BEAT is a volunteer-run organization made up of architects, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs creating opportunities for community-building, advocacy, networking, and mentorship. We believe that empowering women in the design community improves and enriches the practice of architecture, the quality of the built environment, and ultimately, the human experience.
BEAT is continuing to work in collaboration with local Architects to provide a platform for promoting equality within the profession, through networking and leadership opportunities.
We were honoured to have Brenda Izen host a BEAT Talk at her office on Wednesday, May 18th, 2022. Watch below:
In this talk, Brenda Izen, founding principal of Izen Architecture, discussed how she’s leveraged an innate ability to build relationships - and hired an all-female team skilled in doing the same - as a key differentiator for her firm. The most critical part of what Izen offers is intangible - and is a result of the genuine, deep connection fostered with their clients and their homes. The session focused on Izen’s belief that their unique approach to architecture and design enables them to arrive at boundary-pushing, thought-provoking design solutions
About IZEN
Izen Architecture is a Toronto-based architecture and design studio that was born from a desire to more seamlessly integrate each stage of the architectural process with the whole. The firm specializes in the design of single-family homes, with a portfolio of projects distinctive for their finely-honed detailing. The all-female firm was founded by Brenda Izen in 2015 and now comprises nine incredible women who work in a collaborative environment to enhance the quality of people’s lives through good design.
Izen’s ethos is that the quality of their architecture is evaluated by how it affects the lives of its inhabitants. They strive to create sanctuaries that promote wellness in mind and body, achieved through our unique floor plans and their coalescence with both natural and artificial light, fresh air and air quality, the surrounding environment, proportion, colour and texture. They develop unique, personal relationships with their clients and incorporate them as collaborators throughout the process. Izen believes that establishing an open relationship with clients is one of the best ways to set a project up for success.
Brenda Izen
Brenda Izen is the founding principal of Izen Architecture, an all-female firm based in Toronto, specializing in modern residential design that is bold, boundary pushing and highly individual. Brenda oversees all phases of design from concept to completion, always developing a warm, personal relationship with clients – key to creating a home that truly reflects them. Her considerable experience with building construction and fabrication offers a unique approach – she combines conceptual ambition with the realities of construction in order to instill each project with design innovation, a focus on detail, and material creativity.