TSA Portfolio & Resume Clinic

Originally from the United Kingdom, Andrew Geldard knew he wanted to become an architect because of his natural aptitude for the sciences and creative drawing throughout his studies. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture, a Diploma in Architecture, and a Masters in Architecture and Practice Management from the University of Nottingham in England.

Andrew has several years of experience working in Canadian and international architectural firms in design development and contract administration, as well as producing construction documents. He joined the BDP Quadrangle team in 2011 and is often involved in a project from the pre-design conceptual stage through to design development. Andrew was the Design Lead for notable projects including 1181 Queen Street West, Duke Condos, Picnic, The High Park and 900 St Clair Avenue. He has contributed to several mixed-use, residential and commercial buildings for the Downtown Markham master plan.

In his role as Design Director, Andrew takes initiative in promoting design excellence across all BDP Quadrangle projects, acts as a mentor, and injects passion for design into the working process and atmosphere of the Studio.

At BDP Quadrangle, Andrew utilizes and enhances his skills in BIM, which has sparked his growing interest in emerging design technologies. He demonstrates sound understanding of programs such Revit, AutoCAD and 3D Studio. Andrew’s prior professional experience has made him well-versed in institutional, commercial and residential projects.  

Senior Designer, Canada Practice Leader, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

Andrew Lee, OAA, AIA, is an architect with 10+ years of experience across a broad range of building typologies including commercial, cultural, institutional, residential and transportation projects.

Recently, Andrew was the Senior Designer for the award-winning Moynihan Train Hall, an extension of New York’s Pennsylvania Station into the former Farley Post Office building. Currently he is leading SOM’s efforts in Canada, building relationships across the industry and developing opportunities for new projects.

In addition to his work at SOM, Andrew is an active member in the architecture community, teaching and visiting as a guest critic at various universities, and serving on committees at NCARB and ULI.

Bruno Weber, a partner at KPMB Architects, joined the firm in 2000 and has worked on major projects that have transformed major urban communities across Canada and the U.S. Through his work, Bruno has helped KPMB create architecture that unites diverse groups around shared goals. His commitment to the intersection of social justice and design has led to meaningful collaborations with diverse groups and clients, including Indigenous leaders and communities in Hamilton and Northern Ontario, Canada.

Farah is an internationally trained architect and designer with over a decade of experience in Canada and the Middle East. In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, she co-founded Tri Design Studio, leading the design of multiple civic and commercial projects. Her work involved close collaboration with local artisans, incorporating traditional crafts within architectural projects, fostering concepts of sustainability – an extension of her research in the Master’s program in Sustainability in the Built Environment. 

Currently an OAA intern Architect and an associate at Dialog, Farah has contributed to design excellence across diverse project typologies. Her portfolio spans educational, civic, and healthcare projects, notably including the Toronto Western Hospital New In-Patient Tower, TELUS World of Science in Edmonton, and Centennial College A-Building Expansion, Canada’s first LEED Gold, zero carbon, WELL certified, mass timber, higher-education facility.  She considers every project an opportunity to nurture curiosity, explore, collaborate, tell a story, and ultimately elevate the human experience.

Haley Zhou values the careful balance between rich narratives, thoughtful execution, and a collaborative workflow. Coming from a family of teachers, he has always been interested in exploring the positive impact a learning space can have on its occupants and community.

Since first joining Diamond Schmitt in 2010 as a student from the University of Waterloo, Haley has contributed to a variety of project types with a focus on academic projects, including Lazaridis Hall at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Innovation Centre at Red River College. The latter included leading an open call for Indigenous artwork that become integrated design elements for feature spaces within the building. Currently, he is working on the New Vic at McGill University.

As a member of Diamond Schmitt’s internal continuing education program, Haley contributes to the planning and execution of themed lectures series, workshops and initiatives looking to elevate both design and technical expertise within the office.He is also involved in student recruitment and mentorship with the Black Architects and Interior Designers Association (BAIDA) and the University of Waterloo. Haley is a Passive House Certified Designer.

