We are honored to have the Women of Blackwell, Brooke Guzar, Renèe Mackay-lyons and Elishua Ben-Choreen conduct a BEAT Talk on Monday, September 9th, 2024. This session will be held in-person at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design,  building, University of Toronto, room DA330 . Event schedule and location details below.

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

BEAT Talks qualify for OAA Structured Learning hours

About the Session

Join us as we hear from engineers at Blackwell: Brooke Guzar, Renée MacKay-Lyons, and Elishua Ben-Choreen. They will each share their experience navigating a career within engineering and the broader design consultant field. The speakers will expand on their unique trajectories in engineering roles and management positions; discussing the challenges they've faced, and the amazing projects and initiatives they've worked on along the way.

Location

Room DA330
John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto
1 Spadina Cres, Toronto, ON, M5S 2J5 

Event Schedule

6:30pm Doors open
7:00-8:00pm BEAT Talk
8:00-8:30 pm Networking reception

About Blackwell

Since 1987, Blackwell has been a leading provider of structural engineering services to a diverse range of clients, including architects, designers, developers, and building owners. Under the leadership of the CEO, Brooke Guzar, Blackwell's team brings passionate dedication to defining problems and finding solutions, seeing every project as an opportunity.

More about Blackwell  https://blackwell.ca/

About the Speakers

Brooke Guzar, CEO, P.Eng

Brooke Guzar is a structural engineer with 15+ years of practice in various engineering areas, from moveable bridges to heavy industrial hard rock underground mining applications, sculptures, and high-end custom residential work. She led the Halifax office of Blackwell Structural Engineers for 6 years, developing a close relationship with local architects and designers on projects across Canada. In 2023, Brooke was selected as Blackwell’s first CEO, and she now leads the firm with a passion for strategic planning, employee engagement, and effective project delivery.

Brooke splits her time between the Toronto and Halifax offices.

Renée MacKay-Lyons, Associate, P.Eng

Throughout her 15-year career, Renée has adeptly merged her love for architecture with her passion for physics and mathematics. Now based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, she excels as an integral member of design teams across Canada, assisting clients in transforming their visions into practical and efficient structural systems. Renée is deeply interested in all building types, from public buildings to large institutional projects to custom homes. Her expertise spans mass timber, light wood framing, reinforced concrete, structural steel, and fabric and cable systems. As an Associate at Blackwell, she’s been a key team member on complex projects such as The LEAF at Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg and the Trinity College Lawson Centre for Sustainability in Toronto.

Beyond her project work, Renée is an esteemed guest critic at various architecture schools and a sought-after speaker at conferences and public lectures. In 2023, she was a lecturer for the Timber Design course in the Department of Civil and Resource Engineering at Dalhousie University.

Elishua Ben-Choreen, P.Eng

Elishua was inspired to pursue engineering by her passion for creating positive built environments. Her 9 years of experience have allowed her to work on building projects from both the design consultant's and contractor's perspectives. After graduating from the University of Waterloo, she joined WSP in Ottawa to work on the structural design of Canada's largest heritage rehabilitation project—the restoration of Centre Block. One of the highlights of her time there was developing the in-situ masonry testing program and overseeing the investigative work on-site. In 2021, Elishua came to Blackwell as a Professional Engineer and shifted her focus to smaller-scale residential projects. Since then, she has worked on over 100 projects across the Greater Toronto Area. She continues to be energized by opportunities that bring her to site and allow her to problem-solve with the contractor and architect to meet design intent.

We are honored to have BEAT Executive, Safoura Zahedi, kick start our 2024 Talk series on Saturday, January 27, 2024 with a presentation and walk through of her installation, ‘Journey Through Geometry’. This session will be held in-person at Stackt Market where the installation is exhibited as part of the 2024 DesignTO Festival, following its feature as part of the Interior Design Show’s ‘Future Neighbourhood’ program. Event schedule and location details below.

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

BEAT Talks qualify for OAA Structured Learning hours

Safoura will share her journey navigating an interdisciplinary creative practice that sits at the intersection of art and architecture. Her talk will include an overview of her 365-day field-research project which took her to 17 countries and over 40 cities to study geometric patterns in art, craft and architecture across major historic Islamic dynasties, and a walk through of ‘Journey Through Geometry’ – an immersive installation that explores geometry as a spiritual design tool and invites people to contemplate, connect, and partake in a spatial meditation.

About Safoura Zahedi:

Born in Japan and raised in Iran and Toronto, Safoura Zahedi (OAA, M.Arch, BID) is an artist, architect, educator, and geometry expert. She brings a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach to the study of geometry and how it can be used as a spiritual design tool to create spatial experiences that encourage curiosity, meditation, and connection.

In 2022, Safoura traveled to 17 countries and over 40 cities to conduct field-based research on geometric patterns in art and architecture across major historic Islamic dynasties. She created “365 Days of Geometry,” a now popular Instagram project devoted to chronicling her encounters with objects and architecture and reflections on the relationships between geometric typologies, material choices, cultural histories, and spiritual philosophies.

Safoura holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Interior Design from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). She has practiced at prominent Toronto-based firms, such as Moriyama & Teshima, Lebel & Bouliane, and most recently Superkül, where she led institutional projects including renovations to Robarts Library and the CN Tower. She teaches regularly at TMU and is often invited to participate in design reviews and give lectures at various universities.

An active member of Toronto’s architecture and design community, Safoura spent a decade as Programs Coordinator for the DesignTO Festival and is an Executive Committee member at Building Equality in Architecture Toronto (BEAT) – leading art and design programming committed to advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Safoura’s independent work has been exhibited at the Design Exchange, the Gladstone House, and as part of the DesignTO Festival amongst others.

Location

STACKT Market, 'The Studio' Container #3-101 (next to the 'Solarium' Container #3-114)

28 Bathurst Street, Toronto ON

Please check in at the door.

Event schedule

10:45am Doors open

11am - 12:00pm BEAT Talk + exhibition walkthrough

Links:

https://www.safourazahedi.com/ 

https://designto.org/event/journey-through-geometry/

https://interiordesignshow.com/toronto/future-neighbourhood/

We are honored to have Eladia Smoke | KaaSheGaaBaaWeak, Principal Architect at Smoke Architecture Inc. conduct a BEAT Talk on Thursday November 16th, 2023. This session is in partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University and will be held in-person at Toronto Metropolitan University Department of Architectural Sciences. Event schedule and location details below.

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

BEAT Talks qualify for OAA Structured Learning hours

About Eladia Smoke | KaaSheGaaBaaWeak

Eladia Smoke | KaaSheGaaBaaWeak
MArch | OAA | OAQ | MAA | FRAIC | LEED®AP
Principal Architect, Smoke Architecture Inc.

KaaSheGaaBaaWeak | Eladia Smoke is Anishinaabekwe from Obishikokaang | Lac Seul First Nation, with family roots in Alderville First Nation, Winnipeg, and Toronto. Eladia has worked in architecture since 2002, and founded Smoke Architecture as principal architect in 2014. She is the first Anishinabekwe architect in Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, as well as the third Indigenous woman licensed as an architect in Canada. She taught as a Master Lecturer at Laurentian’s McEwen School of Architecture from 2016 to 2022. She serves as a founding member of RAIC’s Indigenous Task Force. Eladia represented Canada at the 2018 Venice Biennale Unceded exhibition as part of an international team of Indigenous designers and architects. Current professional work includes community-based and institutional projects working alongside Indigenous stakeholders, collaborating with First Nation communities, and listening closely to our Elders.

About Smoke Architecture

Smoke Architecture is Anishinaabeg owned and operated. Providing complete architectural services since 2014, we focus on First Nation and Indigenous projects. Our clients, guided by Elders and community leaders, hold millenia of expertise on how and what to build in our traditional territories. Smoke Architecture exists to support your success.

Their design process is guided by and responsible to our clients. The path we take rediscovers Indigenous knowledge in contemporary contexts. This process of land-based learning applies to each project we undertake, using engagement tools, design techniques, and building systems crafted specifically for each community and each place.

More about Smoke Architecture at https://www.smokearchitecture.com/

Location

Toronto Metropolitan University, Department of Architectural Sciences
ARC-203 - 325 Church Street, Toronto, ON

No tickets are required, entry will be on a first-come first-served basis.

