ABOUT

Our collective was conceived as a way to bring individuals together ‘around a table’, where skills and ideas could be shared. BORD (the nordic word for table) is a collaboration between a group of like-minded architects, colleagues and friends, Joseph Marshall, Michael Jenkins and Elin Keyser. Between us we have worked at multiple Stirling Prize winning practices. We have worked internationally and across a variety of project types and scales, from large, complex residential and commercial developments to grassroots community projects and small scale works of making and testing.
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We have come together as BORD as a means of pooling this wealth of experience and knowledge. Our model of practice promotes collaboration with architects, artists and designers to utilise the experience and knowledge available through our network needed to approach certain projects and clients. This way of working helps keep the business agile whilst allowing us to work on a variety of project scales and types, from smaller art commissions to larger multimillion pound commercial projects. We see our practice as a resource to be shared, whether that be our office space, equipment, time or knowledge. This also allows us to facilitate other practitioner projects, be they sole practitioners or aspiring designers.
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Our new collective is a celebration of different experiences and skill sets towards a common ambition to contribute to a resilient, locally engrained and sustainable built environment. As we work, we are building a larger network of makers, artists, architects and designers. Some of whom can be seen below. We consider these people a part of our collective, sharing our resources - skills, knowledge, time, equipment, experience - in a mutually beneficial way. We intend to use our platform to promote other peoples ability to develop their own practices.

Our approach is underpinned by four key principles:
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1: Celebrating and cherishing the local
2: Community-focused, humane design
3: Robustness and longevity. We reject the 60 year life space of buildings commonly targeted.
4: A Bio-based ‘less is more’, honest approach to materials
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We are based between Sheffield and Huddersfield, and consider the connection and promotion of Northern practitioners and design as part of our mission.
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We are ARB accredited Architects and qualified Retrofit Coordinators and Designers, as well as tutors at the Sheffield School or Architecture. We specialise in community engagement, natural, bio-based and local material construction and high quality, resilient design.