Bryndarion Quinthal
Principal Architect & Founder
AIBC, LEED AP, B.Arch (UBC)
How We Got Here
Started this practice back in 2005 with a drafting table, way too much coffee, and honestly? A bit of naivety about how hard it'd be to push sustainable design when most folks just wanted the cheapest square footage.
But here's the thing - I grew up in the Interior, spending summers helping my uncle restore old barns. You learn pretty quick that buildings done right can last centuries, while shortcuts... well, they cost you in the long run. That stuck with me through architecture school and every project since.
The practice really found its footing around 2010 when we completed our first Passive House project in Kitsilano. Client took a chance on us, and that building's still performing 30% better than we projected. Word got around after that.
What Actually Drives Us
Look, we're not trying to win awards or end up in some glossy magazine - though that's happened a few times and yeah, it's nice. What gets us out of bed is knowing that the family moving into one of our homes will have lower energy bills, healthier air, and a space that'll adapt as their lives change.
We design buildings that give back more than they take. Sounds simple, but it means questioning every material choice, every system, every orientation decision. It's tougher than conventional design, takes longer, requires more coordination. But that's exactly why it matters.
Our Approach (The Honest Version)
We don't have a signature style - never wanted one. Each project starts with listening. To the site, to what the client actually needs versus what they think they want, to the neighborhood context, to budget realities.
Then comes the hard part: integrating passive strategies, renewable systems, and healthy materials without making it look like you're trying too hard. Best sustainable design? You shouldn't really notice it. It just works.
Site-First Thinking
Every piece of land tells you what it wants to be. Slope, sun angles, prevailing winds, existing vegetation - ignore these and you're fighting nature for the building's entire lifespan. Work with them and you get free heating, cooling, and a design that feels inevitable rather than imposed.
Material Honesty
We're pretty obsessed with where stuff comes from and what happens to it after. Local timber, recycled steel, low-VOC everything. Not because it's trendy but because we've seen too many sick buildings and pointless waste. Plus local materials usually perform better in our climate anyway.
Why Vancouver, Why Now
This city's at a crossroads. Housing crisis, climate targets, aging infrastructure - it's a mess, honestly. But it's also an incredible opportunity to rethink how we build density, how we retrofit heritage stock, how we create communities that actually reduce car dependency.
We've been fortunate to work on everything from laneway houses to mixed-use commercial projects, heritage restorations to ground-up Passive House builds. Each one's taught us something that informs the next. That's the real education - not what you learned in school but what buildings teach you when you pay attention years later.
The Team Behind The Drawings
Small enough to care, experienced enough to deliver
Sarah Chen
Senior Architect
Joined us in 2012, specializes in complex residential and has an almost scary ability to solve structural puzzles while keeping budgets intact.
Marcus Okafor
Sustainability Lead
Our energy modeling guru. If there's a more efficient way to configure your mechanical systems, Marcus'll find it. Also makes the best office coffee.
Priya Sandhu
Interior Architect
Handles all our interior planning and material selections. Has an uncanny knack for finding that perfect balance between beautiful and practical.
Jamie Kowalski
Project Coordinator
Newest addition to the crew but already indispensable. Keeps projects on track, contractors honest, and somehow remembers every detail.
We also work with a trusted network of engineers, consultants, and trades who actually get what we're trying to do. Building sustainably takes a village - a pretty specialized village, but still.
What We've Learned Along The Way
Twenty years in, here's what sticks: buildings aren't static objects - they're living systems that need to breathe, adapt, and age gracefully. The best ones improve over time as landscapes mature and occupants make them their own.
We've also learned that sustainable doesn't mean expensive. Upfront maybe, but lifecycle costs? Way lower. And with energy prices going where they're going, that payback period keeps getting shorter.
Biggest lesson though? Listen more than you talk. Clients know their needs better than we do. Sites reveal themselves slowly. Good design happens in the gaps between what you planned and what emerges through collaboration.
See What We've BuiltWant To Work Together?
We're currently booking projects for late 2026. If you've got a site, a vision, and a commitment to doing things properly, let's talk.