The Architectural Association of London buys Pastel Evolution

The Architectural Association of London, a long time Pastel Partner user, had taken the decision to review their internal systems based on a a need for more sophisticated reporting and had brought their choice down to two suppliers - the incumbent Pastel and Access Dimensions.

Their decision to go with Pastel Evolution resulted in savings of £9000 in the form of price differential – the RRP of Access Dimensions is £4,000 more than Pastel Evolution – and a further £5,000 discount from Pastel as it was an upgrade.

Founded in 1887, the Architectural Association runs a school for architects, and increasing reporting demands meant the organisation had effectively outgrown Pastel Partner.

Whilst there was a natural inclination for the architects’ body to turn to their supplier of long standing for the solution, they didn’t do so without first looking at what else was on the market.

The end result was a shortlist which saw Pastel Evolution go head to head with Access Dimensions.

Apart from price, what saw Pastel Evolution emerge the winner was the demo on reporting.

“The reports that used to take me half a day to produce emerged at the push of a button,” says Steve Livitt, the Finance Manager. “That, coupled with the fact that Access Dimension was a lot more expensive and we received a substantial discount from Pastel because we were an existing customer, made this an easy decision . . .”

You can contact Pastel in the UK & Ireland by telephoning 0845 456 3103 or email