Jill is an architect and a founding partner of Taylor Hazell Architects (1992). During 40 years of practice, she has developed specialization in the areas of the adaptive reuse of exisƟng buildings and large sites; she is a facility planner with an expertise in high profile government complexes. Jill’s work includes an experƟse in sustainability and was Lead Architect for the award‐winning Humber Arboretum Centre for Urban Ecology at Humber College (one of the first LEED Gold buildings in Ontario), and co‐architect for the $100 million, adaptive reuse of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital for Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (Lakeshore Campus). Her experience in new construction and in renovation includes a specialization in courthouse architecture and high security buildings. She is the Prime Consultant lead for the renovation of the York Memorial Collegiate Institute and Jones Avenue School for TDSB. She has been architect‐in‐ charge for the conservation and restoration of dozens of heritage sites including National Historic Sites. Jill is active in environmental advocacy, teaching, lecturing and consulting on provincial policy. She has been a chair of the Conservation Review Board of Ontario and is a past President of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP‐ACECP). Jill has been awarded a Fellowship in the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

Jodi Batay-Csorba is a co-founding principal of Batay-Csorba Architects (BCA) with over 25 years of professional experience. Established in Los Angeles, California B-CA moved the office to Toronto in 2010, bringing with it an unmarked outlook to the progression of design in Canada. 

Born in Leamington, Ontario in 1977, Jodi received her Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Los Angeles with Advanced Placement and Distinction in 2005 and was the recipient of several honors including the Franklin D. Israel Memorial Fellowship and the AIA LA Student Award. She graduated summa cum laude from Lawrence Technological University, Michigan in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and honorable merit award. Jodi also holds an Architectural Technology Degree from St. Clair College, Ontario.

Jodi is an invaluable steward of the firm’s design ethos, ensuring that the design vision permeates every facet of their projects. She is keenly focused on crafting interiors, innovative details, material research, and harnessing her ardor for creating spaces that elicit profound emotional responses. Her methodology, characterized by a strategic and research-based design process, effectively bridges the conceptual realm and the physical.

With her partner, Andrew Batay-Csorba, Jodi has established an exceptional model of small-scale practice whose work has been recognized nationally and internationally, including the 2021 Designlines Designer of the Year Award, 2020 Designing Canada Award, 2020 and 2018 Best of Canada Award, 2018 PA Award, 2017 and 2018 OAA Design Excellence Awards, 2018 MCHAP Finalist, 2017 RAIC Young Architect Award, and 2015 Canadian Architect Award.

John McKenna (Associate Principal BArch BArch.Sci MBA) joined gh3* in 2011 with experience working on institutional, cultural and public sector projects in Europe and the Middle East. Projects such as Castle Downs Park Pavilion in Edmonton, in which John played a key coordination role, have equipped him with first-hand experience in the increasingly complex and important role of the architect on multidisciplinary projects. John undertook his MBA at IE Business School, Madrid, where he researched the management processes of creative-sector businesses. In his role as Associate Principal at gh3*, John works closely with the Principals to set and guide the wider vision and direction of the practice with a particular focus on marketing and new business development, communications and organizational management. John is currently working on a number of gh3*s municipal infrastructure projects, including a net-zero Emergency Medical Services facility for the City of Toronto.

Karine is an architect with 10 years of experience. She co-leads the Residential Practice Area for Gensler Toronto and has contributed to the development of several high-profile residential projects. Her extensive background spans many sectors, including education, aviation, hospitality, and complex residential and mixed-use projects. Among her achievements at Gensler, Karine was part of the team to develop mass timber housing prototypes for Sidewalk Labs, which created an early road map for mass timber use in Ontario. Her strong technical background, combined with her attention to building code and housing standards, proved valuable for this work. Though based in Toronto, much of Karine’s portfolio of work is sited in Montreal, and she leverages this experience to bridge differences in language and culture on project teams.

