Our Journey
Started in a cramped office above a coffee shop on Queen West, we've grown into something we're genuinely proud of. Not your typical architecture firm story, but then again, we never wanted to be typical.
The Beginning
Two architects, one shared apartment, and way too much ambition. We started taking on small residential projects that bigger firms wouldn't touch. Turns out, there was something there.
First Big Break
Won the competition for the Riverside Community Center. Honestly didn't think we'd get it, but our sustainable approach resonated. Changed everything for us overnight.
Going Green
Pivoted hard into sustainable design. It wasn't trendy yet, but we saw where things were heading. Got LEED certified and started consulting on green building practices across Ontario.
Expansion
Moved to King Street, tripled our team size. Started juggling multiple commercial projects while keeping that boutique feel we'd built our reputation on. Wasn't easy, but we managed.
Award Recognition
Toronto Architecture Award for the Harbourfront mixed-use development. Validation that sustainable doesn't mean compromising on design. Also picked up some international attention which was pretty cool.
Elena Venquinth
Co-Founder & Principal Architect
Trained at Waterloo, spent five years in Copenhagen learning from the Scandinavian masters before coming back home. I've always been obsessed with how buildings interact with their environment - not just physically, but socially too.
My approach? Listen more than you talk. Every site has a story, every client has a vision they can't quite articulate yet. Our job is to translate that into something real. Plus, I'm a bit of a material nerd - spend way too much time in supplier warehouses looking for the perfect timber or stone.
Marcus Emberlith
Co-Founder & Design Director
Started out doing urban planning for the city, which taught me a lot about bureaucracy and even more about patience. Left because I wanted to actually build things instead of just approving them.
I focus on the bigger picture - how our projects fit into neighborhoods, how they'll age over decades, what they contribute beyond just being buildings. Also handle most of the client relations because Elena says I'm better at "not being brutally honest" in meetings. She's probably right.
What We Actually Believe
Design with Purpose
Pretty buildings are nice, but they need to work. Really work. For the people using them, for the environment around them, for the community they're part of. We're not doing art installations here - we're creating spaces where life happens.
Sustainability Isn't Optional
Been saying this since before it was trendy. Every project we take on has to meet serious environmental standards. Not because clients demand it (though increasingly they do), but because building anything else in 2025 feels irresponsible.
Context Matters
That Instagram-famous style you want? Might not work on your site. We design for the specific place, the specific climate, the specific neighborhood. Cookie-cutter approach just creates bland cities, and Toronto's got enough of those already.
Collaboration Over Ego
Your structural engineer knows more about load-bearing than you do. Your contractor's been building for 30 years. Your client lives with the space. We bring everyone to the table early and actually listen. Best ideas come from unexpected places.
The Team Behind the Work
We're 23 people now - architects, designers, planners, a couple of engineers who basically live here, and Sarah who keeps us all organized (seriously, we'd collapse without her). Mixed backgrounds, different perspectives, same commitment to doing this right.
We've got folks who worked on massive commercial towers and others who specialized in tiny residential renovations. That range is intentional - keeps us honest, keeps us creative. Friday afternoon meetings sometimes turn into design debates that run till 7pm, which probably sounds terrible but honestly, those are usually when the breakthroughs happen.
Where We're Headed
Got some projects in the pipeline that we're really excited about - can't talk specifics yet, but let's just say we're finally getting to test some ideas we've been sitting on for years. More mixed-use developments, pushing harder on carbon-neutral construction, maybe some work outside Toronto if the right project comes along.
The goal isn't to become the biggest firm in Canada. We've seen what happens when studios scale too fast - the work suffers, the culture changes, suddenly you're just another corporate architecture factory. We want to stay nimble, stay selective, keep doing projects that challenge us and matter to the people who'll use them.