SHORTO

We design and build the civic, educational, and cultural spaces where cities do their work.

24 Years of practice
357 Completed projects

We combine architecture and construction under one roof, so the drawing and the building never drift apart.

Founded in 2001, SHORTO works on public and institutional buildings where longevity matters more than novelty. We keep design and delivery in the same studio, which means the people who draw a detail are the same people who watch it get built.

Our work spans education, healthcare, civic infrastructure, and cultural buildings across Europe, North America, and Asia.

Concrete civic building at dusk Timber-fin balcony facade detail Horizontal residence with glass walls

357

Projects completed and handed over since 2001.

Horizontal layered building with timber soffit Dark layered massing among landscaping Planted green balcony facade detail

19

Countries where our buildings are in daily use.

Single-storey building with landscaped garden path Angular gabled facade with cedar cladding Timber-fin balcony facade detail

140

Architects, engineers, and builders in the studio today.

Hundreds of completed projects

A selection of recent work across education, civic, healthcare, and cultural buildings.

Key stages of our work.

01

Brief and site

We start by reading the site and the brief together — what the building must do, and what the ground will allow.

02

Design

Plans, sections, and structure develop in parallel, tested against cost and constructability from the first sketch.

03

Construction

Our delivery team builds what our studio drew, with the same people answering questions on site that drew the details.

04

Handover

We commission, document, and stay reachable after the building opens — most of our clients return for a second project.

SHORTO delivered our central library on budget and a month early. Five years on, the maintenance team still calls them the easiest building on campus to run.

Dr. Helena Voss

Director of Estates, Summit University