With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Below we are going to look at the top design firms in Canada based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.
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Omar Gandhi Architects
Omar Gandhi Architect is a Canadian architecture practice with small studios in both Halifax, Nova Scotia and Toronto, Ontario. Specializing in custom, modern design, OG works to connect with each and every client on a personal level, designing with careful consideration for the lives that will be lived within the finished product.
Some of the notable projects by Omar Gandhi Architects are;
- OG House, Halifax, Canada
- Prime Seafood Palace, Toronto, Canada
- Black Gables, Sydney, Canada
- Float, Halifax, Canada
- Sluice Point, Yarmouth, Canada
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ACDF Architecture
At ACDF, they have an uncompromising ambition to be both responsible and inventive, both visionary and generous, to ultimately bring beauty to everyone. Good design can capture the imagination, but great design offers something more generous.
Under the uncompromising leadership of of Maxime-Alexis Frappier, Joan Renaud and Etienne Laplante Courchesne, the 95-person studio is deeply rooted in solid know-how and a joie de vivre. The firm’s mission is to deliver highly tailored, design-savvy projects at any scale across all typologies. In their architectural atelier, they are energized by constraints (budget, site, material) and craft poetry from pragmatism. With their creative energy and broad expertise, ACDF designs inspiring spaces in which North American pragmatism meets European flamboyance.
Some of the notable projects by ACDF Architecture are;
- Notre-Dame College Gymnasium , Montréal, Canada
- Lightspeed Offices Phase 3, Montréal, Canada
- Flighthub, Saint-Laurent, Montréal, Canada
- Barclay Tower, Vancouver, Canada
- The Pacific by Grosvenor, Vancouver, Canada
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MGA | Michael Green Architecture
MGA | Michael Green Architecture is one of the most internationally recognized architecture firms in Canada. Beyond the four Governor General’s Medals for Architecture and the two Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Awards for Architectural Innovation, the firm is recognized for it’s innovation in sustainable architecture and developing carbon-neutral buildings with advanced wood construction.
MGA is a mid-sized architecture firm with an exceptionally talented and experienced staff who work on projects from tiny boutique interiors to large institutional buildings locally and internationally. The firm’s studio houses the architecture, interior, graphic, landscape, and model design making staff. The firm highlights that it was founded to pursue projects they feel passionate about.
Some of the notable projects by MGA | MICHAEL GREEN ARCHITECTURE are;
- The Dock Building, Vancouver, Canada
- Oregon State University Forest Science Complex, Corvallis, Oregon
- Catalyst Building, Spokane, Washington
- T3 Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TED LIONS MARQUEE, Vancouver, Canada
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KPMB Architects
KPMB Architects is an award winning, internationally recognized Canadian practice. It is notable for its unique hybrid form of architecture and practice, developed to respond to the region’s multi-cultural, dynamically changing world. This is manifested in the diversity of the portfolio for culture, education, healthcare and paradigm shifting climate responsive design. Every project is conceived to support an essential belief in the power of architecture to influence civil and moral conditions. The firm comprises a deep pool of highly talented pesonnel who together form dynamic integrated design teams to ensure every design solution balances vision and pragmatism, environmentally responsible design and architectural excellence.
Some of the notable projects by KPMB Architects are;
- Boston University, Center for Computing & Data Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts
- Beaverbrook Art Gallery (Harrison McCain Pavilion), New Brunswick, Canada
- Isttaniokaksini/Science Commons – University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
- Downsview, Toronto, Canada
- Wilson School of Design, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Richmond, Canada
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Lemay
Lemay has been imagining new ways to create spaces that engage users and bring people together. The firm boasts of over 400 architects, designers, industry leaders and change-makers work tirelessly to cultivate innovation in their own backyards, as well as in communities around the world. Since its inception in 1957, Lemay has been inspired and strengthened by transdisciplinary creativity, the firm has also developed its very own NET POSITIVE™ approach to guide teams toward sustainable solutions that shape a better future. With the human experience at its heart, Lemay has been imagining new ways to create spaces that engage users and bring people together and strives to design with empathy and create spaces to grow.
Some of the notable projects by Lemay’s are;
- Pomerleau Offices, Levis, Canada
- Lumenpulse, Longueuil, Canada
- Bellechasse Transport Center, Montréal, Canada
- Grand Théatre de Québec, Québec City, Canada
- Place des Montréalaises, Montréal, Canada
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MJMA Architecture & Design
MJMA is a Toronto, Canada-based design practice of 60+ designers and architects. MJMA has evolved from a 30 year strong legacy of making community buildings, to building communities – in towns and cities, on campuses, within organizations, and across playing fields. The firm’s increasingly diverse portfolio speaks to an innovation culture at MJMA that drives all their designs. This spirit of innovation, cultivated with clients who are enthusiastic about creating meaningful architecture that positively contributes to the built environment, has resulted in more than 75+ national awards.
