Toronto

Ted Watson

MJMA Architecture & Design

For over 25 years, Ted has crafted deeply researched and expressive civic, academic and recreation buildings that are ecologically and socially conscious agents of community-building. Ted believes environmental and social resilience to be interdependent conditions and he has spearheaded many of MJMA’s projects that have used emerging and innovative means of accessibility, inclusivity, and sustainability. Notable examples include U of T’s Academic Wood Tower, the UBC Aquatic Centre, and the Hiwa l Recreation Centre at the University of Auckland, to name a few. He is active in the profession, being an OAA Council member and sitting on several committees, with the intent of strengthening architects’ role in advocating for better environmental and social practices. Ted strives to advance the design of community, campus, and recreation projects as critical infrastructure for collective human engagement, one that ‘Elevates the Civic Experience’ and has impacts beyond their site.

Jeanne Ng

MJMA Architecture & Design

Since joining MJMA in 1997, Jeanne has been a key force in advancing the studio’s vision of public architecture as a catalyst for strengthening individual and community wellbeing. She has built a large and diverse portfolio that encompasses community, recreation, campus, and library design. She is dedicated to achieving solutions that will have the greatest positive impact on the daily lives of the communities with whom she works. This has led her to spearhead many of the studio’s sustainability initiatives, including MJMA’s Sustainability Action Plan, ongoing research on embodied carbon, and strengthening relationships with like-minded academics and professionals. She has taken a leading role in many of the firm’s most notable community-focused projects that foster social cohesion, such as the Regent Park (Pam McConnell) Aquatic Centre, the Wellesley Community Centre and St. James Town Library, and the Western North York Community Centre—one of North America’s first Net-Zero aquatic-based community centres.

Doron Meinhard

Hariri Pontarini Architects

Doron, an Associate Partner at Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA), works closely with the Founding Partners to develop and implement the strategic direction of the firm. Doron is an integral part of developing and maintaining relationships with key clients, bringing an in-depth knowledge of both the project and business sides of the firm. Responsible for the overall oversight of the design and management of major projects, Doron facilitates each detail of communication between the client, team members, and consultants. Doron’s strength as a technically gifted architect include the managerial skills required to assemble and coordinate design teams, the ability to carry out detailed design work, and the coordination of external consultants and fabrication specialists required to bring the timeless appeal of HPA’s designs to fruition. Doron’s practice focuses on institutional and cultural buildings, and he has delivered work for major institutional clients such as Western University, Carleton University, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Royal Ontario Museum.

Michael Conway

Hariri Pontarini Architects

A registered architect with nearly three decades of experience, Michael joined HPA in 2006. Over the course of his career, he has managed projects throughout all phases of design and construction – from programming and schematic design to detail drawings and contract administration. Michael’s recent projects stand as a testament to his versatility, spanning: The Well, a 7.7 acre mixed-use development that weaves a new district into the fabric of downtown Toronto, the King Portland Centre, a 438,000 square foot commercial and residential development; FIVE: Condos at 5 St. Joseph, a 46-storey residential tower set above a restored heritage building; and the redevelopment of the 3.3 million square foot Galleria Mall Site in one of Toronto’s up-and-coming neighbourhoods.

Ya’el Santopinto

ERA Architects

Ya’el is a registered Architect, Principal and practice lead at ERA who specializes in affordable housing retrofit and the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Ya’el is ERA’s lead Tower Renewal Architect, overseeing a team of specialists to execute complex, holistic and resilient energy retrofits on post-war apartment towers across the region. She has been Project Architect on the retrofit of more than 1,000 social housing units, with specialized expertise in retrofit with residents in place, integrated design delivery, and phasing complex projects for maximum investment and carbon-reduction impact.

Ya’el is also the Director of Research and Partnerships with the Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal. Through the Tower Renewal Partnership initiative, she leads research on best-in-class practices in energy retrofit, green financing, and social and health outcomes of renewal, working with the federal government and other partners.

Ya’el holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Toronto and is a Fellow of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada.

Graeme Stewart

ERA Architects

OAA FRAIC CIP RPP CAHP

Graeme Stewart is Principal of Toronto-based ERA Architects, a founding director of the Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal, and the key initiator of the Tower Renewal Partnership, a cross-sectoral collaborative supporting policy and action toward more equitable and resilient urban regions including affordable housing renewal, green financing and community reinvestment. Graeme has led the retrofit of over 1,500 of affordable housing throughout the region.

Brigitte Shim

Shim-Sutcliffe Architects

Brigitte Shim and her partner A. Howard Sutcliffe founded Shim-Sutcliffe Architects in 1994 establishing a design practice exploring the integration and interrelated scales of architecture, landscape, furniture and fittings. Shim-Sutcliffe have realized built work in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia focusing on place-making.

To date, Shim and Sutcliffe have received sixteen Governor General’s Medals for Architecture from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) along with many other professional accolades for their built work. In January 2013, Brigitte Shim and her partner A. Howard Sutcliffe were both awarded the Order of Canada, “for their contributions as architects designing sophisticated structures that represent the best of Canadian design to the world.” In 2021, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada awarded Brigitte Shim and A. Howard Sutcliffe, the RAIC Gold Medal for their “tireless commitment to advocacy, teaching and mentoring along with their commitment to craft, tectonics, site and ecology in their built work and its lasting impact on Canadian architecture.”

Professor Brigitte Shim is a faculty member at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. Brigitte Shim has been an invited visiting professor at Yale University, Harvard University, The Cooper Union, the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), The University of Auckland, and others. She has served on numerous international, national and local design juries as an unwavering advocate for design excellence.

Alex Lukachko

University of Toronto

Alex Lukachko is a building science consultant and climate change adaptation specialist, who has worked on high performance, low carbon buildings and building materials with clients in many parts Canada and the United States, including building material manufacturers, developers, constructors, and design firms. He is currently working with architecture firms to help them change their design and construction practice to address the climate crisis. Alex teaches the integration of energy, building science and design concepts in the architecture programs at the University of Toronto. He has active research interests in the development of future building enclosure systems and the design of high-performance, low-environmental-impact buildings. In particular, he is interested in the link between architectural design and quality assurance that ensures high building performance. These interests are part of a long-term pursuit of effective (and measurable) sustainable building practices.