A North East architects practice has made a senior hire, after rapid expansion has seen it grow from a team of 9 to 22 in just 24 months.

Sunderland-based Building Design Northern (BDN) has hired Filip Young as architect, having joined from another leading North East practice, where he spent five years delivering a range of projects from both social and bespoke residential to mixed-use masterplans and educational buildings.

Filip – who became fully qualified as an architect in 2018 – has joined BDN during a period of significant growth. The firm – which also offers structural and civil engineering services to clients across the UK – relocated to a new HQ in Sunderland’s old Simpson Street School in 2021. The move followed an MBO that saw director Richard Marsden take to the helm in 2019, and he has since guided the firm through double-digit growth in turnover.

Filip said: “I am excited to have joined the team at BDN, and look forward to working with its clients on a range of interesting projects.

“It’s an ambitious company, with an impressive client list and a dynamic team that I am pleased to be part of.”

Filip is the latest hire to join BDN, with David Bell having recently been recruited to service the company’s growing client list.

Richard Marsden, who helped launch BDN’s architectural division when he joined the practice in 2011, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Filip to the BDN team.

“We have enjoyed rapid growth across all parts of the business, which has created an opportunity to expand and bring in talented professionals like Filip. His skill-set will complement those of the BDN architectural division, and I am really pleased we’ve been able to bring him on board.”