Today we’ve reported strong results for our 2020/21 financial year, with our annual turnover growing by 22% to £7.3 million. This growth has been achieved during an exceptionally challenging year with the contraction in the economy and Covid lockdowns. It is attributed to a series of key commissions across projects of national and regional strategic importance. They include a new 6.5 acre urban park at Mayfield Manchester and a new waterfront development at Custom House Quay in Glasgow.

Having launched our climate charter last year in response to the International Climate Emergency (outlining pursuit of a sustainable design agenda based on the founding principles of the business),  we are now focusing our efforts on improving carbon savings across all of our projects, by working with clients to achieve the best possible outcome on the journey to Net Zero carbon emissions.

Julian Broster, our Co-founding Director said: “We recognise that our strong growth has been in contrast with many businesses that have suffered unfairly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the role of engineering is becoming more important as we work to ensure healthier cities, mitigate flood risks and find creative solutions on the journey to Net Zero. These areas have always been a key focus for our business.

“Given the difficulties that many young people are facing right now, what has been particularly heartening over the past year is that we’ve managed to take on ten new graduates who are working across our four studios.  Our employee headcount has grown by 27% and I’m especially enthused by the growth in younger members of the team who are bringing energy, challenge and new ways of thinking to the practice.”

Asha Vickers is one of several new staff to join us over the last year. She joined as a Graduate Structural Engineer after graduating from the University of Sheffield with an MEng degree in Structural Engineering with Architecture.

Speaking of her experience so far, she says: “In my eyes, Civic Engineers is much more than a place of work; it is a place of education, interaction, and expansion of my knowledge. Their position on sustainability and wellbeing is at the forefront of their work and their dedication to combatting climate change is important to me as I value making a positive impact on people and the planet.

“The opportunities provided allow for growth and progress in ways that typical graduates would not be exposed to”

As we continue to grow, we are raising our ambitions to better measure and assess the environmental impact of each project delivered on behalf of our clients. Julian adds: “In our view, our annual financial growth is not an effective way, on its own, to measure our success and achievements.

“Right now, we’re developing our methods to better report on carbon savings collectively across all of our key projects. Capturing and reporting on these savings and identifying further ways to reduce carbon consumption, will be absolutely critical for the business and our clients going forward.”