Together we can…support

Creating wider, far reaching, and sustainable social value benefits as a business and within local communities is a fundamental part of GSSArchitecture’s ethos and focus.

Apprenticeships completed

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Charitable donations raised

Work experience placements

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Of volunteering since 2015

Employment & Skills

As a Practice, we encourage and support our people throughout the various stages of their studies. We’re proud to support the next generation by offering work placements, apprenticeships, year-out and graduate opportunities, together with the RIBA Student Mentoring Programme. These initiatives provide students with hands-on experience within the industry, helping to build their confidence and prepare them for the working world.

We have built strong relationships with schools, colleges, and universities across the country and, as a result, we are regularly involved with career days, job fairs and recruitment drives, providing students with an insight into the profession and the range of career options available in the wider construction industry.

Supporting Underrepresented and Disadvantaged Groups

The under-representation of Women in Construction is a long-standing problem across the industry.

We are currently leading on an initiative called ‘Building Better Futures’, which is being rolled out to National Careers Advisor services across colleges and schools. This involves a series of online talks, presentations and promotional materials which have collated first-hand experiences of women working in the sector, focusing on one redevelopment site to show the range in background, route to industry, experiences and job roles on offer.

The intention is to not only stimulate discussion and promote positive role models, but to also educate careers advisors of the opportunities available.

We are proud to be working with Newcastle University and the charity Blueprint for All, formerly the Stephen Lawrence Trust, to give young people of diverse ethnic heritage the opportunity to enter the architectural industry. Students on the scheme have their fees waived for their three-year undergraduate study and receive an annual contribution to their living costs. The Building Futures bursary scheme is now in its fourth year at Newcastle University with six students benefiting from the scholarship so far; the first students on the scheme took up their place in September 2020.

Community Engagement

We enjoy using our professional skills to help improve the places in which our teams live and work, as we strive to achieve a positive impact on local communities through our designs and our Practice initiatives.

Each year, we empower our employees to donate both time and money to local projects and groups, which has included volunteering at animal shelters, assisting at local centres, litter picking and maintaining green spaces in the local community.

In 2019 we undertook “Volunteer 140”, committing us to over 140 hours of volunteering to mark our 140th anniversary year. This consisted of events and providing support to local community groups and disadvantaged persons, and promoted health and wellbeing within the Practice.

We partnered with the charity Mind to raise over £5,000, as well as working with the charity to promote the importance of health, and held training sessions for all staff, forming a cross-practice wellbeing working group and promoting social and out of office activities.

Charity Work

Contributing to society through charitable donations is an important part of the Practice’s culture. We encourage our teams to partake in annual charity fundraising events, organised by both the Practice and charities themselves. Over the years, we have raised money in a variety of ways, including taking part in the Great North Run, Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge, Hadrian’s Wall Charity Walk, Macmillan Coffee Mornings and Christmas Jumper Days.

To date, we have supported the British Heart Foundation; Wear It Pink; Save the Children; Jeans for Genes; Children in Need; The Woodland Trust; and Macmillan Cancer Support, as well as a wide range of charities local to our six offices.

Local Business & Economy

It is important for the Practice to continually support and invest in the local economy. From our six bases across the UK, we promote the use of local skills, materials, products and companies; benefitting regional growth in manufacturing, contracting and increasing staff numbers; whilst also achieving sustainability goals by using locally sourced materials, reducing impact on travel and helping to achieve project-specific targets, such as BREEAM.

Environmental Impact & Sustainability

We are committed to minimising the environmental impact of our operations and of the projects we are involved with, in accordance with our certified ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.

As architects, we understand the responsibility we have to promote and design sustainable, energy efficient buildings. It is also just as important that we maintain this approach with our day-to-day business activities, which is why GSS has committed to be carbon neutral by 2030.

We are proud signatories of Architects Declare and the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge as part of our commitment to sustainability which is demonstrated not only through our designs, but through our day-to-day operations to reduce our own carbon emissions, and support our staff and the wider community. These also tie into our commitment to ProjectDIVERT, which seeks to challenge traditional routes of disposal, where materials are sent to Materials Recovery Facilities, to reduce both financial and carbon costs to our clients, whilst also delivering social value.