Celebrating National B Corp Month - a time to pause and reflect on what it really means to run a business responsibly.
For us at Austin Design Works, being a B Corp isn’t something we talk about once a year. It shapes how we think, how we design, and how we show up, both in our projects and in our community.
This month, alongside sharing our latest Impact Report, our team will be marking the occasion with a litter pick at Minchinhampton Rugby Club on 4th March. It may seem like a small gesture, but it reflects something important to us: caring for place starts locally.
Because regenerative design isn’t just about buildings. It’s about stewardship
Small Interventions, Lasting Impact
Over the past year, we’ve been reminded how powerful thoughtful design can be, particularly in the places people pass through every day.
In Nailsworth, Mortimer Gardens has been transformed from an enclosed, overgrown space into an open, biodiverse garden at the heart of the town. Laurel hedging has given way to pollinator-friendly planting. Japanese cherry trees will, in time, form a spring canopy. Dye plants nod to the town’s textile heritage. The gardens now host markets, festivals and everyday moments, somewhere to sit, meet, or simply pause.
It’s a reminder that well-considered landscape design can quietly strengthen the fabric of a community.
Just around the corner, Jubilee Garden has become another example of what collaboration can achieve. Working with Nailsworth in Bloom volunteers, we designed and built an oak pergola and entrance archway to frame this much-loved pocket park
Today, parents picnic there. Workers eat lunch there. Residents from nearby care homes visit to enjoy the flowers.
Good design creates belonging.
Measuring What Matters
Being a B Corp means looking honestly at our own footprint, not just the footprint of the buildings we design.
In 2025 we:
Saved 3.28 tonnes of CO₂ through flexible working
Funded 1,478 trees through Ecologi
Saved 9.4 tonnes of CO₂ via Ecosia
Divested from fossil fuels through our green pension scheme
Introduced health cover for our staff
We were also recognised in the Regenerative Architecture Index 2025 as one of only 116 practices nationally benchmarking progress towards regenerative design.
These numbers matter. But what matters more is what they represent: steady, practical progress.
Homes That Support Life
Much of our work happens quietly, within family homes, rural landscapes and historic buildings.
For example, a deep retrofit of a 1920s house, carefully insulated and reimagined to become a light-filled, energy-efficient home. Reduced heating demand. Improved comfort. A healthier internal environment.
We believe sustainable design isn’t about sacrifice. It’s about creating homes that feel good to live in, now and decades from now.
From barn conversions that preserve countryside character to countryside renovations that connect inside and out, our approach remains the same: thoughtful, contextual and future-facing.
Why a Litter Pick?
Architecture can sometimes feel like long timescales and complex processes. Planning applications. Carbon modelling. Construction phases.
But responsibility is also immediate.
Minchinhampton Rugby Club is part of our shared local life, Matt was captain here and designed the new club building to be built easily and with help from the local rugby community. Taking an afternoon to help care for it is simply an extension of the values that guide our studio: care for people, care for place, care for the long term.
National B Corp Month reminds us that business doesn’t sit apart from community, it is part of it.
Continuing the Journey
Founded more than 30 years ago by our father, David Austin, our practice is deeply rooted in Gloucestershire. Today, as siblings leading the practice forward, we remain committed to creating bold, crafted and beautiful places for future generations.
B Corp is not a destination. It’s an ongoing journey, one that asks us to measure what matters, to improve each year, and to act with integrity even when no one is watching.
As we celebrate National B Corp Month, we’re proud to be part of a growing movement of businesses proving that another way of working is possible.
If you’d like to explore our work or read more about our impact, you can view our full 2025–2026 Impact Report.
And if you’re planning a project, whether a retrofit, a new home, a self build, or a landscape transformation, we’d be delighted to start a conversation.
