TSA CONNECT 2025: Newcomers

Abdenour (Nour) Arar is an Intern Architect with over a decade of experience in architectural design and project management in both Algeria and Canada. After earning his Bachelor of Architecture in 2012, he began his career working on large-scale transit and industrial projects abroad. He immigrated to Canada in 2019, completed courses on the Ontario Building Code, materials, and construction methods through the IPLAN program, and became an Intern Architect with the OAA in 2021. Currently, he is the Station Lead for Clark Station on the Yonge North Subway Extension at Arcadis. He is passionate about sharing his journey to support other internationally trained professionals as they build their careers in Canada.

Adriana Sartini, B. Arch, M. Design, M. Arch., is an architect at GBCA with over 15 years of international experience across residential, office, industrial, interior design, and heritage conservation projects.

Since joining GBCA in 2021, Adriana has contributed to numerous conservation projects in Toronto, focusing on the restoration, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse of historic buildings. Her work includes site reviews, building condition assessments, construction documentation, and the preparation of conservation plans and heritage impact statements.

Adriana previously worked as an architect in Brazil, France, Australia, and Colombia. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Universidad Piloto de Colombia; a Master of Design from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia; and, a Master of Architecture and Urbanism from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris La Villette, France. She is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

Andrew Caldwell is a Project Lead at the Works Office of Brian O’Brian Architect. He graduated with a Master of Architecture from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, in 2017. He has been a New Zealand Registered Architect since June 2022. His interests in architecture include the reflection of clients’ personal identity and diversity in the work and, further, the reflection of society’s diversity in architecture and its workforce. Through his architectural career so far, he has worked on a wide range of residential, commercial, and education projects.

I moved to Canada in 2016 with limited experience in architecture and began my career as a volunteer at a small firm. After four months, I proved myself and was offered a full-time role, where I worked on a variety of projects while applying for and receiving my CACB accreditation. Over the next four years, I gained valuable experience working closely with the principal architect, which built a strong foundation for my professional growth. In 2019, I joined IBI Group (now Arcadis), where I spent nearly four years contributing to large-scale projects and completing my CERB hours toward licensure. In 2023, I advanced my career by joining Adamson Associates Architects as an Architect and BIM Lead.

Audrey Daudon is an Intern Architect based in Toronto. She completed both her Bachelor and Master of Architecture in France, with the first year of her Master’s program spent at the University of Technology in Finland. After gaining early professional experience in France on residential and renovation projects, she moved to Canada in 2018, driven by an interest in large-scale residential towers she had not often encountered in Europe. At Studio JCI, Audrey wears a dual hat: she contributes as an architect specializing in the technical aspects of projects, from building permits to construction, while also leading architectural operations—helping to streamline workflows, enhance quality control, and support project delivery across the studio.

Duanne’s leadership has been instrumental in establishing Gensler’s expertise in office-to-residential conversions. He has driven the analysis of hundreds of buildings for suitability for conversion, ranging from individual buildings to entire portfolios for both the public and private sectors. As the Cities Studio leader, Duanne oversees 40+ architects and designers, and he is responsible for projects that span large-scale master planning, complex adaptive reuse and repositioning projects, and new, ground-up buildings. His leadership within the firm further extends to his role as a regional leader of the Building Transformation & Adaptive Reuse practice, based in Toronto. In this role, he focuses on growing the region’s thought leadership and market positioning around the most pressing challenges facing landlords and developers. Duanne’s breadth of experience as an architect includes major residential and mixed-use developments across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Africa.

Jiya is an urban designer with over a decade of experience in placemaking, active transportation, community engagement, urban design, and architecture. Her work is grounded in a belief that cities must be equitable, sustainable, and climate-resilient—principles she has championed through years of experience reclaiming streets and waterfronts to celebrate public life. A strong advocate of collaborative planning and the power of human connection, Jiya is passionate about bringing communities together to co-create vibrant public spaces. She is the Director of Programs and Development at 8 80 Cities. She holds an MSc in Urbanism from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and a B.Arch from the University of Kerala, India. Her multidisciplinary skill set spans project management, program development, community convening, capacity building, applied research, graphic design, and leading urban transformation initiatives.

Kasmin Devashrayee is a licensed architect with nearly 15 years of experience shaping cities through projects in critical infrastructure, commercial, retail, industrial, and aviation sectors. Currently based in New York City, Kasmin has always been passionate about smart city initiatives and using technology to create connected, sustainable urban environments.

Throughout his career, Kasmin has led multidisciplinary teams on complex, high-impact projects, balancing design excellence with practical solutions. Committed to mentoring emerging professionals, he shares insights on navigating architectural practice, managing large-scale projects, and embracing innovation on various platforms. Kasmin is always looking forward to engaging with students and professionals alike, exchanging ideas, and inspiring discussions about the future of architecture and our cities.

Mahdie Irannejad is a licensed architect with over a decade of experience working on healthcare, institutional, and public projects across Canada. Originally trained as an architect outside of Canada, Mahdie immigrated and successfully transitioned her career, becoming a registered member of the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) and establishing herself within the local architecture and city-building community.

