboration, invention, and momentum within our organisation is vital to our continued evolution.
The Benchmark team is: Mark Doohan, Managing Director; Mark Mercer, Technical Director; Lindsey Mcilvaney, Design Director; Jen Massink, Operations Director; Emma Horne, Associate.
Architects – Monica Corcoran, Alistair Wilkinson, John Wildsmith, Alex Hyett, Anish Mistry, Demelza Powell, Matt Whatley
Architectural Assistants – Jos Rowe, Helaena Blanch, Mah E Kamil Faisal, Ethan Mattocks
Emily Hack, Studio Administrator
What do you think is the most important issue for architects to focus on right now, and what are you doing as a practice to tackle it?
Sustainability. It’s the only issue really. There is a constant tension in the industry and in our projects between what we want to do and what we can persuade or encourage our clients and contractors to do in relation to building design, budget, and performance.
I think that all change comes about by a combination of grassroots education awareness alongside legislation level targets and implementation. The challenge whilst practising in architecture is figuring out what we can most effectively do. Some very small practices don’t have resource to join the legislation influencing but can lead by educating clients and contractors through design and specification and in addition to this the very large practices are able to, with weight, bring influence on the industry and speak with a loud voice.
At Benchmark Architects we have signed up to Architects Declare, we are part of the RIBA East Sustainability group and we are also launching our own sustainability agenda policy/vision document, A Greener Benchmark, for our staff and clients alike to understand our targets as designing architects and as a business. We are trying to find our own place on the journey to make sure we promote sustainable architecture and also run our business in a sustainable way. From building design, fabric, orientation, and form to specifying materials and systems, to reducing our business water and electricity use, sharing and sustainable transport ideas and planting trees.
What do you think smaller practices need the most support with when starting up?
When someone decides that they want to start their own architecture practice it is often because they have a design ideal they want to follow or an approach to architecture that they want to express and feel that it can only be done by setting out on their own in new business. However, whilst the vast proportion of architect’s practices are very small, and a lot of architects consider going out on their own, I don’t think there is much support in the industry for entrepreneurs who want to grow a business beyond self-employment.
I was keen to find mentors, guidance, encouragement, and role models when starting Benchmark Architects, but they seemed few and far between. Instead, I turned to design branding and the tech agency industry for leadership - I was keen to see how they maintained quality, managed clients/customers and produced innovative creative design solutions in commercial business setting.
We have recently seen RIBA stepping into this area with ‘Guerrilla Tactics’ and recently in RIBA East the Small and Emerging Practice Group for peer discussion and support. I think that it would be great to get a much better understanding of how architecture practice is done in the UK by seeing inside successful businesses. Most architectural press is concerned with design and creativity in relation to buildings and places, but it would be of real benefit to also promote the business of leading creative architecture studios, the challenges, the joys, the systems etc. It is an old profession with many valid traditions, but needs a revolution in openness, knowledge sharing and leadership in relation to new business growth and business structures.
Your practice has achieved success quickly and effectively, how have you managed this?
The journey so far has been very exciting. We have a strong vision for where we want to go, and momentum is a key factor. We have grown our team to 18 people in the 5-year period since September 2016 and we have seen around 20% income growth year on year.
At the start, growing the team focused on a support structure for me by just trying simply to increase my capacity for design of projects. But once we began to secure more significant scale projects the focus changed to recruiting and building a team with experience and expertise to design and deliver.
Now we are in another changing stage of growth. We have recently appointed three new directors to the board, each with a targeted focus on key areas: design, technical and business operations. This wider governance structure is there to help maintain quality across all areas of our design process and the business as we continue to grow. We have also recently announced our first associate level position for one of our senior architects. I strongly believe that we must keep moving forward, keep growing the business to provide design and career opportunity for great people. Without creating those opportunities, we would in the end lose the exceptional people we want to attract and work with.
What’s the most exciting project you’ve got coming up or in the recent past, and why?
We are excited about all of our projects. In fact, I think that is something we all have in common - we are enthusiastic and passionate about what we do. We are growing quickly and have been investing in new business opportunities in the large-scale residential project sector, specifically the build-to-rent (BTR) apartment living and Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) development. We recently completed the Landrow Place residential BTR project in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter creating 259 apartments over 14 floors.
We worked with ABRDN investments and Stamford RE to find an exciting design solution in the conservation area and then worked closely with the contractor to deliver the project over the Covid period.
We are on site with Study Inn in Leicester building 300 PBSA beds over 8 storeys which achieved planning approval last year and is due to complete Q4 this year and we’re also underway with new design projects in Poole, Cambridge, and Norwich for BTR and PBSA developments.
These projects are exciting because of the scale and the influence that they can bring to the quality and sustainability of a place. That is what is incredible about architecture design. It is broader than buildings and wider than individuals, can bring investment to a place and improve quality of life. We, I’m sure like many architects, want to leave a lasting and meaningful impression for good.
To find out more about Benchmark Architects please follow them on Instagram or Facebook.
