Accreditations

Our Quality Management System provides the framework through which we plan, manage, monitor and continually improve our professional services. It is based on understanding client requirements, maintaining appropriate competence and resources, applying effective project planning, design management, checking and review processes, and managing project information in a controlled manner. Quality is treated as a shared responsibility across the practice, with feedback, project reviews, audits, lessons learned and continual improvement embedded within our management processes.

Our aim is to provide collaborative, client-focused architectural and interior design services that respond effectively to the needs of each project. Clear responsibilities, appropriate levels of review and effective communication help us coordinate our work with clients, consultants, contractors and other project participants.

Our processes are regularly reviewed through internal audit, performance review and management review. This allows us to monitor performance, identify opportunities for improvement, allocate appropriate resources and maintain effective project and business-management systems while keeping our procedures proportionate to the scale and complexity of each commission.

Our Quality Management System provides a structured framework for the planning, coordination, checking and review of our design work. Project requirements, responsibilities and information are managed through defined processes intended to ensure that design information is accurate, current, appropriately authorised and issued in a controlled manner. Client feedback, project reviews, nonconformities and lessons learned are used to improve future performance and help maintain consistent professional standards across our projects.

Quality depends upon having people with the appropriate knowledge, competence and resources for the work they undertake. Franklin Ellis maintains processes for recruitment, induction, staff development, training and continuing professional development. Project responsibilities are allocated to suitably experienced staff and resources are reviewed as projects develop. Staff are expected to understand the requirements relevant to their role, follow the practice’s agreed procedures and contribute actively to the continual improvement of our services and management systems.

Our Environmental Management System addresses the environmental impacts of both our business operations and the architectural services over which we have control or influence. We are committed to fulfilling applicable environmental requirements, preventing pollution, using resources responsibly and continually improving environmental performance. We establish environmental objectives and actions, monitor our performance and review our approach regularly. As an architectural practice, we recognise that the environmental impact of the buildings we design can be substantially greater than the direct impact of operating our offices.

Within the practice, we seek to reduce unnecessary consumption of energy and resources, minimise waste, purchase responsibly and encourage environmentally conscious working practices. This includes efficient use of heating, lighting and equipment, recycling, reducing unnecessary travel and supporting more sustainable transport choices.

Environmental considerations are integrated into our wider management and decision-making processes rather than treated as a separate activity. We establish environmental objectives, monitor relevant environmental aspects and review progress through our management system, while staff awareness and participation help translate these commitments into practical day-to-day actions.

Our greatest opportunity to influence environmental outcomes is through our design work. Within the requirements of each client brief and appointment, we seek to consider climate, site conditions, energy demand, biodiversity, materials, resource efficiency and long-term building performance as part of the design process. We encourage clients to consider appropriate sustainability objectives and work collaboratively with other consultants to develop practical solutions. Careful coordination and accurate production information also help reduce avoidable waste, reworking and inefficient use of construction materials.

Environmental awareness forms part of staff induction, training and continuing professional development. Staff are encouraged to understand the environmental impacts relevant to their roles and to contribute to the achievement of the practice’s environmental objectives. Regular CPD and internal communication help maintain awareness of sustainable design principles, environmental legislation and developing industry practice, enabling project teams to discuss environmental considerations with clients and consultants in an informed and proportionate way.

Our occupational health and safety management arrangements are based on identifying hazards, assessing and controlling risks, maintaining safe working arrangements and continually improving performance. We seek to prevent work-related injury and ill health, provide appropriate information, instruction and training, and involve staff in matters that affect their health and safety. These principles apply across our professional activities, including office and remote working, travel, site visits and the responsibilities arising from our work as designers on construction projects.

Health and safety is integrated into the day-to-day management of the practice. Risks are assessed and reviewed as working arrangements change, with appropriate controls, emergency arrangements, information and training provided to staff. We also recognise the importance of occupational wellbeing and seek to maintain safe and healthy working conditions.

For clients, this structured approach supports reliable professional delivery by ensuring that staff understand their responsibilities and that risks associated with our activities are considered systematically. This includes office and remote working, site attendance and other project activities where competence, planning and appropriate risk management are important to the safe delivery of our services.

