Partners

Mark Beaumont

Cyclist, Adventurer & Broadcaster

Mark Beaumont is a well known Scottish broadcaster and adventurer who has been supporting Orkidstudio since 2010. Mark shot to fame when he broke the Guiness World Record for the fastest circumnavigation by bicycle - 18,296 miles in 194 days and 17 hours. Since then he has also rowed through the Artic, cycles from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, climbed the highest mountains of North and South America and narrowly survived after capsizing mid-Atlantic. Mark is passionate about inspiring young people to take on their dreams and also works with a number of charities. Both Mark Beaumont and James Mitchell, founder of Orkidstudio, have family roots in the town of Kilmacolm, near Glasgow.

Mackintosh School of Architecture

The Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art, are a key partner of the charity. Our Director, James Mitchell, was appointed in 2013 as a lecturer/ studio tutor in humanitarian architecture at the school. James will be leading students on a number of live-build projects as part of their architectural education and is responsible for running a multi-phased project in Accra, Ghana. This project, ‘Kick Off Ghana’, is in aid of a football focused community development initiative in the country’s capital city and is funded via the Glasgow School of Art. The first phase of this project is due to begin on site in June 2014, with the construction of a changing room facility near to the main pitch.

Structure Mode

Design-led Structural Engineers

Structure Mode are design-focused structural engineers with a passion for experimentation and making. Initially involved in the Modular Project, a collaborative project between Structure Mode and Orkidstudio, they now advise us both at the design stage and on site with elements of the structure and its detailing. During The Mutende Project II, their input throughout the design process enabled the development of an innovative structure, and their ongoing support whilst onsite was invaluable whenever issues arose.

Jestico + Whiles

Key Partner

Jestico + Whiles is a UK based architectural and design focussed studio with an international portfolio of award winning projects. We are established as an Employees Benefit Trust and passionate about sustainability and the power of design and human ingenuity to transform lives. Our work crosses many sectors and boundaries and we strive for excellence in all we do. We value the collaborative nature of our work and above all place people at the heart of our approach.

"We are delighted to support Orkidstudio and admire the incredibly valuable work they do. The company ethos chimes very much with our own."

Trada

Timber Research and Development

Throughout its 80-year history, TRADA has been seen as a knowledge leader in timber. In that time, the organisation has developed a reputation as the leading authority on timber and wood products. Alongside its involvement in both historic and pioneering timber developments in construction, the not-for-profit organisation has backed its work up with research programmes and materials for its members, positioning TRADA as the leading source of authoritative information and guidance on timber.

In support of our work, TRADA generously share their knowledge and resources to help us maintain a high quality of timber construction across the world.

Drum Property Group

Development & Investment

Drum Property Group is a property development and investment company with a long track record of successful trading and growth. We are active throughout the UK on a wide variety of projects with an end value in excess of £1bn. Our investment division complements this risk-controlled development activity, creating value via rigorous and entrepreneurial asset management. Drum has the flexibility and confidence to complete activity of scale, as well as the capacity to engage with partners on co-investment opportunities throughout the UK.

Weir Group

Engineering Solutions

The Weir Group is one of the world’s leading engineering businesses. We are committed to creating innovative engineering solutions. Our widely-respected products and services help customers right around the world deliver processes that are vital to society.

Global Opportunities Centre

Project Partner

The Global Opportunity Centre provides a dedicated resource and source of expertise for all of the opportunities available at Cardiff University for students to gain an international experience.

Peter Dibdin

Professional Photographer

Photographer Peter Dibdin has exhibited his work throughout the UK and internationally. He has lived for photography since first picking up a camera at age 14 in his native Dorset. Currently, Peter works commercially from his Summerhall studio in Edinburgh, the city’s premier creative hub, where his photography has featured on billboards, magazines and online publications for a variety of local and international companies.

Peter started working with Orkidstudio on the ambitious Swawou School where he went out with his wife and daughter who did some community engagement workshops with the girls at the school. They have just returned from Kenya where they worked on the 1K House development.

Jonny Campbell

Filmmaker

Jonny is a freelance filmmaker whose work ranges from documentary film to live music, as well as corporate and promotional work. He is particularly passionate about the use of film in the third sector as a means of engagement and raising awareness. He has produced work across the U.K. as well as further afield in central and east Africa, and his work has been screened at numerous locations as well as being featured on the BBC.