Practice founders become partners at new owners and will lead firm’s architecture team
Manchester practice Northmill Associates has been acquired by property consultant Rapleys as part of a regional expansion strategy.
The 14-strong practice was founded in 2016 by architects Ged Connor and Ian Grice with notable projects including the mixed-use Edge scheme in Cumbria and the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast.
The firm has worked across the private and public sectors and provides a range of architectural services including principal designer and specialist technical advice roles.
It is the sixth business acquired in the last four years by Rapleys, which is a multi-disciplinary consultancy founded in 1951 with offices across England.
Northmill will retain its name while its team will form part of Rapley’s building consultancy division, working alongside project and cost Management, land development management and building surveying teams.
Connor and Grice have both become partners of the Rapleys business and will lead the architectural and principal designer teams nationally.
Simon Harbour, national head of building consultancy at Rapleys, said: “Northmill Associates are an experienced and respected architectural practice that will work perfectly with our building consultancy teams in Manchester and across the UK.
“Their governmental advisory work puts them at the forefront of best practice design delivery, strengthening our consultancy offer to provide best value to our clients.
Grice added: “We founded Northmill Associates to deliver innovative, technically led architecture for complex projects. Joining Rapleys gives us the platform to take that expertise further, combining our architectural and advisory strengths with its market-leading Building Consultancy, Planning capability and growing Manchester presence.
“It is a strong cultural and strategic fit, and an exciting opportunity for our team and clients.”
Over the last 12 months, Rapleys’ Manchester office has added five senior planners including partners Bernard Greep and Michael Gilbert from Stantec.
Rapleys has also brought in Joshua Klepper as associate partner in commercial to further strengthen its multi-disciplinary offer in the region. The Northmill acquisition now takes Rapleys to 33 fee earners and three admin staff in Manchester.
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