David Bonnett Associates

What David Bonnett Associates does

David Bonnett Associates is an independent architectural access consultancy founded in London in 1994 by Dr. David Bonnett following completion of his PhD in Independent Living. The practice provides inclusive design and access consultancy services — including access audits, design and access statements, building control submissions, access handbooks, post-occupancy reviews, consultation, and training — to clients and architects across the UK and internationally. Its core intellectual property is a proprietary audit method, refined over thirty years, that measures accessibility against both regulatory requirements (notably the Equality Act 2010 and Part M) and best-practice standards through a sequential journey framework covering approach, parking, entrances, circulation, facilities, signage, and emergency evacuation.

The firm operates on a project-based professional services model, typically appointed at RIBA Plan of Work stages for single or full project lifecycles. Fees are quote-based rather than publicly disclosed, with enquiries handled via the firm's website fee proposal form. Revenue is generated from a diversified portfolio of named public-sector, enterprise, nonprofit and architectural practice clients — including Bloomberg, Network Rail (King's Cross), Tate Modern, the Palace of Westminster, the Ministry of Justice, the British Museum, the National Trust, the Savoy, Crossrail and Thameslink. The practice has contributed as access adviser to three RIBA Stirling Prize winners (Burntwood School 2015, Newport Street Gallery 2016, Bloomberg European Headquarters 2018), 38 RIBA National Award winners, 29 Civic Trust Award winners, and nine British Council for Offices successes, and has published the BSI Inclusive Urban Design guide (2013) and contributed to BS 9266.

The practice currently employs approximately twelve multidisciplinary staff — combining architectural, landscaping, planning and surveying expertise — operating from a Second Home studio in Hackney under a hybrid working model adopted after vacating its long-held Indigo Mews premises in Stoke Newington. Distribution is entirely direct via website enquiry and existing client relationships, with no disclosed marketing channels beyond earned industry reputation, awards recognition, and contributions to national forums such as the Design Council and BSI.

Name

David Bonnett Associates

Legal name

David Bonnett Associates Ltd

Website

https://davidbonnett.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

David Bonnett Associates is an independent London-based architectural access consultancy, founded in 1994, that provides inclusive design, access audits, and training to architects, developers, government, transport operators, and heritage organisations across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Inclusive Design Consultancy Services: Professional consultancy fees for access audits, design and access statements, building control submissions, access handbooks, post-occupancy reviews, consultation services, and training. Services relate directly to RIBA Plan of Work stages, appointed for single or all stages of projects. Revenue is project-based consultancy fees, most cost-effective when appointed at early design stages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

David Bonnett Associates is an independent architectural access consultancy providing inclusive design and accessibility advice to clients and architects. Services span access audits, design and access statements, building control submissions, access handbooks, post-occupancy reviews, consultation, and training across project scales from small visitor centres to large-scale masterplans and transport interchanges. The practice delivers services aligned with RIBA Plan of Work stages and is appointed by building owners, developers, architects, or project managers for single or all stages of projects.

Product overview

David Bonnett Associates (DBA) is a consultancy firm offering inclusive design and access consultancy services, not a software product or platform. Their core offering consists of advisory services across the entire project lifecycle: Access Audits assess existing provisions against regulatory and best practice standards; Design and Access Statements support planning applications; Building Control services ensure code compliance; Access Handbooks guide ongoing management; Post Occupancy Reviews evaluate real-world performance; and Consultation and Training services engage stakeholders and build internal capability. These services are delivered across diverse project types including commercial, education, government, heritage, hotels, museums, residential, theatres, transport, and urban design/landscape sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inclusive Design Consultancy Services Independent architectural access consultancy providing advice on inclusive access to clients and architects working on projects ranging from small visitor centres and landscape schemes to large-scale masterplans, transport interchanges and residential developments. Appointed for single or all RIBA Plan of Work stages.
• Access Audits Comprehensive accessibility audits that assess buildings and landscapes against regulatory and best practice standards using DBA's proprietary audit method, evaluating access provisions through a sequential journey covering approach, parking, entrances, horizontal and vertical circulation, facilities, signage and emergency evacuation.
• Design and Access Statements Documentation services preparing design and access statements for planning applications, explaining how inclusive design principles are incorporated into development proposals.
• Building Control and Access Statements Advisory services for building control submissions, assessing provisions made for inclusive design in general arrangements, car parking, approaches, entrances, common circulation and internal layouts.
• Access Handbooks Development of access handbooks providing guidance on maintaining accessibility standards post-construction and ongoing management practices.
• Post Occupancy Reviews Evaluation services examining how buildings perform in practice regarding accessibility, ensuring continued compliance with access standards.
• Consultation Services Facilitation of consultation with disability advocacy groups, staff representatives, and stakeholders to ensure effective input on access requirements throughout design processes.
• Training Services Educational programmes for staff and stakeholders on access requirements, inclusive design principles, and implementation of accessibility standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 RIBA Stirling Prize winners contributed to (Bloomberg 2018, Newport Street Gallery 2016, Burntwood School 2015)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Design CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDBA contributes to national forums including the Design Council as recognised experts in inclusive design field. The Design Council is a UK charity providing design expertise to government and business.
• Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDBA contributes to CABE forums as recognised experts. CABE was the UK government's advisor on architecture, urban design and public space, now merged with the Design Council.
• British Standards Institute (BSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDBA contributed to BSI's Inclusive Urban Design guide published in 2013 and contributed to BS 9266 on housing standards. This establishes DBA as a standards contributor in inclusive design.
• Hotels ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDBA established a Hotels Forum to share best practice between hotel providers, architects, access champions and approval authorities. This forum coordinates accessibility best practices in the hospitality sector.
• Disability Action in IslingtoncoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdvisory group who attended site visits and scrutinised similar facilities for the Ironmonger Row Baths project. Represents disability perspective in design consultation process.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Atkins (member of the SNC-Lavalin Group): Major UK design and engineering consultancy operating in transport, infrastructure, and the built environment, with inclusion and accessibility capabilities. Comparable adjacency to DBA's transport and government practice.
• Buro Happold: Global engineering consultancy with an inclusive environments / accessibility team that competes with DBA on larger integrated design mandates. Broader portfolio than DBA but overlaps in social infrastructure and heritage work.
• WSP: International professional services consultancy with a built-environment accessibility and inclusive design practice. Competes with DBA especially on transport, education, and government estate work.
• Building Design Partnership (BDP): Major UK architecture and engineering practice with embedded accessibility specialists across sectors including healthcare, education, and transport. Larger competitor that often meets the same architects and clients as DBA.
• Arup: Multinational engineering consultancy with accessibility, inclusive design, and building regulations advisory practices that frequently compete with DBA on transport, commercial, and public realm briefs.
• Mott MacDonald: Global engineering, management, and development consultancy with social inclusion and accessibility advisory offering. Often bundled into transport and infrastructure bids that overlap with DBA's core verticals.

Direct peers

• Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE): UK charity and consultancy offering access auditing, inclusive design advice, and training to building professionals. Closest direct competitor to DBA in the British architectural access consultancy niche.
• Direct Enquiries: UK access consultancy producing accessibility guides for venues and advising on built-environment access. Comparable specialist scope to DBA, with emphasis on venue and tourism guides.
• Habinteg Housing Association: Specialist accessible housing provider that also publishes design guidance and consults on inclusive housing standards. Overlaps directly with DBA's housing and BS 9266 advisory work.

Others

• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People): UK sight-loss charity that provides access consultancy, training, and design guidance through its services arm. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in the same accessible-design advisory space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/david-bonnett-associates

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about David Bonnett Associates