Event schedule

5:30pm Doors open

6:00-7:30pm BEAT Talk 

We are honored to have Lauren Abrahams, senior urban designer at Public Work conduct a BEAT Talk on Wednesday, October 25, 2023. This session will be held in-person at Public Work office in Toronto. Event schedule and location details below.

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

BEAT Talks qualify for OAA Structured Learning hours

Join us as Lauren shares her thoughts on the dynamic, landscape-based process of making places to enhance our ever-evolving experience of public life in the city. She will trace her commitment to re-imaging the role of urban infrastructure systems, recognizing the importance of resourceful, creative and courageous thinking and acting. As a practitioner, researcher, parent, and maker, she reflects on the hybrid nature of our lives, and the need to design hybrid places and governance to support and sustain our cities.  She invites us to explore these rich frictions, unexpected synergies and regenerative potential as a meaningful foundation to transform the public realm.

About Lauren Abrahams:

Lauren Abrahams brings her experience in architecture and urbanism to her work at a range of scales with Public Work. Lauren has a strong international profile, enriched by over 18 years of practice and urban, ecological research in Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, and the United States including academic appointments at Harvard GSD and the University of Waterloo. Her combined experience gives her a research-based approach and a progressive outlook on the relationship of landscape, urbanism, and the design of the public realm.

With over 10 years experience as a senior project leader at PUBLIC WORK, Lauren coordinates some of the studio's most complex and challenging projects - leading multi-disciplinary design teams from concept through to construction documentation and project delivery. She was project leader on The Bentway and is currently collaborating on a vision for the future potential of a transformed public realm under the entire Gardiner corridor.

About Public Work

Public Work is an urban design and landscape architecture studio focused on one of the foremost public topics today—the intelligent evolution of the contemporary city. We aim to produce transformative works that invigorate the public realm, optimize and enhance the performance of urban and natural systems, and support public life by adding new layers of experience to the city. At the core of our practice is one question: How can every urban project— public or private—contribute to the quality of life and urban experience in the city?

More about Public Work https://publicwork.ca/

Location

Public Work

317 Adelaide St W #802, Toronto, ON M5V 1P9

Event schedule

6:30pm Doors open

7:00-8:00pm BEAT Talk 

8:00-8:30 pm Networking reception

We are honored to have Janna Levitt, co-founder of LGA Architectural Partners (formerly Levitt Goodman Architects) conduct a BEAT Talk on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. This session will be held in-person at LGA Architectural Partners office in Toronto. Event schedule and location details below.

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

BEAT Talks qualify for OAA Structured Learning hours

Join us as Janna Levitt shares her insights on her career path and the work done at LGA Architectural Partners. She will be speaking on the risks, challenges, and opportunities of working in a wide range of sectors. 

About Janna Levitt:

Janna Levitt (OAA, AAA, FRAIC) is a co-founder and partner of  LGA Architectural Partners (formerly Levitt Goodman Architects). She believes buildings can serve as a connector between culture and people. Her projects often involve implementing transformative cultural and environmental agendas, developed with a diverse group of collaborators. As a Partner, she has led projects throughout Ontario, including Laurentian University McEwen School of Architecture, the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, the heritage renovation Kitchener Central Library (LEED Gold Certified), and the near carbon-neutral Kiln Building Redevelopment at Evergreen Brick Works. Janna has also worked with many Indigenous communities working to realize their visions for projects such as the Centre for Native Child and Family Well Being, Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto Birth Centre, Thunder Bay Library Indigenous Knowledge Centre and is the local partner working with Alfred Waugh of Formline Architects on the Indigenous House at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus. Janna is a leading voice on sustainable city building, an active collaborator with U of T Daniels Tuf Lab, a member of the Waterfront Design Review Panel and a recipient of Sustainable Building Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

About LGA Architectural Partners

LGA Architectural Partners is a skilled team of architects and building scientists based out of Toronto who create sustainable, contextually-sensitive and socially-minded architecture. Since 1989, LGA has been designing spaces that reflect the highest ideals and aspirations of our clients while contributing to the healthy growth and vibrancy of the communities we serve. Their diverse portfolio encompasses post-secondary facilities, libraries, community and cultural hubs, and residential projects. LGA is known for its responsiveness to clients’ programmatic requirements and expertise in delivering unique, one-of-a-kind spaces.

More about LGA Architectural Partners https://lga-ap.com/

Location

LGA Architectural Partners

310 Spadina Ave. # 100B, Toronto, ON M5T 2E8

Event schedule

6:30pm Doors open

7:00-8:00pm BEAT Talk 

8:00-8:30 pm Networking reception

We are honored to have KPMB Architects host a BEAT Talk session on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.

Please note that this session will be held in a hybrid format. The in-person event is at the office of KPMB Architects and it will be simulcast online via Zoom. Event schedule and location details below.

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

BEAT Talks qualify for OAA Structured Learning hours

Join us as we hear from architects and designers at KPMB Architects: Andrea Macaroun, Roxane Bejjany, Samantha Hart, and Sahana Dharmaraj, as they share their stories, interests, and careers navigating the architecture and design world. Speakers have diverse experience levels and will be sharing their career trajectories, lessons learned, and recent work. The talk will highlight the importance of mentorship and professional support in each of their respective careers, and specifically within KPMB Architects.

About KPMB Architects

Established in 1987, KPMB is an internationally recognized architectural practice based in Canada. Their wide-ranging work has earned over 400 respected awards, including 18 Governor General’s Medals, Canada’s highest honour. The founding partners, Bruce Kuwabara, Marianne McKenna and Shirley Blumberg, have all received the Order of Canada for their personal achievements and for KPMB’s collective contributions to improving people’s lives through the built environment.

About The Speakers:

Andrea Macaroun, Senior Associate, OAA

Andrea Macaroun joined KPMB Architects in 2002, following her graduation from the University of Toronto where Bruce Kuwabara was her thesis advisor. Andrea brings an enthusiastic commitment to architectural practice and design excellence to the studio. Over the years, she worked on civic, academic, and cultural projects in Canada and the United States at the forefront of creating positive change – projects with purpose drive Andrea. She has developed expertise in detail and contract documents. Andrea has contributed to a wide variety of significant projects including Vaughan City Hall, TIFF Bell Lightbox, the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, and the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, and has worked on office interiors for high profile financial services companies. She was the Project Architect for the Sugino Studio and currently is working on Agnes Reimagined, the art centre at Queen’s University.

Roxane Bejjany, Associate, OAA

Inspired by the profound impact that the built environment has on people, community, and society, Roxane Bejjany was drawn to pursue architecture and received her master’s degree from the University of Toronto. She joined KPMB in 2019, bringing valuable experience in civic, academic, and residential project typologies in a range of scales that also include custom projects. Previously, she worked at Shim-Sutcliffe Architects and Izen Architecture. After joining KPMB, Roxane worked on a competition for a courthouse, where her discernment for details and material choices demonstrates her ability to create a tailored environment, for this project, one that represents truth and honesty. Her exceptional ability to centre a project’s ambitions and vision, manage the day-to-day details, and motivate her team members is evident in her current leadership role in Project Horizon for The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). For SickKids, she is driven by the firm’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of healthcare design to elevate the experience of care. At KPMB, Roxane sits on the student hiring committee and she also oversees and spearheads many of the firm’s community service programs.

Samantha Hart, OAA

An architect, Samantha began at KPMB as a student and has been involved in and assisting with schematic design, design development, construction documents and the contract administration on several award-winning projects. She has contributed to such major projects as the Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building and Louis A. Simpson International Building at Princeton University and Boston University’s Center for Computing & Data Sciences. For the latter, Samantha was involved in schematic design all the way through to construction documentation. She also supports the development and integration of BIM software best practises throughout the office. She recently worked on the new workplace strategy and design of the interiors for Scotiabank’s newest building, Scotiabank North, in Toronto’s Financial District. She is currently working on the pre-design for the Yale Dramatic Arts Building.

Sahana Dharmaraj, Intern Architect

Sahana joined KPMB in 2018 as a student and played an integral role in leading the communication and coordination of the winning design competition for the Centre for Mental Health and Addiction’s Research & Discovery Centre. Since joining full-time shortly thereafter, she has worked on a series of successful competitions and submissions. She was a key member of the proponent team for winning Hamilton’s Pier 8 competition and the successful Downsview Framework Plan. For this project she played a coordinating role in the robust engagement component, designed to reach as many communities as possible. In addition, Sahana is committed to advancing equity in the profession of architecture. She was an inaugural member of KPMB’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. During the pandemic in what spare time she had, she participated in the Sudbury 2050 Urban Design Ideas Competition and her team’s scheme was a finalist. Sahana is also a film and video producer, and a volunteer with the Toronto Society of Architects’ K-12 Taskforce.

