Who We Are
Marcus Lorinex
Principal Architect & Founder
Simone Bartlett
Design Director
David Chen
Sustainability Lead
Priya Malhotra
Urban Planner
Rafael Gomez
Heritage SpecialistOur Story Isn't Your Typical One
Started in a cramped Bay Street office back in 2012, we've grown from sketching ideas on napkins to transforming Toronto's skyline.
Look, we're not gonna feed you lines about how we're revolutionizing everything. What we do is pretty straightforward - we design buildings that don't just look good but actually work with the environment instead of against it. Marcus started this thing after getting tired of seeing cookie-cutter developments going up everywhere. He figured there had to be a better way, y'know?
We've spent over a decade figuring out how to balance what clients need, what the planet needs, and what actually makes sense for the people who'll use these spaces. Sometimes that means pushing back on trends, sometimes it means getting our hands dirty with old heritage projects that everyone else passed on.
What We Actually Believe In
Every building we touch should leave the site better than we found it. That's not some marketing thing - it's literally in our project briefs. We've walked away from projects that didn't align with this, and we'll do it again.
Architecture shouldn't be about ego. It's about creating spaces where real people live, work, and honestly just exist. If a design doesn't serve the folks using it, we've failed, plain and simple.
How We Got Here
2012
The Beginning
Marcus opened shop with just three people. Our first project? A residential renovation in Cabbagetown that the client's previous architect had given up on. Took us eight months but we nailed it.
2015
Going Commercial
Landed our first big commercial gig - a mixed-use development in Liberty Village. David joined specifically for that project and never left. That's when sustainability became non-negotiable for us.
2018
Heritage Work
Rafael brought his expertise and we dove into heritage restoration. Turns out there's something really satisfying about bringing old buildings back without erasing what made them special in the first place.
2021
Urban Scale
Started working on urban planning projects. Priya came aboard and suddenly we weren't just designing buildings - we were thinking about neighborhoods, transit connections, green spaces. The whole picture.
2024
Today
We're a team of 18 now. Still in that same building on Bay Street, just took over more floors. Still doing the work we believe in, just with more experience under our belts and honestly, fewer mistakes than we used to make.
45+
Projects completed across Ontario, each one teaching us something new
12 Years
Of figuring things out, making it work, and building stuff that lasts
What Keeps Us Going
Honestly? It's when we walk past a project years later and see it's still working the way we intended. Or when a client calls to say their energy bills dropped by 40%. Those little moments where the work actually delivers.
We're not trying to win every award or get featured in every magazine. Sure, recognition's nice when it happens, but we're more interested in the long game - creating buildings that our kids won't look back on and wonder what the hell we were thinking.
Want to Work Together?
We're always up for a conversation about potential projects. No pressure, just real talk about what's possible.
Get In Touch