The essence of our work is collaboration. We believe that the best work comes from people who are fully invested, passionate, talented, with the skills, experience, and a continuous willingness to learn and evolve.

Led by Nora Bouz, founder and Place Maker, each project gathers its own constellation of experienced practitioners: architectural technologists, occupational therapists, building science and sustainability experts, community builders, and artists. The team is configured to the project, with collaborators chosen for what the work asks for, and introduced at project kickoff.

The principal designer is engaged from the first conversation through the final walkthrough. The same person attends all client meetings and workshops, holds the design vision through every decision, draws the details, and stands on the construction site when questions arise. The relationship is continuous, and the work is held by one designer from start to finish.

The team works together in real conversation. Ideas are tested across perspectives, questions are held in common, and decisions emerge from the exchange between disciplines. The architectural technologist's instinct shapes the spatial planning; the occupational therapist's observation reframes a layout; the building science expert's material knowledge informs a finish selection. The work is built as one.

When the same team holds a project from concept to completion, the work coheres. The intent set in early conversations carries through every phase. Each detail is held by someone who understands its role in the whole, and the original vision strengthens as the work moves toward completion.

Every project asks for its own mix of expertise. Collaborators are introduced at project kickoff, chosen for what the work asks for and for the rapport that makes a team move well together. A cohousing community, a clinic, a retreat centre, and a workplace each call for different specialists at different moments.

Nora Bouz, Founder and Place Maker

BA, PM, Adv. Dip. HID

I design spaces that remember what buildings are meant to do: honour the body, shelter the soul, connect us to the living world, and hold us in our becoming.

My practice weaves studies and research with the felt and sensed, drawing on environmental psychology, biophilic design, and years of study into how built environments shape our consciousness, creativity, and capacity for connection. I also trust what can't be measured: the felt sense of a space, the poetry in light and shadow, the intelligence of nature as teacher and collaborator.

After 11 years in conventional architectural and interior design, a profound experience led me to walk away and begin again, in 2016, asking: What does it mean to design for the whole human being? That inquiry opened me to holistic design, communal living research, deep ecology, and the exploration of what truly makes people happy and what makes spaces nurturing.

I work in collaboration with clients, builders, tradespeople, and artists as co-creators, and with nature as the ultimate design intelligence. The projects that call to me: homes, co-housing and communal living spaces, retreats and wellness centres, and conscious workplaces, places that foster genuine connection, healthy living, resilience, and authentic expression.

The spaces we create shape the world we inhabit. The most meaningful spaces come from conversation and collaboration. This is how I work—in conversation, in relationship, in co-creation. This is a conversation I'm here for.

Read Nora's story

  • “Nora provided our organization with integrated planning support within an extremely tight deadline. Her holistic wellness design approach has allowed us to provide a new level of services to more people in space that focuses on a mentally and physically improved environment. The care and attention to our staff, understanding the vision and the outcome of her design work was outstanding."

    - Laureen MacNeil Executive Director Canadian Mental Health Association Calgary Region

  • "Nora's talent and professionalism truly set her apart. She possesses a unique ability to listen attentively and consult with us in a way that made us feel valued and understood. She took the time to delve deep into our style and needs, ensuring that every detail reflected our vision. Her attention to detail is remarkable, and she skillfully blended aesthetics with functionality, creating a space that is not only beautiful but also practical for our daily lives."

    - Ena M. Residential Renovation, Westport, ON

  • We are thrilled to share our heartfelt gratitude and admiration for Nora, whose incredible talent and expertise transformed our house into a warm, inviting, and beautiful home. From the very beginning, Nora demonstrated an exceptional understanding of our taste, needs, and desire for a space that reflects both our lifestyle and values. Our decision to trust her vision was absolutely worth it, and we are so grateful to her for creating a home we truly love.

    R. & W. Campbell, Residential New build, Florida, USA

  • "Nora is very knowledgeable in her field. It's all about healthy environment and respecting who we are to make each space an experience of being well. Thank you!"

    - Sylvie-anne roy - social bee marketer 5th element management

  • "Nora is amazing at what she does and is helping us to renovate some of our units to be more conducive to wellness in the mind, body and spirit."

    - Karen Crowther Executive Director, Keys to Recovery, Calgary, AB