Conservation Specialists David Ball Restoration (London) Ltd relaunched at a champagne reception for 170 clients and colleagues in Temple Church, London, last month (April). The Peckham-based company have introduced a new logo by London designer Steve Edge under the new style of DBR (London) Ltd.

The logo includes the two faces of Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings (hence the faces looking in opposite directions). On the left of the logo the face is in need of repair and on the right it is repaired. "Janus is a fitting symbol for our company," executive director Adrian Attwood told his guests at the Temple Church that was recently restored by DBR. "Because when we see the facade of an old building, or the face of a sculpture that is showing its age, we look forward, too. And just as Janus is a god of change, we are a company that represents the harmonious transition from the old to the new, the ruined to the restored."

He continued: "The rebranding of the company also reflects our desire to be more visible in the market place. We\'ve always been a discreet organisation but now it\'s time to say what we do."

For a discreet organisation they achieved high visibility last year when they restored Nelson\'s Column (see NSS October 2006) and more than 500 visitors climbed to the top on scaffolding erected by D&R Scaffolding. But the conservation company that was established in 1990 by David Ball, previously managing director of Stonewest, with the backing of George Henderson, has tended to hide its light under a bushel. That is changing.

As Adrian Attwood explained at the company relaunch in the 12th century church built by the Knights Templar and containing one of the clues in The Da Vinci Code, DBR can provide a comprehensive conservation service dealing with historic building fabric and monuments.

That service includes complete facade restoration using the company\'s 50-strong directly employed workforce of stonemasons, cleaners, mortar specialists and conservation bricklayers in conjunction with specialist sub-contractors, as required, to offer a complete conservation service. "This teamwork delivers excellent results and projects such as Nelson\'s Column and here at Temple Church prove our approach to collaborative working gives you, the client, exemplar projects. Quite simply, if you have a masonry building that needs cleaning and repair we are the people to do it," said Adrian.

But why should David Ball Restoration change after 17 successful years? "It\'s not about change for the sake of it," said Adrian. "It\'s about bringing a new dynamic to the company. Upping the tempo. Being more visible in the market place. The catalyst for this change has been a progressive shift from DBR being a specialist sub-contractor to being, for the most part, a principal contractor."

David Lucas, managing director, concluded: "We\'re here to make sure the past has a future. We\'re here to make sure our next generation of craftspeople have a future. We\'re all here to make sure our environment has a future."