North East architecture practice awarded B Corp status

An architectural practice is celebrating after being awarded coveted B Corp status in recognition of its social and environmental impact.

Newcastle’s Space Group, which incorporates Space Architects, Twinview, bimstore and BIM Technologies, scored a 92.6 B Impact Score, following a rigorous assessment process. It joins an elite group of architects to have achieved the standard. Only twelve other practices in the UK currently have B Corp status.

B Corp is a global movement designed to highlight those organisations that reach the highest standards of ethical business. The assessment measures and verifies organisational performance, accountability and transparency, including how it contributes to environmental sustainability, treats its employees and suppliers and its charitable giving. Household names including Body Shop, Patagonia and Innocent Drinks are among those to have been awarded B Corp status.

Speaking about its B Corp award, chief executive, Rob Charlton, said: “Space Group and our people have always cared deeply about the impact the built environment has on the people who live, visit, learn, work and play in the spaces we create. We design with people and the planet in mind, and always have the communities our buildings serve at the heart of our design philosophy.

“From our carbon reduction strategies – and the technologies we’ve developed to support the race to Net Zero – to our caring, accountable culture – B Corp status felt like a natural progression. It has allowed us to ‘officially’ measure and evidence our best practice around sustainability, environmental management and ethical design, which have always been part of the Space Group DNA. B Corp is rigorous and evidence-based – there is no easy way to get through the assessment process, and it holds great credibility. We’re very proud to have achieved B Corp status and I would like to say thank you in particular to our dedicated team who believe in our purpose and continually push the boundaries of what is possible.”