Location

KPMB Architects,

351 King St E Suite 1200, Toronto, ON M5A 0L6

Please check in at the door.

Event schedule

6:30pm Doors open

7:00-8:00pm BEAT Talk*

8:00-8:30 pm Networking reception

*Please note for Zoom participants, the session will run from 7:00-8:00 pm onlyJoin us as Heather Dubbeldam shares lessons learned from her varied career and the challenges of managing a practice while balancing parenthood, research and advocacy work. Heather will discuss her multi-disciplinary practice, the opportunities this has provided, how her practice has evolved, and the impact her Prix de Rome research had on the trajectory of her firm’s work, interests, and values. She will highlight some of the practice’s recent work, including research on sustainable and livable missing middle and multi-unit housing.

We are honored to have Heather Dubbeldam, founder of Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, host our first BEAT Talk session for the year, on Tuesday, Mar 14, 2023. Please note that this session will be held in-person. Event schedule and location details below.

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

BEAT Talks qualify for OAA Structured Learning hours

Join us as Heather Dubbeldam shares lessons learned from her varied career and the challenges of managing a practice while balancing parenthood, research and advocacy work. Heather will discuss her multi-disciplinary practice, the opportunities this has provided, how her practice has evolved, and the impact her Prix de Rome research had on the trajectory of her firm’s work, interests, and values. She will highlight some of the practice’s recent work, including research on sustainable and livable missing middle and multi-unit housing.

Biography:

Heather Dubbeldam (OAA, FRAIC, LEED AP, WELL AP) is a fourth-generation architect and the principal of Dubbeldam Architecture + Design, an award-winning studio committed to creating thoughtful projects that embody sustainable approaches. Through her practice and ongoing research in both Canada and Scandinavia, Heather has become an advocate for more progressive design and planning that exemplifies best practices in social and environmental sustainability, climate-positive developments, and urban resilience. She is regularly invited to speak as a thought leader on the subject at schools of architecture, industry events and national conferences.

Heather is known for her advocacy and leadership in the profession, elevating others, especially the younger generation of designers. She is involved with many volunteer boards including as the Advisory Board Chair for BEAT, and the Director of Twenty + Change, a national organization dedicated to disseminating the innovative ideas of the next generation of Canadian architects. Heather regularly participates in panel discussions, on professional and award juries, and as a guest critic at schools of architecture across Canada. She is the editor and co-author of several architecture publications.

About Dubbeldam Architecture + Design

Dubbeldam Architecture + Design is a multidisciplinary design studio in Toronto with a reputation for creating innovative, beautifully-crafted, and environmentally responsible design solutions. Founded by Heather Dubbeldam, the studio is known for sustainable architecture, interiors and landscapes that enrich the human experience. The studio’s portfolio includes a diverse range of projects in many sectors including workspaces, hospitality, mixed-use, and residential, as well as landscape design and architectural installations. Recipient of over 80 awards, including the Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture, the studio’s projects have also been widely published.

More about Dubbeldam Architecture + Design here: https://dubbeldam.ca/

Location

Dubbeldam Architecture + Design

142 Westmount Ave 2nd Floor*, Toronto, ON M6H 3K4

*Stair access only to the second floor.

Please check in on the second floor upon arrival. Masks are optional.

Event schedule

6:30pm Doors open

7:00-8:00pm BEAT Talk 

8:00-8:30 pm Networking reception

We are honored to have Amanda Large and Younes Bounhar, founders of Doublespace Photography, host our last BEAT Talk session for the year, on Wednesday, Nov 30, 2022. Please note that this session will be held in a hybrid format. The in-person event is at the office of Diamond Schmitt Architects and it will be simulcast online via Zoom. Event schedule and location details below.

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

BEAT Talks qualify for OAA Structured Learning hours

Join us as we hear from Amanda and Younes about finding the art in architecture as photographers. Their goal is to create images that go beyond straight representation and focus on storytelling. They will also elaborate on their experience working as a team in a profession that is typically done solo, and evolving both practice and philosophy over the years.

Biographies

Amanda Large is a professional architectural photographer based in Toronto. As an architect by training, she is passionate about the impact of our surroundings on us; how they shape our moods, our experiences, and our worldview. As a photographer, her aim is to encourage people to reconsider their environment, find beauty in the everyday, and see spaces in a different light. Amanda and her partner Younes Bounhar established Doublespace Photography studio in 2012.

Younes Bounhar is a professional architectural photographer based in Toronto. After embarking on a sinuous path that took him from molecular biology to intellectual property to landscape photography, Younes and his partner Amanda Large established Doublespace Photography studio in 2012.

About Doublespace Photography

Doublespace photography = Amanda + Younes. We make bold and elegant architectural photography that tells the story of inspiring design. Our creative vision is the product of our combined experience and diametrically opposed backgrounds. A mutual love of capturing the built environment led us to launch doublespace photography in 2012, and we haven't looked back since! To us, this is more than a job or even a career; to put it simply, we eat, breathe, and sleep architectural photography. Our work has helped clients garner several national and international awards and is regularly featured in architecture and design magazines and books.

Location (In-person event)

Diamond Schmitt Architects

384 Adelaide Street West, Suite #300, Toronto, ON, M5V 1R7

Please sign up manually at the door upon arrival. We encourage everyone to wear a face covering. Please be advised covid protocols may change.

Event schedule

6:30pm Doors open

7:00-8:00pm BEAT Talk* 

8:00-9:00 pm Networking reception

*Please note for Zoom participants, the session will run from 7:00-8:00 pm only.

We are honored to have Sue Jean Chung, founding principal of Studio JCI, host our first Hybrid format BEAT Talk session: Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling – Tales of an Asian Female Architect on Site on Wednesday, Sept 28th, 2022.

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship. We believe that empowering women in the design community improves and enriches the practice of architecture, the quality of the built environment, and ultimately, the human experience.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

BEAT Talks qualify for OAA Structured Learning hours

Join us as we hear from Sue Jean Chung as she shares her story, experiences, and challenges she overcame as an Asian Female architect and founder. 

The session will focus on Sue Jean’s insights on how to develop leadership and garner respect from Construction Managers, City Officials, and Clients – skills that can be applied to any stage in one’s professional development or any phase of a project.

This session will be held in a hybrid format, tickets will be available for in-person (Mask-friendly environment) and online attendance (via Zoom). Event schedule and location details  below.

About Studio JCI

Studio JCI provides creative solutions to design challenges, adding value throughout the building process to create elevated architecture. Their work is a culmination of intensive study, from aesthetic concept and market feasibility to functional programming and building performance. 

Architects and studio founders, Jaegap and Sue Jean Chung provide thoughtful solutions to their clients’ needs. Their innovative, multidisciplinary practice allows for a process-oriented approach to design and project execution. They use location as a catalyst to explore regional identity and vernacular technique to create contextually sensitive work. Founded in 2007, Studio JCI has a portfolio of single family, multi-unit residential, public, commercial, and healthcare projects with additional, extensive feasibility study experience. As knowledgeable guides, the firm supports their clients through the regulatory and planning process and understands the market forces that affect their investment return.
The firm is committed to finding solutions to address our cities’ most significant design challenges while finding opportunities in undervalued spaces. Studio JCI carries the firm belief that successful city building includes both contextually sensitive architectural design at a macro scale and micro level execution to ensure the quality of spaces contained also promote well being and functionality.  

Sue Jean

Sue Jean Chung is a founding principal of Studio JCI. She is a respected and effective leader who deftly guides new construction and complex renovations at all scales and phases. From Design Feasibility through Construction and Close-Out, Sue Jean works collaboratively with clients and stakeholders to ensure project goals are successfully delivered to communities.

Her rigor and commitment have led to the completion and progress of some of Studio JCI’s largest and complex projects. Additionally, she has contributed to over 2000 residential units in the GTHA and Greater Golden Horseshoe region. 

Sue Jean received her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Toronto. In Spring 2022, she was inducted into the 2022 WLI Championship Team, an awards initiative originated in 2014 by the Women’s Leadership Institute of Urban Land Institute, annually honoring women’s contribution, leadership, and skills in real estate development, land-use, and city-building.

Location: 20 De Boers Drive, Toronto, ON M3J 0G7

We are conveniently located 1 block north-west of Sheppard West subway station. There is ample paid parking available on site.