An accomplished architect with more than 15 years of industry experience, Liana Bresler is known for her work in designing transit-oriented development, affordable housing, and notable institutional projects such as libraries and community centres. Her work aims to create space for people, and she focuses on the experience of the end user through all stages of a project.

Liana is a Principal at SvN, where she oversees the people and culture aspects of the studio. Currently, she is co-leading the integrated transit-oriented development team on the Ontario Line. Her role focuses on both design and technical transit integration of the transit-oriented communities across the 15.6 km subway line.

Lebel & Bouliane is an internationally-published, award-winning architecture practice known for its innovative use of form in the design of buildings and architectural interiors. As co-founder and principal, Natasha brings 20+ years of experience in the disciplines of architecture, strategic innovation, social design and change management. Her professional focus includes visioning and strategic planning for businesses and institutional focused on building excellence through thought leadership.

Olivia Keung has over 15 years of professional experience with a focus on regenerative design and high performing buildings. Olivia is active in a number of advocacy roles that enable her to push for greater climate action and environmental justice. She currently serves as a Sustainability Advisor on the City of Toronto’s Design Review Panel. She is also a member of the RAIC’s Advisory Committee for Equity and Justice and their liaison to the Climate Action Plan Steering Committee. She has spoken extensively about low carbon design, including lectures at the CaGBC’s Innovation Series, the University of Toronto and the RAIC’s Congress on Architecture.

Olivia played a key role in Waterfront Toronto’s update of their Green Building Requirements (GBRs). MTA led the consultant team to develop and author the Version 3 update which was released in February 2021. The GBRs take a holistic approach to sustainability and form part of a larger vision to build inclusive, climate positive, urban communities that lead the city on the path to decarbonization. Olivia’s work at Moriyama Teshima Architects includes Limberlost Place at George Brown College, a landmark zero carbon, tall mass timber project. Her role centered on working with user groups, and coordination of the extensive regulatory green building requirements for the first building to target Tier 4 of the Toronto Green Standard as well as LEED Gold. Olivia is currently the Project Architect for the Science North Expansion. This project comprises two science centres in Northern Ontario, both targeting zero carbon certification, that use science and education as tools to build knowledge, community resilience and cultural dialogue.

Raymond Chow (Principal OAA RAIC MArch BArch) brings to gh3* an expertise grounded in twenty years of professional architectural practice. Raymond negotiates all phases of project development, from enabling client and consultant dialogue, through to design development and construction administration. His commitment to the realization of architectural excellence is based on keen attention to technical detail and astute management of the design process. He has worked across multiple jurisdictions and through scales of practice that range from small renovations to large multi-stakeholder institutional projects. Raymond joined gh3* in 2006 and became principal in 2015. He is key to the firm’s integrated, studio-based design practice with technical capacity across the design fields of architecture, landscape, and urban design. A strong advocate for BIM and for design practice connected to industry, Raymond oversees gh3*’s digital modelling processes, rendering, and all other technical interfaces. He is currently project architect for a number of gh3’s multi-unit residential and municipal projects, and previously for the Borden Park Natural Swimming Pool in Edmonton, the Storm Water Control Facility at Toronto’s waterfront, as well as several large-scale residential projects.

Ria Al-Ameen is an Associate at Giaimo, a Toronto-based architecture and conservation firm founded in 2015. She is a registered Architect in Ontario (OAA), and a professional member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP). She currently serves on CAHP’s Board of Directors, chairs the Communications Committee, and sits on the Equity and Diversity Taskforce. Over the last 8 years at Giaimo, Ria has led and contributed to a wide range of projects with a focus on developing contextual and creative solutions within existing buildings through adaptive reuse, minimal interventions, and merging new with old. Her recent project, The Oculus Pavilion Revitalization, received prestigious recognition including a 2022 Heritage Toronto Award for Built Heritage and 2021 Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation. She has been involved in academia through guest lectures and studio reviews at Toronto Metropolitan University and University of Toronto.