Health and safety considerations form an integral part of our architectural design process. As designers, we consider foreseeable risks associated with construction, use, maintenance and future alteration and seek to eliminate hazards or reduce risks through design where reasonably practicable. This requires early consideration of buildability, access, maintenance, materials and construction methods, together with effective communication of significant residual risks to other members of the project team.

Staff are provided with information, instruction and training appropriate to their roles and the activities they undertake. This includes induction, ongoing awareness, project-specific considerations and appropriate preparation for activities such as site visits. Staff are expected to cooperate with agreed arrangements, raise concerns where they identify risks and contribute to practical improvements. Consultation and participation help maintain awareness of occupational health and safety responsibilities throughout the practice.

Franklin Ellis has been committed to excellence in Building Information Modelling, digital delivery, and structured information management across all project sectors since 2012. As an ISO 19650 certified organisation, the practice maintains robust processes and is committed to continuously improving its BIM and digital delivery capability. This means upholding ISO 19650 aligned information management on every project, delivering coordinated, high-quality, data-rich models, and fostering collaboration through secure, structured digital environments. The overall aim is to provide reliable, compliant, and future-ready digital solutions that support exceptional project outcomes.

Our Digital Design Team leads the implementation of structured digital workflows aligned to ISO 19650, ensuring standardised, compliant information processes, controlled information flow, and clear control across all disciplines. The practice has full capability to manage the Common Data Environment for its projects, covering initial setup and configuration, ongoing administration, permission management and audit trails, and review, approval, and publication workflows. Autodesk Forma (formerly ACC) is configured to enforce naming conventions and metadata standards as defined in each project’s information requirements, guaranteeing consistency, accuracy, and transparency of project data.

We are constantly exploring ways to improve our workflows including adopting custom made AI tools to support our daily activities.

Architectural: Modelling authoring from inception (Stage 0) to handover (Stage 6), federation and coordination of models, clash detection and reporting, point cloud commissioning and integration, publishing to a CDE in native, PDF, IFC or COBie formats, component (family) authoring, CDM integration with BIM, assistance with AIM/FM integration.

Information Management: CDE hosting and management, BEP authoring and project set up, including LOD and DRM, tables, TIDP templates, hosting and chairing model meetings, BIM capability assessments, defining and managing exchange processes.

Training is paramount to successful BIM. We train using internal or external trainers as appropriate, with frequent, scheduled and on-demand training sessions. Self-paced training and eLearning are also employed. Staff have direct access to our internal BIM Procedures system which documents all of our workflows and methods. We currently have around 35 architectural staff who are BIM trained.

Our B Corp certification reflects a wider commitment to responsible business and to considering the interests of stakeholders beyond shareholders alone. For Franklin Ellis, these principles complement our commitments to quality, environmental responsibility, staff development and continual improvement. They encourage us to consider the broader social and environmental consequences of how we operate as a professional practice and how our business decisions affect employees, clients, communities, suppliers and the environment.

B Corp principles encourage us to consider the wider effects of our decisions on employees, communities, clients, suppliers and the environment. Within the practice, this complements our established focus on responsible management, staff development, environmental performance and long-term improvement rather than viewing business performance solely in financial terms.
For our clients, this reinforces an approach based on responsible professional advice, collaboration and consideration of wider project outcomes. It supports a culture in which environmental and social considerations can be discussed alongside quality, programme, cost and technical requirements, while recognising that each project is shaped by its individual brief, context and client objectives.

B Corp certification is not a design standard and does not prescribe particular architectural solutions. Its principles nevertheless reinforce our aim to consider the wider consequences of design decisions and the value that projects can create for clients, users, communities and the environment. This complements our environmental approach and encourages consideration of long-term environmental and social outcomes where these are appropriate to the project brief, client objectives and our scope of services.

B Corp principles support a workplace culture in which employees are recognised as important stakeholders in the success and development of the business. Franklin Ellis supports staff through induction, training, continuing professional development and opportunities to contribute to the improvement of working practices. Professional competence, environmental awareness and responsible behaviour are reinforced through internal communication and CPD, helping staff understand how their individual roles contribute to the wider objectives and long-term development of the practice.