Our office is located in the Domo Center.  The BEAT talk will be hosted in suite 305.  Please join us afterwards in our studio (suite 525) for light refreshments at our rooftop garden, a tour of our studio, and good conversations.

Event schedule

6:30pm Doors open

7:00-8:00pm BEAT Talk *

8:00-8:30pm Networking opportunity

*Please note for Zoom participants, the session will only last from 7:00-8:00pm

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship. We believe that empowering women in the design community improves and enriches the practice of architecture, the quality of the built environment, and ultimately, the human experience.

BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with local Architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities.

We were honoured to have Brenda Izen host a BEAT Talk at her office on Wednesday, May 18th, 2022. Watch below:

In this talk, Brenda Izen, founding principal of Izen Architecture, discussed how she’s leveraged an innate ability to build relationships - and hired an all-female team skilled in doing the same - as a key differentiator for her firm. The most critical part of what Izen offers is intangible - and is a result of the genuine, deep connection fostered with their clients and their homes. The session focused on Izen’s belief that their unique approach to architecture and design enables them to arrive at boundary-pushing, thought-provoking design solutions

About IZEN

Izen Architecture is a Toronto-based architecture and design studio that was born from a desire to more seamlessly integrate each stage of the architectural process with the whole. The firm specializes in the design of single-family homes, with a portfolio of projects distinctive for their finely-honed detailing. The all-female firm was founded by Brenda Izen in 2015 and now comprises nine incredible women who work in a collaborative environment to enhance the quality of people’s lives through good design.

Izen’s ethos is that the quality of their architecture is evaluated by how it affects the lives of its inhabitants. They strive to create sanctuaries that promote wellness in mind and body, achieved through our unique floor plans and their coalescence with both natural and artificial light, fresh air and air quality, the surrounding environment, proportion, colour and texture. They develop unique, personal relationships with their clients and incorporate them as collaborators throughout the process. Izen believes that establishing an open relationship with clients is one of the best ways to set a project up for success. 

Brenda Izen

Brenda Izen is the founding principal of Izen Architecture, an all-female firm based in Toronto, specializing in modern residential design that is bold, boundary pushing and highly individual. Brenda oversees all phases of design from concept to completion, always developing a warm, personal relationship with clients – key to creating a home that truly reflects them. Her considerable experience with building construction and fabrication offers a unique approach – she combines conceptual ambition with the realities of construction in order to instill each project with design innovation, a focus on detail, and material creativity.

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship. We believe that empowering women in the design community improves and enriches the practice of architecture, the quality of the built environment, and ultimately, the human experience.

BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with local Architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities.

We are honored to have Lemay host the BEAT Talk session on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022.

Join us as we hear from Lemay Associates, Senior Project Director Gail Shillingford, Principal Design Director Patricia Lussier, and Regional Director and Associate Grace Coulter Sherlock as they discuss what it takes to navigate the architecture and design world in a position of leadership, as women. Each speaker will be sharing their respective personal career trajectories and experiences navigating motherhood while balancing leadership roles across Lemay’s pan-Canadian studios. Gail, Patricia and Grace will discuss their impact, challenges and opportunities as leaders in their respective studios and how they are making room for the next generation of women in architecture and design

About Lemay

Lemay has been imagining new ways to create spaces that engage users and bring people together since 1957. Over 450 architects, designers, industry leaders and change-makers work tirelessly to cultivate innovation in their own backyards and in communities around the world. Inspired and strengthened by transdisciplinary creativity, the firm has also developed its very own Net PositiveTM approach to guide teams towards sustainable solutions that shape a better future. With the human experience at its heart, Lemay strives to design with empathy and create spaces to grow. 

Gail Shillingford 

With over 20 years of experience, Gail Shillingford has a strong background in urban design and landscape architecture, a combination that has allowed her to create successfully integrated and balanced built form and open space environments. As an Associate, Senior Project Director, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture at Lemay, her focus on all projects is entrenched in building community and creating attractive high-quality public realm spaces that foster socialization, inclusivity, cultural diversity, and healthy living. In each of her designs, the role of the public realm is heightened beyond creating notable destinations, to also revitalizing communities, incorporating sustainability and resiliency, and positioning open spaces as catalysts for social and economic vitality and viability. In addition to her experience, Gail leads Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion conversations and pursues Indigenous education and knowledge building to respond to and enable Truth and Reconciliation. 

Grace Coulter Sherlock 

As Lemay’s Regional Director for Western Canada and an Architect with Lemay, Grace oversees all stages of the design process, providing the team with guidance, creative direction and support.  An exceptional design strategist and communicator, she is often called upon to lead and inform the development of challenging typologies. Her diplomatic approach and relentless creative drive inspire the creation of sustainable, human-focused places.  Grace has designed a wide range of award-winning architecture and interior design projects across Canada, with her work centered on the research and dialog surrounding inclusive design models. Grace teaches at the University of Calgary, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape and is part of the leadership team on a joint research project between FLDWRK +SAPL exploring Climate Havens and Climate Resiliencies in Canadian cities. She is a registered Architect in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba with work ongoing across the country.  

Patricia Lussier 

Lemay associate and principal design director Patricia Lussier has over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and design leader. She brings a unique sensitivity that highlights qualities within the space she creates. Commemoration and interpretation are at the heart of her approach, integrating both social and environmental engagement. Her wide-ranging experience in multidisciplinary projects and competitions of all scales enriches her overall vision at every project stage. She has always worked to refine her expertise in expressive signature development, both in terms of design narrative and specific compositional elements such as furniture, paving patterns and the use of materials and plants with a sense of identity. Often a pioneer in her practice, Patricia Lussier has always had an interest in integrating sustainability in a simple, efficient and creative way. She is the winner of national and international awards, for such high-profile projects as Espace 67, Place des Montréalaises, Belvedere du Chemin-qui-Marche, Gatsby Condos and the Hypernature 066 contest in Montreal. 

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

Tickets are now available here:

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship. We believe that empowering women in the design community improves and enriches the practice of architecture, the quality of the built environment, and ultimately, the human experience.

BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with local Architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities.

We are honored to have COMN Architects host the BEAT Talk session on Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022.

About COMN

COMN Architects is a Toronto-based architecture practice founded in 2019.  Our studio combines the innovative with the pragmatic, creating well crafted, timeless, and considered spaces. Much of our work and research is focused on medium density residential building typologies that provide an alternative to high-rise apartments.  This includes contextually sensitive low-to-mid-rise multi-family buildings on underutilized infill sites.  

This talk will focus on Semi Semi, a 2020 OAA Design Excellence Award and Michael V. and Wanda Plachta Award recipient. We will explore Semi Semi in detail, from site-acquisition to completion, including a virtual tour of the space.

Clarissa Nam, OAA

Partner

Clarissa Nam is a founding partner of COMN Architects. Clarissa is focused on creating architecture that conveys simplicity, clarity, and balance, stemming from experimental design and a rigorous analytical process. Prior to founding COMN, Clarissa gained valuable experience leading residential and commercial projects, at both small and large firms in Toronto. Clarissa obtained her Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Urban Planning and Design from University of Waterloo, and Master of Architecture degree from University of Toronto. She is a licensed architect in Ontario.

Peter McNeil, OAA, MRAIC

Partner

Peter McNeil is a founding partner of COMN Architects.   Peter’s work is driven by context and emotion, approaching architecture as a series of curated and spatially rich experiences.  Prior to founding COMN, Peter worked for architect and developer, George Popper, designing and developing residential and mixed-use projects in Toronto. Peter earned his Bachelor of Architectural Science degree from Ryerson University, and Master of Architecture degree from Lawrence Technological University.  He is a licensed architect in Ontario, and a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

Tickets are now available here:

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship. We believe that empowering women in the design community improves and enriches the practice of architecture, the quality of the built environment, and ultimately, the human experience.

BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with local Architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities.

We are honored to have SvN Architects+Planners host the BEAT Talk session on Wednesday, January 19th, 2022.

Join us to hear from Principals Shonda Wang and Liana Bresler, along with Senior Associates Andrea Gaus, Danielle Whitley and Lina Al-Dajani, present recent SvN projects to share the firm's values and how these values impact the various projects and the communities they impact. Being an interdisciplinary design practice is the ability to integrate several different elements successfully. This session will focus on the theme of "integration" through four distinct aspects that relate to programmatic use, collaborators, stakeholders and the office culture of SvN itself. The panel will discuss what they mean by "integration." In each case study, the discrete aspects of their respective success allow them to represent the communities and clients they serve.

