Behind the Build

Jason Halter is a Toronto-based designer and founder of Wonder Inc, an interdisciplinary studio known for its explorations in modular and prefabricated construction, small-scale architectural design, and graphic and spatial design. Raised in Winnipeg in a creative family surrounded by books, art, and discussions of building, he developed an early fascination with design while spending time on construction sites with his father. Aft...

Pat Hanson is a founding principal of gh3*, a Toronto-based architecture, landscape, and urban design practice recognized for its clarity, precision, and integration of natural and built form. Raised in a Norwegian-Italian farming community near Regina, Saskatchewan, she developed an early affinity for making and exploring the outdoors before studying fine art and later discovering architecture at the University of Manitoba.

After g...

Robert Davidov is the founder and director of Davidov Architects, a Melbourne-based architecture and interiors practice established in 2011. His studio focuses on residential work across metropolitan Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula, from new homes and multi-residential developments to heritage alterations and additions, applying a pared-back, materially expressive approach.

Raised in Melbourne in a builder–developer family, D...

For the first time ever, Bruce Kuwabara, Marianne McKenna, and Shirley Blumberg sit down together to share the story of founding KPMB and shaping it into one of Canada’s most influential architectural practices. Established in 1987, KPMB has earned more than 400 awards, including 18 Governor General Medals in Architecture, and completed over 31 million square feet of projects spanning education, health, culture, civic, workplace, h...

In this episode of Behind the Build, Kelly Alvarez Doran joins, both architect and co-founder of Ha/f Climate Design. Based in London and working internationally, Kelly shares the journey that led him from growing up in Winnipeg, studying at the University of Manitoba and the University of Toronto, to practicing across Africa and Europe before launching his practice.

Ha/f Climate Design emerged from teaching and research at the Univ...

Magnus Ström is the founder and Principal Architect of Ström Architects, a UK-based practice internationally recognized for its refined, modernist approach to residential design. Originally from Sweden, Magnus was surrounded by functionalist architecture from an early age—drawn to clean lines and minimalist forms that would later define his work. His parents’ hands-on building projects and honest critiques of his childhood sketches...

Andrew Kline, Principal at Workshop APD, joins Behind the Build to share a career built on craft, risk, and mentorship. Raised in rural Ohio, his creativity was first inspired by his grandfather, a graphic artist, and nurtured by art teacher Lois Bachman, who encouraged him to pursue art school. After studying at Columbus College of Art & Design and completing a master’s at Cranbrook Academy of Art, Andrew developed a practice ...

This episode was recorded live at the University of Waterloo before an audience of students, alumni, and colleagues. Four graduates returned to share their journeys: Carol Phillips (Moriyama Teshima Architects), Lisa D’Abbondanza (Arcadis), Robert Kastelic (Atelier Kastelic Buffey—AKB), and Drew Mandel (Drew Mandel Architects—DMA). Together they reflected on choosing Waterloo, the impact of its cultural history curriculum and Co-op...

Katherine Chia, FAIA, is the co-founder and co-principal of Desai | Chia Architecture, a New York City practice she leads with her husband and partner, Arjun Desai.

Her path to architecture began with a childhood immersed in creativity. Inspired by her grandfather’s woodworking and Chinese brush painting, Kathy developed an early love of making. At Amherst College she pursued a liberal arts education—studying art, math, philosophy, ...

Evan Saskin is an architect, builder, and founder of Blue Lion Building, an architect-led design-build practice in Toronto and now, Halifax, Nova Scotia, dedicated to creating thoughtful infill housing. Raised in a family steeped in construction—his grandfather an engineer and his father a McGill-trained architect and builder—Evan grew up surrounded by drafting tables and construction sites. Childhood visits to his grandparents’ Mo...

Born and raised in Reno, Nevada, Gordon Magnin discovered his creative spark early through visits to an architect’s studio where renderings and model building captivated his imagination, his interest in art, drawing and technical design guiding him through middle and high school. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Structural Engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno, then practiced as a structural engineer before pursuing ar...

Bishop McDowell is a design-forward architecture practice based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, co-founded by Matthew Bishop and Lucas McDowell in May 2024. Long-time collaborators, the two met while working at a Halifax-based architecture firm, where they spent years refining their skills on residential projects and developing a mutual respect for each other’s approach to design, detail, and construction. A pivotal shared project—one the...

Don Schmitt is a founding partner of Diamond Schmitt Architects, one of Canada’s most respected architectural practices. He was born in South Porcupine, a small mining town in northern Ontario, and grew up surrounded by nature. After moving to Toronto in his teens, he was introduced to the city’s architecture while attending high school near the University of Toronto. A Christmas gift of The Master Builders by Peter Blake, chronic...

Janna Levitt is a founding partner of LGA Architectural Partners and a respected leader in socially conscious architecture in Canada. Raised in a Toronto home filled with artists—her mother a celebrated ceramicist who participated in a short-lived federal program modeled on Japan’s National Treasures—Janna grew up surrounded by creativity, community, and cultural exchange.

She attended Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and then ...

Shirley Meisels is the founder and creative force behind the Toronto interior design studio M House Inc. With over 20 years of experience, she brings a sharp eye for detail, a deep respect for craftsmanship, and an intuitive understanding of how spaces should reflect the people who live in them.

Her creative journey began early, sketching fashion designs as a child, and later led her to pursue a degree in Fashion Design at Toronto M...

Gene Sandoval’s story is one of vision, resilience, and impact. Born in the Philippines, Gene grew up immersed in the world of craft and creation, watching shipbuilders shape vessels from simple materials in his family’s shipyard. By the time he was a teenager, his artistic instincts and fascination with form had already drawn him to architecture. At just 18, Gene left behind the comforts of home, arriving in the US to study at the...

Olly Bray is the founder of OB Architecture, an award-winning practice with studios in Winchester, London, and Chamonix. On this episode, Olly traces the personal and professional path that shaped his architectural journey, from childhood drawings in his grandfather’s Munich studio to launching a firm now designing homes and multi-unit developments across the UK and the French Alps.

Olly shares how an early familial nudge toward arc...

Sacha Lee is the founder and principal architect of Aeon Design, a Toronto based architecture and interiors studio focused on thoughtful, high performing residential and boutique commercial spaces. She grew up near Tillsonburg, Ontario, where a mix of farm work, construction site visits with her master builder grandfather, and an entrepreneurial family culture helped shape her early interest in architecture.

Sacha studied at the Uni...

Shane Czypyha is a principal at Parkin Architects and one of the founding forces behind their Vancouver office. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Shane’s path into architecture began early, shaped by childhood sketching sessions, a basement full of LEGO, and a family of builders in small-town Ontario. That hands-on foundation led him to explore not just the built form but the systems and relationships that make good archite...