What heritage can be

Conservation Architects & Heritage Consultants

A refreshed identity for a new era

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What heritage can be

What heritage can be

Contemporary language, traditional materials

Private House, Staffordshire

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What heritage can be

What heritage can be

B Corp: Impact Report

Highlights from 2024-2025

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What heritage can be

The decade-long conservation of Westminster Hall

A documentary about innovative conservation

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We unlock opportunities in the historic environment.

DIA brings together unrivalled expertise and a pioneering spirit to unlock opportunities in the historic environment. Balancing tradition and transformation, we set the standard for what heritage can be—relevant, responsible and enduring. Our clients include custodians of the most significant historic buildings in the UK, commercial developers, preservation trusts applying for National Lottery Heritage Fund support, owners of country estates as well as local authorities.

about us

OUR PORTFOLIO

John Rylands Library
The Camellia House, Wentworth Woodhouse
The Old War Office
Chester Cathedral, West End Reordering

John Rylands Library

Transforming a much-loved Manchester landmark

The Camellia House, Wentworth Woodhouse

From a roofless ruin to a community asset

The Old War Office

World-class hospitality

Chester Cathedral, West End Reordering

A new welcome

The Next Chapter project has been a richly fulfilling experience for all of us and ultimately is the outcome of a shared vision and passion of great architects, designers, construction specialists and librarians.

With its long history of innovation in the field, Donald Insall Associates shows how a respect for material authenticity can sit alongside a willingness to address contemporary realities, whether that means advancing sustainability, responding to social need, or finding new futures for historic structures.

The experts have carefully stripped back years of damage and unsympathetic additions to reveal the hidden treasures throughout this room, which have been buried for decades. It looks truly spectacular.

It is not an easy undertaking in such a complex and demanding architectural site for an architectural team and the DIA team performed this task with grace, compassion and integrity.

Our Services

Conservation architecture
Heritage consultancy
New design in heritage settings
Townscape advice

Conservation architecture

We conserve buildings not by preserving them, but by helping them evolve. Our approach is grounded in deep research—understanding materials, construction, history, and use—so we can secure each place’s long-term vitality and cultural significance.

Heritage consultancy

Unlocking opportunity begins with understanding significance. Our consultancy team investigates what makes a place matter—its origins, evolution, and architectural value—and sets out clear, robust guidance for how it might adapt.

New design in heritage settings

Every new intervention begins with historic context. We take time to understand the building or site in all its dimensions—its heritage, materials, character, and use—before exploring how new design might respond.

Townscape advice

We help clients see the bigger picture—offering strategic, heritage-led input into the evolving shape of cities, towns, and landscapes.

For project enquiries, careers, and anything else, please get in touch.

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