About SvN

SvN transforms big ideas into better communities.

SvN transforms big ideas into better mobility.

SvN transforms big ideas into better cities.

SvN is one of the only integrated design firms with urban designers, planners, architects, and landscape architects under one roof. As a multi-disciplinary office, our unique strength is our ability to offer clients a full-service team that can anticipate all the challenges that come with complex projects and develop robust, context-specific, flexible and resilient solutions. We tackle complex city-building projects where there are no ready-made solutions. Over the past 40 years, our firm has shaped the built environment in regions, cities, and towns worldwide. We have revitalized industrial waterfronts, developed new forms of affordable housing, designed resilient neighborhoods, stimulated improvements to the quality of the public realm, and promoted the economic development of both rural and urban regions.

Liana Bresler, OAA, MAA 

Principal

Liana Bresler is a Principal at SvN with over 15 years of experience designing housing, libraries, and notable insti­tutional projects. She is an effective leader who guides new construction and complex renovations at all scales. Liana is currently co-leading the integrated transit-oriented development team on the Ontario Line as the technical advisor to Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario and the Principal-in-charge for the Bob Rumball Centre Group Home for Deaf Youth, among other projects. Re­cent projects include the Lawrence Orton Community Centre and Childcare Facility. Before joining SvN, Liana was an associate with LGA Architectural Partners in Toronto and worked for several award-winning firms in New York and Barcelona. She received the Best Concept Award at the 2011 Ontario Association of Architects Awards.

Shonda Wang, MCIP, RPP 

Principal

Shonda is a Principal at SvN with nearly two decades of experience in large-scale urban regeneration projects concentrated on mobility, planning, and design. She has led numerous pivotal and award-winning mobility-related projects linking the public realm, built form and transportation infrastructure. Shonda was the Planning and Urban Design Lead for RioCan REIT’s Master Plan and Zoning By-Law Amendment for the Shoppers World Brampton, a 53-acre site at the terminus of the Hurontario Light Rail Transit Corridor. She is currently the Lead Technical Advisor to Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario for Transit-Oriented Communities along the Ontario Line. Shonda is now supporting Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario in engagement with the City of Toronto to determine approaches to transit-oriented communities that balance delivery of technical, market and community requirements.

Lina Al-Dajani, MCIP, RPP, CSLA, OALA

Senior Associate

Lina Al-Dajani is a Senior Associate at SvN. A licensed landscape architect and registered urban planner, her areas of expertise include master planning, community engagement, urban design guidelines, policy review, and large-scale infill developments. Among her many responsibilities at SvN, Lina was the Project Lead on the Trent Lands and Nature Areas Plan and is the Project Manager and planner for the 53-acre Shoppers World Brampton Redevelopment. Lina is currently the Chair of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Task Force. She also leads the SvN JEDI Research Group.

Danielle Whitley, OAA, LEED AP 

Senior Associate

Danielle Whitley is a licensed architect who works on project types ranging from single-family residential to complex large-scale institutional and commercial projects. Before joining SvN, she worked at Holt Renfrew, leading the interior renovation of vendor projects in Vancouver and Montreal. She has also worked for A+I in New York and KPMB Architects in Toronto. Danielle is actively involved in the academic community and is currently a sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

Andrea Gaus, OAA, MRAIC, LEED AP 

Senior Associate 

Andrea Gaus is an architect who specializes in the planning, design, and construction of institutional and commercial projects across Ontario. She has worked with such clients as the University of Toronto, the University of Calgary, SmartREIT and the YMCA. This cumulative experience with diverse project types has led to her current specialization in large-scale, mixed-use buildings and mid- to high-rise residential developments. Andrea has worked closely with devel­opers and Metrolinx to address the need for additional investment and intensification on Transit-Oriented Developments (TOD). These sites require planning for infrastructure that supports the convergence of multiple modes of trans­portation.

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

Tickets are now available here:

BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship. We believe that empowering women in the design community improves and enriches the practice of architecture, the quality of the built environment, and ultimately, the human experience.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

We are honored to have Heather Rolleston host the BEAT Talk session on Wednesday, October 27th, 2021.

Join us for BEAT Talks this October with BDP Quadrangle Principal and Design Director Heather Rolleston to hear about the highs and lows of her now almost 30-year career. In addition to sharing insights on how she got to where she is today, Heather will reflect on some standout moments from her career, such as her “creepiest” and “coziest” projects, ephemeral installations, and contributing to the skyline and public realm.

The conversation will also examine Heather’s women-led project Reina Condos and some of the broader questions that project has raised so far. As women, do we design differently? How does the process differ when working with an all-female team? What role does gender play in design (and designing buildings) if any? Are we indeed changing the conversation?

About Heather Rolleston

Principal, Design Director, B.Arch.

Heather has 20 years of experience designing, leading and managing award-winning projects in the residential, mixed-use, master plan and commercial sectors.

A principal of the firm, Heather is responsible for design reviews and elevating the design practices of BDP Quadrangle across all sectors. She is currently leading the design and construction of landmark high-rises including Theatre District Residences and RIU Hotel, as well as innovative mid-rises such as Reina and RUSH. Heather’s extended portfolio prior to joining BDP Quadrangle includes The Evergreen Brick Works Master Plan, Form Condos at Queen + McCaul and the George Brown College Student Residence in the Canary District.

She continues to be active in the architecture and design community as a sitting member of the City of Toronto’s and the City of Ottawa’s Design Review Panel, and also as a guest critic at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, as well as that of her alma mater, the University of Toronto Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design.

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

Tickets are now available here:

BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with local architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city in person and/or virtually. Hosts will share their learned experience.

We are honored to have FORREC host a virtual BEAT Talk session on Wednesday, September 29th, 2021.

Join us to hear from a panel of creatives from FORREC, an experience design company, including Leah Jaikaran, Director of People, Cindi Rowan, Studio Director – Landscape Architecture, Peter Marshall, Creative Director, Court Sin, Studio Director – Architecture, and Amir Maddah, Interior Designer. Learn about how FORREC is not only creating transformational places for its clients but how it is highlighting equity, diversity and inclusion to create a transformational workplace at FORREC.

About FORREC

FORREC is an experience design company that creates transformational places. Our creative house leads in the design of theme parks, water parks, mixed use + entertainment developments, resorts and visitor attractions globally plus, award-winning landscape architecture right here at home. Based in Toronto, FORREC has built projects in 20 countries, with a history that spans 30 years.

Cindi Rowan

Prior to joining FORREC, Cindi worked for several reputable firms as well as operated her own award-winning design practice in New Mexico and Colorado, creating vibrant places that transformed urban environments. Cindi has over 20 years’ experience in sustainable design, leading sustainability initiatives for local and global corporations to protect and restore nature. Her work explores the interaction of built form, public space, streetscapes and natural systems, creating a framework for meaningful human experience. Cindi excels in the unique design of significant public spaces and her passion is in the use of design and materials to tell the story of a place: establishing a built narrative that explores its history, stylistic identity, and future form.

Leah Jaikaran

Leah completed her Master of Science in Managerial Psychology from the University of Manchester with her dissertation focus on Diversity in the Canadian Workforce and received her Post Graduate Certificate in HR Management from Seneca College after a BSc from the University of Toronto.

Over the years Leah has successfully provided HR leadership to several businesses within the Entertainment, VFX/VR and Interior Design industry. To date, Leah’s experience and genuine curiosity have led her to become specialized in building an HR strategy that aligns with company goals and translates to a strong people experience and employer brand.

Peter Marshall

As an award-winning design director, Peter applies his creative eye to the world’s most exciting and compelling theme parks and attractions. At FORREC, Peter leads a dynamic inter-disciplinary team of designers, illustrators and modellers to envision and deliver next generation entertainment eco-systems.

An architect by training, Peter studied Architecture and Environmental Design at the University of Waterloo. Peter previously directed a studio of 20 designers specializing in architectural visualizations and interactive installations, and brought virtual worlds to life through art direction at the Rockstar Games videogame design studio.

Amir Maddah

Amir graduated as an Architect in 2004 in Iran. At the beginning of his career, Amir focused on modelling, 3d renderings and architectural and interior animations using Sketchup and 3D MAX.

