Donald Insall Associates is a firm of architects, designers and historic building consultants.
They have worked on contemporary and historic listed buildings, monuments and sites throughout Britain, and at
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
s including
The Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...
,
Cross Bath
The Cross Bath in Bath Street, Bath, Somerset, England is a historic pool for bathing. The surrounding structure of the pool was built, in the style of Robert Adam by Thomas Baldwin by 1784 and remodelled by John Palmer in 1789. It is recorded i ...
, the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...
,
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its living collections include some of the ...
and
Caernarfon Castle. They were involved in the restoration of
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original c ...
following the
1992 fire. They have worked extensively in the adaptive re-use of historic buildings, contemporary interventions and new design. (Examples include the ''Copper Kingdom Visitor Centre'' at
Amlwch
Amlwch (; ) is a port town and community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Amlwch Port, other settlements within t ...
,
Anglesey
Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...
.)
Sir
Donald Insall founded the company during 1958 and was chairman until 1998.
He continues to act as a consultant. They continue to operate according to the methodology and philosophy established by Insall, as outlined in his 2008 book, ''Living Buildings''.
They have won over 200 awards
for their work, including twice-winning the
Europa Nostra
Europa Nostra (Italian for "Our Europe") is a pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, representing citizens' organisations that work on safeguarding Europe's cultural and natural heritage. It is the voice of this movement to relevant inte ...
''UK Medal of Honour'', (and recently the
RIBA
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...
''Building of the Year, Wales'', for the ''Amlwch Copper Kingdom'' project.
Donald Insall Associates are now majority
employee-owned
Employee stock ownership, or employee share ownership, is where a company's employees own shares in that company (or in the parent company of a group of companies). US employees typically acquire shares through a share option plan. In the UK, Emp ...
and work from seven UK locations, as well as working internationally as both architects and consultants. Their principal office is at 12 Devonshire Street, London. They currently have branches in Bath, Birmingham, Cambridge, Chester, Manchester, Oxford and Conwy.
In 2015 they were ranked number 39 in the
Architects' Journal
''Architects' Journal'' is an architectural magazine published in London by Metropolis International.
History
The first edition was produced in 1895. Originally named ''The Builder's Journal and Architectural Record'', from 1906 to 1910 it was ...
AJ120 list of largest practices in the UK.
Major projects
Major projects include:
Public and Institutional
*
The Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...
, London
**
Westminster Hall
The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...
** House of Lords Chamber
** Cloister Court and the Pugin-designed Courtyards
** The Encaustic tile floors
** Sovereign's Robing Room
** The Pugin Room
* The
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...
, London
*
Hampton Court Palace, London
*
Goldsmiths' Hall
Goldsmiths' Hall is a Grade I listed building at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street in the City of London. It has served as an assay office and the headquarters of London's goldsmith guild, the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, o ...
, London
* The
Banqueting House, Whitehall
The Banqueting House, Whitehall, is the grandest and best known survivor of the architectural genre of banqueting houses, constructed for elaborate entertaining. It is the only remaining component of the Palace of Whitehall, the residence of ...
:
*
Cross Bath
The Cross Bath in Bath Street, Bath, Somerset, England is a historic pool for bathing. The surrounding structure of the pool was built, in the style of Robert Adam by Thomas Baldwin by 1784 and remodelled by John Palmer in 1789. It is recorded i ...
Spa, Bath:
*
Lincoln's Inn Great Hall:
*
Mansion House, London
Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London. It is a Grade I listed building. Designed by George Dance in the Palladian style, it was built primarily in the 1740s.
The Mansion House is used for some of the City of Lo ...
*
Liverpool Town Hall
Liverpool Town Hall stands in High Street at its junction with Dale Street, Castle Street, and Water Street in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed build ...
:
*
Lord's Cricket Ground, London
*
Cardiff Castle, South Wales
*
Caernarfon Castle, Gwynedd, North Wales
*
Hotel Café Royal
The Hotel Café Royal is a five-star hotel at 68 Regent Street in Piccadilly, London. Before its conversion in 2008–2012 it was a restaurant and meeting place known as the Café Royal.
History
The establishment was originally conceived and s ...
,
Regent Street, London
* The former
Regent Palace Hotel,
Regent Street, London
*
Kew Palace
Kew Palace is a British royal palace within the grounds of Kew Gardens on the banks of the River Thames. Originally a large complex, few elements of it survive. Dating to 1631 but built atop the undercroft of an earlier building, the main surv ...
, London
Arts: Museums, Galleries and Libraries
*
Somerset House, London
**The major refurbishment of the South Building, incorporating a new gallery and restored Seamen's Hall. Repaving and fountains to the courtyard.
*
Staircase House, Stockport
*
Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey is a partially ruined Benedictine abbey in Battle, East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the site of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St Martin of Tours. It is a Scheduled Monument.
The Grade I listed site is now ...
Gatehouse, Kent
*
The Kew Pagoda,
Temperate House and the
Marianne North Gallery,
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its living collections include some of the ...
, London
*
Kew Palace
Kew Palace is a British royal palace within the grounds of Kew Gardens on the banks of the River Thames. Originally a large complex, few elements of it survive. Dating to 1631 but built atop the undercroft of an earlier building, the main surv ...
, Kew, London
*
Bluecoat School
A bluecoat school is a type of charity school in England, the first of which was founded in the 16th century. Most of them have closed; some remain open as schools, often on different sites, and some of the original buildings have been adapted ...
, Liverpool
Religious Buildings and Sites
*
Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Saint ...
, Cheshire
** Tony Barton (chairman) is the
Cathedral Architect
*
Bangor Cathedral, Bangor, North Wales
** Simon Malam is
Cathedral Architect
*
Pembroke College Chapel, Cambridge University, Cambridge
Educational
*
The Wren Library,
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...
:
* The
Stephen Hawking Building,
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of t ...
*
Woldingham School
Woldingham School is an independent school for girls, located in the former Marden Park of outside the village of Woldingham, Surrey, in South East England.
It is a Roman Catholic school and a member of the global Network of Sacred Heart Schoo ...
**They prepared a masterplan and designed and built a new Performing Arts Centre.
* Codrington Library,
New College, Oxford
* Cockerell Building, Cambridge:
*
Bangor University Arts Building, North Wales
Research and Education
Publications
Donald Insall Associates' members publish regularly. Major publications by the firm include:
* ''The Care of Old Buildings Today''
* ''Living Buildings – Architectural Conservation: Philosophy, Principles and Practice''.
* ''Chester: A Study in Conservation''
Academic Activities
Donald Insall Associates lecture at specialist conferences in Europe, the Americas and Far East. They have lectured regularly at
* Royal College of Arts
* International Centre for Conservation, Rome University
* Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
* College d'Europe in Bruges.
* Canterbury University
References
{{Authority control
Architecture firms of the United Kingdom
Conservation architects
Design companies established in 1958
1958 establishments in the United Kingdom