Skip to content
logo Studio 3

Social Values

Studio 3 is committed to more then buildings.
We support the people, places and communities that shape our built environment.

Get in Touch See Our Work

Our Social Values

Social value sits at the heart of how Studio3 operates, not as a bolt on or a box ticking exercise, but as a genuine commitment to the communities and environments we work within. We actively support local employment and skills development through apprenticeship pathways, engage pro bono with community organisations and public community councils on projects that deliver real public benefit.

Our design approach prioritises environmental sustainability and social impact at every stage, from material specification to whole life carbon consideration, and our membership of Constructing Excellence reflects our commitment to collaborative, ethical industry practice. We maintain an inclusive workplace culture, support diverse supply chains, and believe that the buildings we design should give back more to their communities than they take. For us, social value is not a policy, it is the standard against which we measure every decision we make.

Apprenticeships

Studio3 was built on the belief that everyone deserves a chance. We give young designers, technologists and architects a genuine route into the industry through hands on learning and mentoring, because we know it works. It is how our director started, and it is how we are building the team today.

We currently have two apprentices training with us in Architectural Design and Technology at Shrewsbury College, working four days a week alongside the team. They are not shadowing from the side lines. They are involved in live projects, client conversations and real design decisions from day one, learning not from a textbook alone but from doing the work and growing through genuine responsibility.

In 2025, one of our apprentices, Shay, was shortlisted to the final three in the Creative and Media Apprentice of the Year category at the Apprenticeship Awards.

That recognition reflects what we see every day: young people who, given the right opportunity, develop into standout professionals with a depth of experience that cannot be taught in a lecture hall alone.

Mindful Employer

Studio3 is a signatory of the Mindful Employer Charter, a national NHS led initiative for organisations committed to supporting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. As a small practice, our team is our greatest asset, and we believe that feeling safe, appreciated and valued should never be optional. It is a foundational expectation.

Our values at Studio3 are simple: to create an enjoyable and supported environment where we can grow and develop together. As a director led practice, this starts from the top. Signing the Mindful Employer Charter is a personal commitment on behalf of the company to ensure that every team member feels heard, respected and supported, not just in their work but in their wellbeing.

Through the Charter, we have pledged to provide non judgemental and proactive support to any team member experiencing mental ill health, to create a workplace where it is safe to talk openly, and to ensure that our policies and culture actively promote positive mental health. This means regular check ins, genuine flexibility and a working environment designed around people, not process.

Our commitment to the Mindful Employer is not a certificate on a wall. It is a lived principle that sits alongside the Studio3 Blueprint, ensuring that our approach to wellbeing is consistent, visible and capable of being assessed in outcomes, not just intentions.

SME Climate Hub

Studio3 is a signatory of the SME Climate Hub, a global initiative that empowers small and medium-sized businesses to take measurable climate action. As a practice working across rural Shropshire, Cheshire and Wales, we see first hand how the built environment shapes the natural landscape, and we believe that responsibility extends to how we run our own business.

Through our commitment, we have pledged to halve our greenhouse gas emissions before 2030 and achieve net zero emissions before 2050. This means actively monitoring and reducing the carbon footprint of our day-to-day operations, from office energy use and procurement through to travel and site visits, with a clear timeline and targets that hold us accountable.

As designers, our influence on sustainability goes beyond our own operations. Every project we take on is an opportunity to specify low-impact materials, design for energy efficiency, and advise clients on choices that reduce both embodied and operational carbon. The SME Climate Hub commitment ensures that this thinking is embedded in how we work, not just in what we deliver.

Our progress is disclosed annually through the SME Climate Hub, providing a transparent, verifiable record of our emissions reductions. This is not a box-ticking exercise, it is a measurable commitment that sits alongside the Studio3 Blueprint, ensuring that our environmental impact is assessed in outcomes, not just intentions.

The Studio3 Blueprint

The Studio3 Blueprint is our commitment to the communities we design within. As a practice rooted in Shropshire, we believe good design extends beyond the site boundary, it includes the people, places and organisations that make the region what it is.

We support grassroots sport across the county, including Shelton Cricket Club and Shrewsbury Rugby Club, through sponsorship and active involvement in club initiatives. These clubs are the backbone of rural community life, and backing them is an investment in the social fabric of where we live and work.

Each year, we work with local primary schools to introduce children to the built environment. Through workshops and classroom sessions, we help young people understand how buildings are designed and how decisions about the environment shape their daily lives — building curiosity, confidence and aspiration.

Through the Blueprint, every commitment we make is documented and reviewed, so our social impact can be assessed in outcomes, not just intentions. From apprenticeships and school engagement to charitable partnerships, our practice and our community are the same place.

Constructing Excellence

Constructing Excellence Midlands is a progressive, not-for-profit membership organisation dedicated to transforming the construction industry across the Midlands.

Our membership connects us to a regional network of industry leaders, innovators and best-practice professionals working to raise standards across the built environment.

For Studio3, it keeps us plugged into the latest thinking on construction innovation, collaboration and performance — knowledge that directly benefits how we deliver projects for clients.

It also represents how we are actively engaged in the wider construction community, not working in isolation, but contributing to and learning from the collective drive for better building.

Studio 3 Bee’s.

Our Studio 3 Bees form part of our commitment to environmental responsibility, team wellbeing and meaningful social value. Through responsible beekeeping, the apiary supports pollination, biodiversity and a greater understanding of the natural environment.

When honey is produced, it is shared with our team and made available to clients on request.

We also plan to share the apiary with local clubs, schools and community groups, creating opportunities to learn about bees, habitats and the importance of protecting our environment.

Our Bee’s reflect Studio3’s belief that social value should be practical, personal and connected to the communities and landscapes in which we work.

Build beyond the ordinary

We pride ourselves on being different. We combine high end professional services with a first class client experience delivered in a jargon free, passionate and experienced parcel!