Aedas announces demerger

Aedas, which can trace its roots back to 19th century Yorkshire, will be known as AHR in the UK after the company’s board decided to separate the business.

The company’s 13 offices in China, South-East Asia, the Middle East and the US, will continue to operate under the Aedas brand. AHR will be the brand name in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. AHR, formerly Aedas UK, will continue to operate from offices in London, Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol, Shrewsbury and Glasgow, along with its offices in Russia, Poland, Kazakhstan and its associate office in Karachi, Pakistan.

Later this year AHR also plans to open an office in Dubai, where it is working on a number of high-profile education and health projects. From its beginnings in Huddersfield in 1835, Aedas has grown to become a major architectural firm with a projected turnover of around £31m.

In Leeds, Aedas has been responsible for No1 City Square, K2 Albion Street and a series of office, hotel and residential buildings along Whitehall Quay.

Brian Johnson, the chairman of AHR, said yesterday: “We are very excited to announce the launch of the AHR brand in the UK and across our international offices. AHR has a long-standing history of producing award-winning designs, something which we will continue into the future.

“As well as being a truly global business, we are proud of our regional UK heritage and will continue to offer the excellent levels of services from all our offices.” The company will continue to operate as an equity partnership, focusing on its core activities of architecture and building consultancy.

AHR employs 130 staff in Yorkshire, and Mr Johnson said he expected to expand the Yorkshire-based team.