Stanley Sun

Co-Founder, Creative Director

BID HONS, BSC HONS, NCIDQ, IDC, ARIDO, BCIN

Stanley Sun’s vision is informed by a unique blend of formal studies in human sciences, fine arts and interior design. Approaching each challenge with a combined scientific and humanistic perspective, he first observes how people experience and react to the built environment to create a rational and intuitive design solution. Of particular interest to Stanley’s practice is the science of light and the physiological and psychological response people have to light. As an advocate for Canadian design, Stanley has been published widely and has participated as a keynote speaker at leading design conferences. He is also a sessional instructor at his alma mater, Toronto Metropolitan University.

www.masonstudio.com | @mason_studio | LinkedIn | Facebook

Photo by Jaime Hogge.

Suleman is a masters graduate from the McEwen school of architecture and currently an intern architect at RAW Design. His early passion for woodworking and craftsmanship inspired a deep dive into the intricacies of the design-build process, honing his skills while exploring the nuanced relationship between art and architecture. He has previously been the recipient of multiple research grants for architecture interventions, notably at the Delft University of Technology and the 2018 Venice Biennale. 

Suleman’s portfolio now reflects an affection for small-scale interventions that ignite conversations around critical issues.

Grounded in a commitment to critical design thinking, Suleman aims to integrate considerations of site, community, and cultural context into his creations, using them as lenses to understand the larger-scale built environment, that he works on designing in his day to day life.

OAA, AIBC, RAIC

B.Sc. (Arch) (McGill), M.Arch (McGill), LEED AP

Vanessa is the Principal Architect at VFA Architecture + Design an innovative architecture and interior design studio specializing in holistic, contextually specific, and forward-looking custom design. In 2022, she established Studio Morro which brings innovative design thinking to the architecture, interior design and construction management landscape – questioning and changing the way built form is delivered to clients via an architecture-led process. A graduate of McGill University with over a decade of architectural experience, Vanessa remains a curious explorer – innovation in design and constructability along with the need to create spaces that positively impact human health and wellness are at the core of Vanessa’s values.

A strong believer in giving back to the community, Vanessa has served five years as a Council member for the Ontario Association of Architects, the governing and regulatory body for architects in Ontario; four of those years as OAA Vice President Communications, driven by a belief in the architectural community’s obligation to educate the public and decision makers about the value of architecture. Vanessa also sat as Chair of the Design Industry Advisory Committee, a think tank and cross-disciplinary research group which promotes the strategic value of design and the contribution of designers from all disciplines to economic, social and environmental goals.

++++

Awards have included the Mike Wagner Heritage Award and the Canadian Land Institute ‘s Brownie Award for Best Overall retrofit project

Publications have included: Dwell, Canadian Architect, Globe and Mail, House and Home, Elle Canada, Homes and Gardens Designlines, Toronto Life and Cottage Life TV

Vaughn joined BNKC in 2020, bringing over 20 years of architectural experience to his role as an Principal. Over the course of an international career, Vaughn has heightened the work of studios in New York, San Francisco, Boston, the Netherlands, and throughout Canada. His diverse portfolio accentuates BNKC’s own, and the expertise he’s gained with previous roles at KPMB, ArchitectsAlliance, and Leers Weinzapfel Architects in Boston brings an exciting approach to the design of our institutional, cultural, and multi-residential projects.

Vaughn cares deeply about design and is committed to collaboration both within a team and with his clients. Like us, he enjoys a good challenge – we knew Vaughn was the right fit for our team when he shared his joy for complex briefs! In his Principal role, Vaughn works to elevate our design conversations, oversee projects in a project management capacity, mentor our design teams, and contribute to our business development efforts.

Originally from St. John’s Newfoundland, Vaughn received his MArch from Dalhousie University. In his spare time, he loves to garden during (too far between) visits to his country house in Vermont – which he designed!