In 2012 Amir moved to Canada and worked at several firms including Neff kitchen and Burdifillek as an intermediate designer focusing on high end retails and condominiums. In 2015 Amir switched his focused and went to film school where he studied Cinematographer/ photographer for one year. In 2016 Amir transitioned back into interior design while working at Esqape design focusing on condominiums. In April 2018 Amir joined FORREC LTD as an Interior designer where he is currently working on theme parks and water parks.

Court Sin

As Studio Director, Court continues to provide his expertise to FORREC’s architecture studio. As a highly collaborative project leader, he works closely with management to develop best practices for his Studio to produce extraordinary projects from any brief. Court has extensive knowledge in his field. His specialization in Third Place Theory, the space between home and workplace, led him to publish his first book in 2008. Entitled The One Third You Are Missing – Designing Third Places to Revitalize Downtowns, it focuses on the significance of designing authentic social places and is supplemented by thoughts from Ray Oldenburg and Will Alsop.

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

Tickets are now available here:

BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with local architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

We are honoured to have Ja Architecture Studio host the BEAT Talk session on Wednesday, May 19th, 2021.

About Ja Architecture Studio:

Ja Architecture Studio is a Toronto-based practice that combines the rootedness of a local architecture firm with the broad interests of an international design studio. From small residential projects that confront domestic sentiments and detail-level building constraints to ambitious international competitions that must draw upon the collective repertoire of the discipline, the trajectory of the practice is based on a method of simultaneously working at the opposing ends of the professional spectrum. Taken as a whole, the studio’s work invests in larger questions of the discipline, namely how iconographic, geometric, formal, and tectonic pursuits relate to broader contexts such as politics, construction, landscape, and urbanism.

Founded by a registered architect and a landscape designer, and supported by a passionate team of skilled architects, designers, and students, the studio has achieved a repertoire of built works, research projects, and award-winning competition entries. The latter includes fourth prize in the International Competition for the Bauhaus Museum in Dessau (2015); honorable mentions for their entries to both the Guggenheim Helsinki Competition (2015) and the International Competition for the Kaunas Concert Center (2017); and two Canadian Architects Awards (2015 & 2018). Ja’s work has been published widely and exhibited both nationally and internationally.

The two founding principles, Nima Javidi and Behnaz Assadi, continually strive to combine their professional work with their academic interests. As a Lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, Behnaz’s focus on Landscape Urbanism has informed her teaching while Nima’s recent investigation into typological collage has become a primary interest in coordinating design studios at The Cooper Union’s Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture in New York City.

With conversations that range from the role of public art or international exhibitions with curators, to the wood joinery of a three legged chair with a local furniture maker, or the virtues of renaturalization urban plots with neighbours, the studio aims to investigate the core of architecture through operating at numerous points around its periphery, connecting the themes and interests within the studio with those of the world at large. This approach was not chosen for its assurance of success but as a means for investigating the merit and relevance of Ja’s ideas across as wide a variety of scales and contexts as possible.

“A line through scales

As we are all learning more about the problems and opportunities of virtual architecture conversations over Zoom, JA Architecture studio will try to host BEAT Toronto in the space somewhere between their office and the models, sometimes in the office and sometimes in their models. Join us!”

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

Tickets are now available here:

Photo Credit: Top Right to Bottom Right - Anton Kisselgoff, Vismo, Scott Norsworthy

BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with local Architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities.

BEAT Talks are a series of discussions held at the offices of Architects across the city. Hosts will share their learned experience.

We are honoured to have Amy Lin host the BEAT Talk session on Wednesday, March 31st, 2021.

About Amy Lin:

Amy Lin is a principal and co-founder of Suulin Architects. Amy received her Bachelor of Science in Architecture from M.I.T. and her Master of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Following her studies, she spent 10 years in NYC, primarily as a design associate at Polshek Partnership Architects (now Ennead Architects). There she had the privilege to see through projects such as the Clinton Presidential Center and the NY Standard Hotel. She met her Torontonian husband and partner, James Chavel, while he was working in NYC at Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects.

In 2008, they moved to Toronto where they worked for Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe as project architects for the new home of the Sisters of St. Joseph. After the completion of this project, Suulin Architects was incorporated in 2016. The practice began with modest projects of varying types and sizes which now include retail projects such as The Detox Market and larger projects such as multi-residential mixed use developments. In 2018, Suulin Architects was awarded Best Emerging Practice by the OAA.

Amy is a member of the OAA and AIA, licensed in both Canada and the US. She is also LEED certified, a certified Passive House Designer (PHI) as well as a Certified Passive House Consultant (PHIUS).

Connecting the Natural:

Moku (Japanese), or mu (Chinese), is the character for tree. In Chinese, two trees make a wood, and three trees make a forest. Suulin means forest. For us, this elemental character is not only found in our names, but also provides a starting point for our work - representing simply our commitment to building architecture that is connected to nature. The layering reflected in the architecture and habitat of a forest is also what we strive to achieve in our work. To weave an understanding of scale and detail with an underlying presence of the natural in order to create a timeless sense of place. We believe that enhancing and connecting our spaces to nature attunes people to their environments and deepens their self-awareness and connection to place.

Over the past six years we have worked towards integrating nature within our work which consists of the design of buildings inside and out, and a varied landscape that permeates through. We hope to create for our inhabitants an experience of space that is both beautiful and natural. My BEAT talk will explore a few of these projects as examples of the different ways we try to bring nature within the realm of architecture.

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

Tickets are now available here:

BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities. BEAT Talks are a series discussions held at the offices of varying architects across the city. Hosts share their learned experience.

We were honoured to have Ila Berman host the BEAT Talk session on Thursday, December 3rd, 2020.

BEYOND EQUALITY: Regendering Architecture and Architectural Education

The talk will focus on the history of women’s activism while critiquing the patriarchal ideological norms that led to the historical exclusion of women from educational institutions in general, and architecture in particular, and the systemic gender biases that are still pervasive in our culture. Beyond Equality will also call into question the assimilationist model that operates at the base of all efforts toward equity to more radically and creatively rethink what women want architecture and architectural education to become moving forward.

About Ila Berman

Ila Berman, Dean of the School of Architecture, and Edward E. Elson Professor at the University of Virginia, and Principal of Scaleshift design, is an architect, theorist, and curator of architecture and urbanism whose research investigates the relationship between culture and the evolution of contemporary material, technological and spatial practices. She is a featured alumna of Harvard University’s Grounded Visionaries series and the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships including the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Design, a Special Achievement Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from Tulane University, where she was a Favrot Professor, founding director of the URBANbuild program, and the Associate Dean of the School of Architecture until 2007. At UVA, Berman is the founder of the Next Cities Institute, an interdisciplinary research center focused on the design of global urban futures, and the editor of the Next Cities book series. Berman’s work and publications include Expanded Field: Architectural Installation Beyond Art; FLUX: Architecture in a Parametric Landscape; URBANbuild local_global; and New Constellations New Ecologies, among others. She is also the creator of New Orleans: Urban Operations for a Future City an exhibition at the 2006 International Architectural Biennale in Venice, Italy, and co-designer of WBA3: Architecture in the Expanded Field at the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in San Francisco and Urban Syncopation an installation exhibited at Nuit Blanche at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto most recently exhibited in the Data and Matter exhibition at the 2018 Venice Biennale.

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

This Talk is now available online!

BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities. BEAT Talks are a series discussions held at the offices of varying architects across the city. Hosts share their learned experience.

We are honoured to have Annabel Vaughan host the upcoming BEAT Talk session on Thursday, June 25, 2020.

BEAT Talk with Annabel Vaughan

Annabel Vaughan is a registered architect with the Ontario Association of Architects, a member of the RAIC and a project manager at ERA Architects. She received her Masters of Architecture from The School of Architecture at the University of British Columbia, where her thesis examined the use of heritage buildings as mnemonic devices for the collective memory of cities and their public lives. 

She joined ERA Architects in 2015 after two decades in Vancouver, including 10 years at Birmingham & Wood where she was involved in all aspects of design and construction, including the award-winning Mountain View Cemetery. A project that revitalized an important cultural heritage landscape in the middle of the city. Her professional work includes heritage conservation, small-scale landscape architecture insertions, civic and residential building design, urban design and research, performance art lectures, and curatorial projects. 

She writes, teaches and participates regularly in discussions concerning the role that architecture and public art can play as agents of political change in the city.

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

This Talk is now available online!

