Who We Are

We're not your typical architecture firm - we actually care about what happens to the planet after we're done building on it.

Started back in 2012, our studio came together because we were tired of seeing the same cookie-cutter buildings going up everywhere. You know the type - all glass and steel, zero personality, and energy bills that'd make you cry. We figured there had to be a better way to design spaces that people actually want to live and work in, without destroying the environment in the process.

Based in Toronto's King West neighborhood, we've spent over a decade proving that sustainable doesn't mean boring, and contemporary doesn't mean wasteful. Our approach? Listen more than we talk, sketch until our hands hurt, and never compromise on the stuff that actually matters.

The People Behind the Blueprints

We're a mixed bunch of architects, planners, and designers who happen to get along surprisingly well. Here's the crew that makes it all happen.

Elena Blazorn

Founding Partner

Elena's the one who got this whole thing started. After working at big corporate firms for years, she got fed up with clients being treated like account numbers. She's got this weird ability to see a finished building in her head before anything's even sketched out. When she's not obsessing over passive solar angles, you'll find her at salvage yards hunting for materials we can repurpose.

Marcus Valquint

Founding Partner

Marcus handles the urban planning side and somehow manages to make zoning bylaws sound interesting. He spent five years working in Copenhagen's planning department, which explains why he won't shut up about bike lanes and public spaces. His thing is making sure our buildings actually fit into their neighborhoods instead of sticking out like sore thumbs.

Sarah Chen

Senior Architect

Our residential guru. She's designed over 40 homes and somehow remembers every single client's kid's name. Sarah's got this knack for making small spaces feel huge.

James Okonkwo

Sustainability Director

James is basically a walking encyclopedia of green building tech. LEED certified, Passive House certified, probably certified in things we haven't even heard of yet.

Maya Patel

Interior Architecture Lead

Maya joins us from Mumbai via London. She's the reason our interiors don't look like sad office lobbies. Her material palette game is unmatched.

Thomas Beaumont

Heritage Specialist

Tom's the guy you want when you're dealing with a 120-year-old building that's falling apart. He treats old structures like they're his own grandparents.

How We Got Here

2012

Elena and Marcus meet at a conference in Vancouver where they're both complaining about the same thing - architecture that ignores its environmental impact. They decide to do something about it over too many beers.

2013

We open up shop in a tiny office on King West. Our first project? A residential renovation that the client almost fired us from three times. Good news - they love it now and send us referrals constantly.

2015

Land our first commercial project - a mixed-use development in the Annex. It wins a sustainability award and suddenly everyone wants to talk to us. We hire Sarah and James to keep up with demand.

2018

Move into our current suite - which we designed ourselves, naturally. Start focusing more on heritage restoration after Tom joins the team. Turns out there's a huge need for people who can modernize old buildings without destroying what makes them special.

2020

Pandemic hits and we figure out how to work remotely without losing our minds. Maya joins us and transforms how we think about interior spaces. Complete 25+ projects despite everything going on.

2022

Launch our urban planning consulting division. Turns out municipalities need help figuring out how to densify without making neighborhoods miserable. Marcus is in his element.

2024

Over 150 projects under our belt, a team of 15 people, and we still haven't lost that chip on our shoulder about doing things the right way. Currently working on our most ambitious project yet - a net-zero commercial tower downtown.

What Drives Us

Look, we're not gonna pretend we're saving the world one building at a time. But we do believe that architecture has a responsibility - to the people who use our spaces, to the neighborhoods they're in, and to the planet we're all sharing.

Every project we take on, we ask ourselves: Is this gonna make someone's life better? Does it fit where it's going? Can we do it without wrecking the environment? If we can't answer yes to all three, we're probably not the right fit.

We're not perfect - nobody is. But we show up every day trying to prove that good design and environmental responsibility aren't mutually exclusive. And honestly? That's what keeps this interesting.

Want to Work Together?

We're always up for a conversation about interesting projects. Whether you've got something specific in mind or just want to chat about possibilities, drop us a line.

Get In Touch