ABOUT

The challenge:
Balfour Beatty's digital estate had evolved over time into a fragmented collection of websites built across multiple legacy platforms, including Umbraco, outdated WordPress implementations and bespoke HTML solutions.

Many of these sites were difficult to maintain, inconsistent in quality and increasingly disconnected from the wider brand.

What was needed wasn't another website. It was a system.

A centralised WordPress theme capable of supporting multiple divisions and joint ventures. One that could be deployed rapidly, governed consistently and maintained internally without ongoing reliance on development resource.

At the same time, the solution needed to meet AA accessibility standards and perform reliably at enterprise scale.

Our approach:
Designing for scale, not for site.

Rather than treating each website as a standalone project, we designed a modular WordPress framework built as an extensible system.

At its core sits a structured design language: a carefully considered set of components, templates and rules that deliver consistency without creating rigidity. This enables different parts of the business to communicate their offer clearly while operating within a unified brand expression.

From a technical perspective, the platform was engineered for repeatability. New sites can be deployed and ready for content population within a day, supported by a clean and intuitive backend that allows internal teams to manage content independently.

We intentionally reduced reliance on third-party plugins, prioritising long-term performance, security and maintainability over short-term convenience.

Accessibility was not added as an afterthought. It was embedded throughout the process, with every component designed and tested against AA standards from the outset.

The solution:
The result is a scalable WordPress framework that replaces ad hoc website development with a controlled and repeatable delivery model.

New websites are no longer built from scratch. Instead, they are assembled using a defined set of components and templates. This significantly reduces complexity while maintaining design integrity across every touchpoint.

The platform gives Balfour Beatty's teams greater ownership of their content, without compromising the quality, consistency or governance of the wider brand.

The outcome:
The framework has been adopted across multiple divisions and joint ventures, creating a more cohesive and consistent digital presence across the organisation.

Websites delivered using the system include:

-Painter Brothers
-Balfour Beatty Living Places
-Balvac
-Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering
-Aurora
-Balfour Beatty Investments
-BP Equipment
-Lighting Coventry
-Lighting Cambridgeshire
-Lighting Northamptonshire

While each website serves a distinct audience and purpose, all are built upon the same underlying framework. This provides flexibility for tailored messaging while maintaining consistency across the wider digital estate.

The platform also complements broader strategic, creative and communications initiatives, helping ensure a unified experience across digital channels, stakeholder engagement and brand activity.

The impact:
By moving from fragmented website builds to a unified platform, Balfour Beatty has fundamentally changed the way it delivers digital.

Key benefits include:

-Websites can be launched in days rather than weeks
-Internal teams can manage and evolve content independently
-Brand consistency is maintained across a complex organisation
-Accessibility standards are met as a baseline, not an afterthought

More importantly, the business now operates with a scalable system rather than a collection of individual solutions, enabling growth without sacrificing control.

Hosting & ongoing support;
The framework was never intended to be static.

While the core platform provides a robust foundation, future requirements cannot always be anticipated at build stage. As adoption has expanded across divisions and joint ventures, each has introduced its own operational requirements, integrations and specialist use cases.

To support this, we provide a managed hosting environment alongside an ongoing support partnership.

The hosting infrastructure is designed for reliability, performance and security at scale, ensuring every website benefits from consistent monitoring, maintenance and technical oversight.

Alongside this, the support model enables continuous improvement. Smaller development tasks, refinements and enhancements can be delivered as part of an ongoing relationship, avoiding the need for costly redevelopment projects.

This ensures the platform remains current, adaptable and aligned with the evolving needs of the business long after launch.