‘New beginning’ - Rescue deal sees Fife architectural practice acquired from liquidator

A collapsed Fife architectural practice has been bought in a rescue deal that will ensure continuity for clients.

Liquidators have overseen the sale of Allan Corfield Architects (ACA) and its sister company Allan Corfield Structures to DJI Architecture, a company owned by members of the practice management team.

Together, the Allan Corfield businesses employed 14 staff. Following the liquidations, all employees were made redundant. However, DJI Architecture has offered employment to a number of former ACA employees, “helping to retain key skills and experience within the business”.

DJI Architecture's David MacFarlane, Iga Panczyna and Rod McMillan.

Shona Campbell of Henderson Loggie, who was appointed liquidator, said: “Allan Corfield Architects has built a strong reputation in the self‑build sector over many years. Like many practices across the architecture and construction sector, the companies have faced a combination of rising costs and challenging trading conditions.”

Campbell, who is chair of Henderson Loggie and head of its business recovery and insolvency team, added: “Our immediate priority as liquidator is to protect the position of the companies, their staff and creditors. By negotiating the sale to DJI Architecture, we have secured continuity for clients and protected the future of ongoing projects, while retaining specialist knowledge within the new ownership structure.”

The business and assets have been acquired from the liquidator by DJI Architecture, initially trading as Allan Corfield Architects. The purchase out of liquidation has been led by ACA’s existing senior management team of David MacFarlane, Iga Panczyna and Jenny Chandela, working alongside Rod McMillan, a professional non-executive director and investor who becomes non-executive chair of the new business.

The deal secures continuity for ACA’s clients and preserves a “strong portfolio of live projects together with a substantial pipeline of prospective new business”.

Founded in Dunfermline in 2009, Allan Corfield Architects (ACA) is a specialist in the self‑build and custom‑build sector, while Allan Corfield Structures was established in 2020 to provide structural engineering services to ACA’s clients and other external customers.

McMillan said: “The last few weeks have been exceptionally difficult, but this is now a genuinely positive new beginning for a well-established local, Scottish as well as UK-wide architectural practice.”