She is currently part of the healthcare team at NORR, where she leads and supports the design and delivery of complex clinical environments—most recently including the SickKids Zebrafish Lab Expansion and several provincial healthcare projects.

Passionate about mentorship and community-building, Mahdie actively supports internationally trained architects and newcomers, sharing her experience to help others navigate their own professional paths in Canada.

With 20 years of experience bridging design, architecture, and large-scale infrastructure, Marcela Miranda is a Licensed Architect and Infrastructure Delivery Leader. As Underground Delivery Director for the Yonge North Subway Extension at Metrolinx, she leads multidisciplinary teams through the complex phases of planning, design, permitting, and execution for one of Canada’s most ambitious and innovative transit projects.

Her career combines hands-on architectural and project management expertise with strategic leadership. Marcela has managed major new-construction and renovation initiatives, navigating municipal codes, building regulations, and high-stakes stakeholder environments to bring projects to completion.

Marcela’s journey is especially meaningful for newcomers: she has successfully translated her international professional training and licensure across jurisdictions, adapting to Canadian standards while driving impact in critical infrastructure. At TSA Connect, she’ll share practical lessons on how internationally-trained professionals can pivot into new sectors, leverage design skills in unexpected ways, and build a path toward leadership roles in Canada.

Maria is a Healthcare Design and Application Specialist at MillerKnoll Canada. She works with a team dedicated to holistic interior design for healthcare spaces.

As a Sr. Program Manager and Healthcare Designer, Maria assists clients in all project phases. She leverages her knowledge and experience to address customer needs, utilizing emerging trends and MillerKnoll research to shape care spaces.

With over 20 years of experience on complex healthcare projects, Maria collaborates with architects and designers to interpret workflows, design adaptive spaces, and guide the development of schematic designs, renderings, and solutions that support patients, families, and caregivers.

Maria is passionate about patient-centered design, environmental design, and continuous improvement. Utilizing her knowledge of Canadian healthcare standards and their effects on interior spaces, she brings innovative solutions to each project.

As an Internationally Trained Architect from LUZ-Venezuela, an Evidence-Based Design certified planning and design expert, and a WELL Accredited Professional (WELL-AP), Maria designs with health and wellness as the backbone for interior spaces, buildings, and shared spaces. Some of her most recent projects include South Niagara Hospital, Trillium Health Partners New Redevelopment, SHN Pharmacies, St. Paul’s Redevelopment (multiple clinical projects), MMH-Pharmacy and Lab, William Osler, St. Michael’s Hospital, Whitehorse Hospital, and B.C Women’s Hospital & Health Centre. Areas of Expertise include Healthcare Design, Workplace Trends, Continuous Improvement, Evidence-Based Design, WELL-AP, Interior Clinical Design, Long Term Care and Senior Care spaces, Laboratory and Pharmacy Planning.

Sabrina Castellanos is a Venezuelan Canadian Architect, Project Manager, Leadership Mentor, Knowledge Manager, and Author with over 19 years of experience in architecture, business consulting, and corporate leadership. Since 2008, she has led large-scale architectural projects in Canada, combining technical expertise with a deep understanding of human potential. She empowers professionals to design intentional lives and sustainable businesses through her frameworks on time management, organization, strategic planning, and leadership. Sabrina is the author of Stop Wasting Your Time: Become the Architect of Your Life and co-founder of 2Be Extraordinaria, a global movement supporting Latin women entrepreneurs and leaders. As a Knowledge Manager, she believes knowledge flows through building relationships—making communication, clarity, and community essential to organizational growth. She integrates architectural methodologies with leadership practices, offering tools to improve project delivery, team collaboration, and resilience. Her work bridges architecture, business, and transformation, aligning structure, vision, and purpose.

Sakshi Sood Joshi is a Senior Architect at BDP Quadrangle and a Sustainability & Wellness Strategist at Human Space, with over 15 years of experience leading complex architectural projects across India and Canada. Her portfolio spans residential, mixed-use, corporate, healthcare, institutional, and transit sectors.

An internationally trained architect who has advanced her career in Canada, Sakshi blends a strong design sensibility with technical expertise, sustainability leadership, and collaborative problem-solving. She is deeply committed to human-centred, high-performance architecture and advancing integrated workflows that enhance creativity, efficiency, and project impact.

A certified Passive House Designer and accredited LEED and WELL professional, Sakshi is passionate about designing resilient, equitable, and high-performance environments that prioritize both people and the planet.

Shima Bagherzadeh pursued a degree in Architecture, known as Architectural Engineering, in Iran, and worked as a designer both in Iran and here in Canada. Subsequently, she earned a master’s degree in Building Engineering-Construction Management in Canada. Shima first spent a few months at the TTC as a Contract Administrator, and now currently works at Stantec as a Project Coordinator for almost three years. She is also working towards becoming a Project Manager.