Practice Profile
Following work experience in Ireland, the U.K. and North America, Mark Guard attended the University of Toronto School of Architecture. After completing a postgraduate degree at the Royal College of Art in London, he worked for the
Richard Rogers Partnership,
Rick Mather Architects and
Eva Jiricna Architects before setting up Mark Guard Architects in 1986. Mark Guard Associates was formed in 1988 with Steven Pollock and Keith Tillman. In 1997, Mark Guard and Steven Pollock established Mark Guard Limited. Guard Tillman Pollock was founded in 2002 with Steven Pollock and Keith Tillman.
The practice consists of a team of architects specialising in the development of elegant, functional and modernist design. The requirements of the brief are carefully analysed in close consultation with the client. The final design is arrived at by establishing the essential components, to which is then added a richness of function. Nothing is seen to be impossible to achieve. The practice has had considerable success motivating contractors and fabricators to achieve technical advances within the industry. A strong architectural approach has led to modernist solutions being accepted and approved by planning and conservation groups.
By lateral thought and through the analysis of function, better solutions to old problems can be found. The practice has led the way in the practical application of the theories of transformable space. Having achieved the desired function, emphasis is placed on space, light and form.
Drawing inspiration from the work of the early Modern Movement, the practice believes that good design should do more than merely resolve the brief; it should inspire and enhance the spirit. The practice has won many awards, including the
RIBA Award for Houses and Housing for a
rooftop apartment in Paris, which was subsequently shortlisted for the Stirling Prize for Architecture.
Recent work has included
large-scale residential development schemes in London, as well as numerous private residential projects in the UK and Ireland and a series of
fashion outlets in Mexico and the United States.