BEAT Talk with DIALOG

Shared life stories can empower, inspire and help us navigate our personal and professional lives. In the spirit of this, DIALOG is excited to host an evening where five diverse panelists come together to share their stories within the design practice. Coming from different walks of life and standing at different points in their careers, the panel is sure to spark a lively exchange of ideas, perspectives and outlooks on the work we do, the lives we live, and the world we share. The panel discussion will be followed by a Q/A session and opportunity to meet the panelists.

About DIALOG

We’re passionate about design. We believe it can, and should, meaningfully improve the wellbeing of our communities and the environment we all share. We’ve come together because we see the important challenges facing communities becoming increasingly complex and therefore best engaged through the collaboration of diverse perspectives and expertise. DIALOG has been consciously created as a multi-disciplinary collaborative to tackle these challenges.

Our multi-disciplinary team includes architects, urban planners, interior designers, structural, mechanical and electrical engineers, and landscape architects. We practice across Canada and the U.S. from studios in San Francisco, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Toronto.

Panel Speakers:

Donna Clare BSC, BARCH, ARCHITECT, AAA, OAA, FRAIC, RCA

Architect, Principal

Juan Carlos Portuese MARCH, BARCH

Associate

Gail Shillingford BLARCH, Intern OALA, CSLA

Urban Designer, Associate, DIALOG

Tracy Lee BES, MARCH, OAA, LEED® AP

Architect, Associate

Nicole Moyo MARCH, BARCH

Urban Designer

Panel Moderators:

Chen Cohen BARCHSC, DIPID, IDC, NCIDQ, ARIDO

Interior Design, Principal

Fiza Tariq BARCH, LEED® Green Associate

Architectural Designer

Limited tickets to the event will be available November 8th at noon. All attendees are required to be 19 years of age or older.

Doors will open at 6pm with the discussion starting at 7pm followed by Q&A and Meet the Panelists session until 9pm.

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities. BEAT Talks are a series discussions held at the offices of varying architects across the city. Hosts share their learned experience.

We are honoured to have Elisa Silva host the upcoming BEAT Talk session on Wednesday, October 23, 2019.

Elisa Silva

Director and founder of Enlace Arquitectura and Enlace Foundation

Elisa Silva is director and founder of Enlace Arquitectura 2007 and Enlace Foundation 2017, established in Caracas, Venezuela. Projects focus on raising awareness of spatial inequality and the urban environment through public space, the integration of informal settlements and community engagement in rural landscapes. Public space interventions in informal settlements through didactic and participatory methodologies are central to the firm´s practice and were awarded in the XX Architecture and Urbanism Biennial in Valparaiso, Chile 2017. Other recognitions include winners of the VIII Ibero-American Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism for the Sabana Grande Pavement Project in Caracas, Venezuela 2012, the XI National Architecture Bienal Award for Ecoparque Maracay 2014, the Walk 21 Award for Puerto Encantado Higuerote Venezuela 2015, the X Salon Malausena Publication and Urban Design Awards 2016, and winners of several design competitions.

In 2017, Elisa received a Graham Foundation Grant for the publication Pure Space: Expanding the Public Sphere through Public Space Transformations in Latin American Informal Settlements (Actar, 2019). She has co-authored Pro-Inclusion: Practical tools for the integral development of Latin American cities (CAF Development Bank of Latin America, 2016) presented at Habitat III in Quito; and CABA Cartography of the Caracas Barrios 1966-2014 (Fundación Espacio 2015), widely recognized as a seminal contribution to the city ìs urban history records. Elisa was awarded the Wheelwright Fellowship in 2011 and the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome in 2005. She was Design Critic in Landscape Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in 2018 and has taught workshops at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú in Lima, Peru. She has taught at the Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, Venezuela since 2011 and is a consultant to CAF and UN Habitat. This fall, she is a design critic at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture in Toronto.

Thank you to Hariri Pontarini Architects, and partners Siamak Hariri and David Pontarini, for generously hosting this talk in their new space.

https://hariripontarini.com/

Limited tickets to the event are now available. All attendees are required to be 19 years of age or older.

Doors will open at 6:15 with the discussion starting at 7pm followed by Q&A / networking session until 8:30pm.

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with local Architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities. BEAT Talks are a series discussions held at the offices of varying Architects across the city. Host will share their learned experience.

We are honoured to have Bonny McLoud of Gensler host the upcoming BEAT Talk session on Tuesday, June 18, 2019.

Bonny McLoud

Managing Director/ Principal, Gensler

A Co-Managing Director of Gensler Toronto, Bonny brings nearly three decades of experience in commercial design and a passion for integrating interior and base building architecture. Having worked on projects ranging from corporate headquarters to trading floors, Bonny has a deep understanding of and Corporate Headquarters and is a veteran leader within the firm’s Financial Services Firms practice. A registered architect in Ontario and as well in the U.S. and a registered interior designer in Texas, she excels in successfully leading the workplace strategy and design of large, complex projects. Bonny has served a number of senior leadership roles, including directing the firm’s Project Management Steering Committee for 15 years and shaping policy on Gensler’s Management Committee. Committed to supporting her community, Bonny served on the Board of Directors of AIA Houston, CREW Houston, and the Corporate Guild for Dress for Success; and now is an active member of Toronto CREW and ULI.

Magic Moment: Beyond graduate school, MANY moments – gleaned from amazing client / consultant leaders, have helped hone my business acumen. While motherhood strengthened my patience and empathy, travel inspired awareness and creativity, it was curiosity about the success of business and cities, which drove me to be a continuous student. As innovators, we have the rare opportunity to voyeur into global companies / developments / cities, understand drivers and create effective solutions. I cannot think of a more rewarding career.

Key Influence: Wayne Peacock / President, USAA P&C: As a young RE leader, Wayne taught me that EVERY encounter is an opportunity. Be prepared, treat everyone as a client, and remember success for one is success for all.

Robin Klehr-Avia / Gensler, Mng. Principal: Face each day, every issue with a “can do” attitude. Challenges are there to be resolved.

Next Big Challenge As An Industry: Global climate change and carbon footprint are having an enormous impact not only on Canadian cities, but on the precious resources across these vast lands. We need to look very long, far past political ebb and flow, to guide the course now for future generations. ULI / WLI can help create the forum and the connection for this vital effort.

On Championing Others: Lead by example – sponsor, encourage, mentor and motivate – through the creation of classes/programs in practice, management and leadership, and by involvement in local chapters of global programs such as “Lean In”, I have made an attempt to pay forward, in honor of the wonderful mentors who always had an open door for me.

Secret Talent: I can tie a great bow! For black tie events bearing gifts, I have it all “wrapped up”.

One word that captures you: Tenacious

Gensler is a global architecture, design, and planning firm with 48 locations and more than 6,000 professionals networked across Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Founded in 1965, the firm serves more than 3,500 active clients in virtually every industry. Gensler designers strive to make the places people live, work, and play more inspiring, more resilient, and more impactful.

Limited tickets to the event will be available on Friday, June 7th at noon. All attendees are required to be 19 years of age or older.

Doors will open at 6:15 with the discussion starting at 7pm followed by Q&A / networking session until 8:30pm.

BEAT Talks qualifies for OAA Learning Hours.

Perkins+Will’s Gender Equity Taskforce Toronto (GETT) presents an evening of discussion with five established and emerging leaders from Perkins+Will’s Canadian practice. Representing a breadth of disciplines and experience levels, our speakers will discuss career trajectories within the practice and the profession; opportunities for leadership that exist at every stage of a career; and their own experiences as women leading change in an evolving discipline.

Speakers include:
Susan Gushe, FRAIC, AIBC, AIA, LEED AP | Managing Director (Vancouver)
Aimee Drmic, OAA, LEED AP BD+C | Associate and Senior Architect
Gayle Meeks, LEED AP BD+C | Associate and Senior Contract Administrator
Clara Romero, LEED AP ND | Associate and Senior Urban Designer
Eunice Wong| Urban Designer

Established in January 2018, GETT is an initiative of Perkins+Will’s Toronto studio to promote gender equity and diversity in architecture and design, both within the practice and more broadly within the larger design community. Established by female leaders within the office, and comprised of ten employees on a rotating basis, the Taskforce represents the studio’s full range of disciplines and seniorities, from student interns to Principals. GETT is delighted to be hosting a BEAT discussion as their first public event!