Some of the notable projects by MJMA Architecture & Design are;
- Queen’s University John Deutsch University Centre, Kingston, Canada
- UBC Aquatic Centre, Vancouver, Canada
- Clear Lake House, Parry Sound, Canada
- Chinguacousy Park Redevelopment, Brampton, Canada
- Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre, Edmonton, Canada
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Atelier RZLBD
Atelier RZLBD is a boutique art & architecture practice based in Toronto founded by architect Reza Aliabadi (OAA, MRAIC); whose work extends to designing buildings & objects, curating installations and expositions, and publishing a zine called rzlbdPOST.
The practice is not just an ordinary operation that serves, rather like a positive virus, it contributes, communicates, challenges and adapts itself to the needs of each project and its context. The firm’s work has been distinguished with numerous accolades and exhibited in many venues.
Some of the notable projects by Atelier RZLBD are;
- Opposite House, Toronto, Canada
- Shaft House
- 5/6 HOUSE
- Whale House
- The Gallery House, Markham, Canada
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Henriquez Partners Architects
Henriquez Partners Architects is dedicated to working closely with clients to create buildings that are culturally, environmentally and economically sustainable. Every project is an opportunity to enrich communities by seamlessly integrating ethics and aesthetics. Informed by this credo and an unwavering commitment to design integrity, the firm has consistently demonstrated the ability to manage projects from design through to construction and the technical expertise to create structures that stand the test of time. Henriquez Partners Architects has received numerous awards for design excellence.
Some of the notable projects by Henriquez Partners Architects are;
- TELUS Garden Office Tower, Vancouver, Canada
- Prototype (M5), Vancouver, Canada
- Pendrell, Vancouver, Canada
- Central Presbyterian Church, Vancouver, Canada
- Cardero, Vancouver, Canada
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Hariri Pontarini Architects
Hariri Pontarini Architects (HPA) is a leading Toronto-based, full-service architectural studio known for crafting projects of enduring value. Founded in 1994 by Siamak Hariri and David Pontarini, the firm’s portfolio covers a diverse range of institutional, cultural, mixed-use, commercial, and residential projects of international acclaim. Distinguished by an unwavering commitment to design excellence, and an aspiration to create architecture that can uplift and inspire, HPA’s growing body of work has helped to elevate and expand Canada’s architectural profile on the global stage.
Their 150-strong practice provides clients with in-depth partnership involvement at all phases of design. They also have the technical and building expertise necessary to oversee construction and is a firm believer in building strong relationships. The team takes pride in establishing lasting partnerships with everyone involved in the development, design and construction of buildings. The firm takes full responsibility for delivering a design vision that is inspiring and practical to the occupants of each building, this includes being sensitive to their setting, respecting client budgets and timeframes and attuned with stakeholder requirements.
Some of the notable projects by Hariri Pontarini are;
- McKinsey & Company headquarters, Toronto, Canada
- 7 St. Thomas, Toronto, Canada
- Nicol Building, Sprott School of Business, Ottawa, Canada
- The Bahá’í Temple of South America, Santiago, Chile
- Ontario’s Celebration Zone, Toronto, Canada
- Tom Patterson Theatre
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Akb Architects
Akb Architects is the award-winning, internationally acclaimed, Toronto-based architecture studio of Robert Kastelic and Kelly Buffey. Dedicated to the practice and art of building, their quest to capture the poetic and ineffable qualities of space is what drives and focuses the studio’s design process. The work of Akb Architects has been featured in numerous international publications, including Dezeen, Designlines, Atrium Magazine, and The Globe and Mail.
The work of the studio benefits from Robert and Kelly’s extensive training in both architecture and interior design; a comprehensive strategy results in buildings of exceptional resolution and an uncommon level of refinement.
A unified and holistic approach to interior and exterior space merges building and landscape into a seamless experience, transforming the ephemeral into the tactile. Elements of volume, light, proportion and materiality are orchestrated to resonate and respond to each project’s unique site, context and program.
Some of the notable projects by Akb Architects are;
- Story Pod, Newmarket, Canada
- Metrick Cottage and Boathouse, Ontario, Canada
- Whistling Wind Cottage, Pointe au Baril, Canada
- Muskoka Cottage, Canada
- Clearview Chalet, Collingwood, Canada
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