Welland Sin is an Associate Principal and Studio Manager at Arcadis. As an architect and design manager with 14 years of experience in the design of large-scale, public transportation projects, Welland played a key role on transit projects in Toronto (TTC Pioneer Village and Finch West Stations, Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Scarborough Subway Extension, Guelph Net Zero Central Station) and outside of Canada (Tel Aviv Red Line, Redmond Link Extension). With broad experience implementing architectural design principles and real-world transit experience, Welland brings both design and management expertise to all stages of the project.

As one of Superkül’s senior leaders, Will oversees a variety of single-family, institutional, and commercial projects, from inception through construction administration. Having worked on a number of high-profile, award-winning buildings across Canada, he brings an unparalleled commitment to design excellence, combined with strong technical skills in building science and software technologies. Will also takes a keen interest in the implementation of architectural processes that optimize workflow and project delivery, and is responsible for supervising the office’s ongoing development of project management standards.

Most recently, Will oversaw the renovation of the Fourth Floor Reading Room at Robarts Library as well as the design and construction of Universal Music Canada’s new creative campus, The Golden Nugget, and Birdhouse (a family cottage in the Kawarthas). He is currently leading the revitalization of the CN Tower Outdoor Terrace Level, the completion of the new Student Services Hub at University of Toronto Mississauga, as well as the design and construction of various single-family homes.

Will received an Honours Bachelor of Architectural Studies (with Distinction) and a Master of Architecture from the University of Waterloo. His academic excellence was recognized with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Student Medal for outstanding thesis work in 2015. Will is a registered architect with the Ontario Association of Architects.

Through his time spent recruiting in the architecture industry, Adam has had many conversations with new immigrants who struggle to enter the architecture job market. This strongly motivated him to try and find a way he could help streamline this process and provide structured support. His goal is to make the transition less daunting for those seeking to establish themselves in the AEC industry in Canada, as well as to provide guidance in a constantly evolving job market.

Ashleigh Lyons is a seasoned recruitment Consultant with a wealth of experience spanning over a decade. Specializing in Architecture, she excels in connecting top talent with leading firms in Toronto and beyond. With a keen understanding of the industry landscape, Ashleigh is dedicated to supporting candidates throughout their career journeys. Whether it’s crafting compelling resumes, navigating the job market, or facilitating connections with exciting career opportunities, Ashleigh’s expertise and guidance ensure candidates find both professional fulfillment and personal satisfaction in their roles.

Jon (he/him) has been a career educator at U of T since 2011, working to support the career learning and development of students and recent graduates across all programs and faculties. In guiding students through complex career decisions and strategic action, Jon strives to hold up, amplify, and celebrate the beautiful ideas people generate as they move through all conduits of the career development rhizome. Jon lives on Treaty 13 land in midtown Toronto at the top of the hill between the ravines. He’s a parent, a skateboarder, an activist and a poet.

As an immigrant, witnessing the challenges faced by her parents, family, and friends in securing roles, or even abandoning their efforts altogether, deeply resonated with Shay. She understands it’s not easy to move to a new country and get the same response from every job you apply to. Getting local experience requires you to get a job and you can’t get a job without local experience – it’s the classic immigrant struggle. Through her career as an architectural recruiter, she has accumulated insights into the expectations of various firms and hiring managers. It’s her heartfelt aspiration to share this knowledge and support the immigrant community in overcoming these obstacles.

Vered Klein is an expert in recruitment and an experienced consultant in Architecture and Interior Design. She builds teams. Supportive by nature, Vered has spent the past two decades, attentively, understanding the practice of her clients, nurturing talent in the industry, and honing her methodology by listening to her candidates and clients; she fosters their growth. Her reputation continues to stem from an in-depth knowledge, love and care for the industry, its resulting projects, as well as her ability to usher talented professionals in the trajectory of their careers. With her extensive knowledge, genuine passion, and nurturing approach, she guides Architectural professionals on the path to success in their careers.