Helena Grdadolnik, M.Arch, FRAIC
Director of Urban Design and Culture, Workshop Architecture

Helena leads the studio’s urban design work, community and cultural projects. She loves to collaborate with other disciplines and is always open to new challenges. She has twenty years of experience in architecture, urban design, cultural planning and community engagement. Helena has worked with non-profits, private companies and public sector organizations in Canada, USA and the UK including England’s Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (2007-09) and the Manifesto Foundation for Architecture in Scotland (2002). She is a member of the Metrolinx Design Review Panel, and Toronto’s Public Art Commission. Helena has taught at Emily Carr University (2003-06), University of British Columbia’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (2005-06) and has co-authored two books: The Contemporary Canadian Metropolis and Towards an Ethical Architecture.

Workshop Architecture is an architecture and urban design studio that was established in 2010 to create innovative buildings and public spaces. Our studio provides a full range of architectural services and cultural planning for public and private clients. We welcome client commissions and also identify and initiate our own community-based projects.

We are always open to applying our design approach to new challenges and new places. We have no house style, but respond to unique design problems with innovative solutions. We love to collaborate with other disciplines and with our clients.

Our studio is led by architect David Colussi and urban designer Helena Grdadolnik, who have over 30 years of combined experience. We are committed to being a fair employer and to providing at least 1% of our time towards pro bono work.

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This is a limited space event. Ticket sales begin November 2nd, 2018 . 

MERIKE BAUER 

Merike Bauer was born in Canada in 1975. An award winning student at the University of Toronto, she received her Professional Bachelor of Architecture in 2002.  In 2005 she and partner Stephen Bauer, launched Reigo & Bauer, a design office that has been widely published and recipient of numerous awards.

Working closely with partner, Stephen Bauer, on all aspects of design, Merike’s success in heading the project management for their projects is owed to her strength in delicately balancing design goals, on site forces, and strict budgets. Her passion for finishes and furniture have allowed Reigo & Bauer’s work to bridge architecture and interior design seamlessly, delivering cohesive projects that carry design concepts from the overarching architectural ideas down to the finest details during the furnishing of the project.  

As a compliment to the design practice, Merike launched Are & Be in 2011, an architectural finishes showroom with a curated collection of carpet and wall coverings. 

A frequent guest lecturer for the Professional Practice courses at both Waterloo University and University of Toronto, Merike has also lectured on the work of Reigo & Bauer for the AGO; the Toronto Society of Architects; and the London Society of Architects.

Website

Limited space event. Ticket sales begin in October 13th at noon. 

MJMA

MJMA is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary design firm focused on projects that advance personal and civic wellness. In addition to Architecture, the firm fully integrates the design disciplines of Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, Interior Design, and Environmental Graphic Design under one roof, with accredited designers in each field. This process allows us to integrate and overlap at each stage of a project to generate diverse and holistic thinking, ensuring an innovative but consistent and rigorous tailored design solution.

Olga Pushkar, OBEC, MRAIC | Associate

Olga’s design career is highlighted by award-winning projects completed at some of Canada’s most reputable architecture firms including: Ian MacDonald Architect, Shim Sutcliffe Architects, and KPMB Architects. Since joining MJMA in 2009, Olga has led a broad range of community recreation projects. She continues to bring thoughtful project-specific design solutions with responsive site strategies, spatial richness and carefully articulated materials to her projects. Furthermore, Olga’s design strength is rounded out by a global perspective and continued advocacy for local issues through her involvement with non-profit organizations: participating on international teams with Habitat for Humanity building homes in Central America, Kenya, and Kyrgyzstan.

Tarisha Dolyniuk, OAA, ARIDO, NCIDQ, IDC, MRAIC, LEED AP | Director of Interiors

Tarisha graduated from the University of Toronto with a Masters of Architecture in 2003. She is both a registered Architect and Interior Designer. Over her 20-year career, she has focused her attention to interior design and detailing and has developed strong organizational, graphic and communication skills, working in multi-disciplinary team environments for a variety of project types. She now works almost exclusively on community and recreation interiors. This expertise allows her to translate design concepts into innovative, creative and supportive design solutions, and her close attention to technical detailing has resulted in numerous national design awards.

Darlene Montgomery, OALA, CSLA | Director of Landscape

After completing a BLA at the University of Toronto in 2001, Darlene returned to Daniels School of Architecture, Landscape and Design in 2013, to complete a post-professional MLA as a way to further her research and understanding of the profession. She has designed landscapes in Canada and in the U.S. that range from a 50-mile long bioremediation project in Riyadh; to a rooftop children’s garden for the YMCA; to a post-Sandy resiliency study for buildings along Water Street in Manhattan. All of the projects evaluate natural and sociological systems and project ways of navigating into future decades. Several of her projects have won prestigious awards including two 2014 New York ASLA Awards for the Master Plan of Hudson Square and the design of West Point Foundry Preserve where she served as the prime designer / project manager, with large teams of specialized consultants.

Claudia Cozzitorto, OAA, MRAIC, LEED AP  | Director of BIM and Digital Practice

As MJMA’s Director of BIM and Digital Practice, Claudia leads the implementation of BIM and ensures the studio continues to be at the forefront of technology and innovation. Claudia is a licensed architect with nearly 15 years of practice in both Ontario and British Columbia. She oversees all of MJMA’s BIM Projects and is integral in their setup and is a key member of all the firm’s recent recreation projects. Claudia is a BIM industry recognized thought leader, as the Executive Director of the Toronto BIM Community, the Vice-Chair of Communications for BuildingSMART Canada, and a board member of the Institute for BIM in Canada (IBC) Steering Committee as a RAIC representative.

Website | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Issuu

Limited space event. Ticket sales begin in September 10th at noon. 

Pina Petricone

B.Arch, M.Arch.II, OAA MRAIC

Pina Petricone shares her time as Principal of Giannone Petricone Associates and as a Professor of Architecture at the University of Toronto. This dual role is a defining feature of the practice, enabling Pina to contribute intellectual rigor and research to the firm’s projects and processes, as well as to give real projects academic consideration.

Pina’s creativity and love of design has led to some of the firm’s most remarkable projects including the award-winning Fresh Restaurant, the Centre for Ethics, at the University of Toronto, and Chester Le Daycare and Community Space, a new pilot project for the City of Toronto’s ‘priority neighbourhoods.’ Her current portfolio includes an exciting mixed income development in Phase II of the Regent Park Revitalization Project; two new house projects on the edges of Toronto’s unique ravines; a new retail concept for Cumbrae’s butchery on Toronto’s Queen Street; and, the resuscitation of the Royal Hotel in Ontario’s Prince Edward County.

Pina has presented her work and research at several international conferences and symposia, including the IFWorld Conference at the Politecnico di Milano, the Banff sessions on Architecture in Banff, Alberta, the Tectonics: Making Meaning Conference at the Eindhoven Technical University, Netherlands, and recently at the Columbia University Think Tank on the Building Intelligence Project. Her work and research has been published widely in Canada, the U.S., Asia and Europe. In 2012 Pina celebrated the publication of her first book, “Concrete Ideas: Material to Shape a City”.

Pina received her professional degree in architecture from the University of Toronto in 1991 and a Masters in Architecture from Princeton University in 1995.

Website: http://gpaia.com/

Limited space for event. Tickets sales begin June 18th, 2018 at noon. 

Tania Bortolotto

OAA, ARIDO, FRAIC, LEED AP, WELL AP, President

Tania Bortolotto is the founder and president of the Toronto based architecture and interior design firm, Bortolotto. Tania is a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and is a WELL AP and WELL Faculty member. Tania is a program advisory member for the architecture program at Ryerson University and was an inaugural member of Waterfront Toronto’s Design Review Panel. Tania believes that architecture has an enormous impact on society’s quality of life and her passion for design is grounded in its ability to enhance happiness, health and productivity.

Under Tania’s leadership, Bortolotto has steadily grown and has been recognized nationally and internationally, receiving numerous design distinctions and awards. Her Toronto firm has enjoyed a string of accomplishments recently, most notably plans to re-imagine the Rosalie Sharp Pavilion at OCAD University. The firm was also recently named by Blog TO as one of the “Top 15 architects in Toronto.” A design advocate, Tania lends her time to numerous design and academic committees, panels and juries, individual mentoring, teaching, and speaking engagements. Tania was the recipient of Ryerson’s Alumni Achievement Award, a distinction given to graduates who have made a significant contribution to their profession, community and country.

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Limited space for event. Tickets sales begin May 14th at noon.