In the workplace today, it is important that we are known to others, and to ensure that others are aware of our resourcefulness. Networking can be one of the most powerful and productive activities an individual can do to launch and manage their career.
The upcoming BEAT MIX will take place on the evening of Thursday, January 14th via zoom. Due to popular demand, the event will be specifically focused around issues architects face when they make the decision to have children. Attendees will have the chance to ask questions related to better understanding practices in place at offices to facilitate parental leaves, navigating the field once returning to work, and shedding light on the financial, social and cultural dynamics of raising children while managing a career. This BEAT MIX will serve to cultivate a valuable opportunity for those interested in understanding how to manage the balance between thriving at work and home, as well as network and meet colleagues in similar stages of their career.
BEAT MIX will include seven invited featured guests who are stationed in six breakout rooms. The featured guests will comprise of Partners and Principals from local design firms of various sizes, along with leaders in adjacent professions. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with the featured guests and meet a succession of individuals in small groups throughout the evening. Our panel of featured guests has been curated to share their unique experience navigating parenthood and practice.
BEAT encourages interns, emerging practitioners and seasoned professional to join this interconnected community to share information, advice and opportunities.
Limited space available.
While this event is free to attend, a ticket for entry will be required. Tickets will be released at noon on Monday, January 4th 2021.
ANDRE D’ELIA | Principal, superkül
B.Arch, OAA, FRAIC
Andre D’Elia is the founder and co-principal of superkül, where he has led many of the firm’s projects in a wide variety of sectors: academic, retail, office, and both single-family and multi-unit residential. His affable leadership style and superb communication skills are matched by a strong aptitude for design and construction. Particular areas of expertise include sustainable design, construction detailing and sequencing with a focus on pre-fabricated construction, and the redevelopment of heritage and existing commercial, residential and institutional properties. Andre was the Principal in Charge of Steelcase WorkLife Toronto, Proper TV and Woodhouse, and is currently directing the studio’s numerous commercial and multi-unit residential projects such as Stratus Centre, Junction House, several apartment buildings for developer Oben Flats, and two buildings for the winning design competition for Hamilton’s Pier 8 master-planned waterfront development.
Born in Toronto, Andre received his professional architecture degree from Carleton University (B.Arch, 1993), graduating with distinction. He interned in Italy before returning to KPMB Architects in Canada as a project architect on a number of award-winning buildings. Andre is a registered architect with the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA), a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (FRAIC), and a member of the Toronto Community Housing Design Review Panel. As a committed advocate of the architectural profession, Andre is generous with his time and expertise, serving as an OAA mentor and lecturing at a number of colleges, universities and conferences across Canada.
superkül is the Toronto-based architectural studio of principals Meg Graham and Andre D’Elia. Founded in 2002 upon an extensive body of professional experience acquired in Canada and abroad, superkül is recognized as a leading Canadian design practice. Its commitment to excellence, pragmatism and advanced building technologies has resulted in numerous architecture and design awards and recognition in several esteemed publications in local, national and international contexts.
The firm’s portfolio encompasses a wide array of project types, ranging from residential, commercial and institutional buildings to master planning and feasibility studies. While diverse, all of the projects undertaken evidence an immaculate attention to detail and material resolution—regardless of scale, and a profound connection to their built and natural contexts. The practice prioritizes a thorough engagement with all clients and stakeholders, and a belief in long-term sustainability guides the direction of the firm towards creating a brighter future.
Elaine Pantel | Partner, Shimmerman Penn LLP Chartered Professional Accountants
CPA, CGA
Elaine has over 30 years of experience in public accounting. She is a partner at Shimmerman Penn LLP, a mid-sized Toronto based CPA firm. Elaine provides business advisory and assurance services to clients in an array of industries in the areas of succession planning, estate planning, business transitions and financing, risk management, and operations benchmarking.
Elaine is responsible for the firm’s Marketing and Business Development programs and co-leads the firm’s industry specialty groups for Architecture, Engineering and Design (AED) and Investment Management Firms. Elaine is the firm’s expert for not-for-profit organizations. She has written widely and spoken regularly at industry seminars and workshops for these groups. Shimmerman Penn is a long-time supporter of the Toronto design community and has presented at and sponsored events and conferences for the OAA, IIDEX, SDA Canada and OALA.
Shimmerman Penn LLP is a mid-sized Toronto based firm of CPA’s and business advisors with a 35-year history serving SME clients in a wide range of industries, with a strong focus on business advisory services and tax planning strategies. Please learn more about us at www.spllp.com. The firm’s offices have been located in the Yonge and St. Clair area for the past 20 years.
Shimmerman Penn LLP is a Toronto member firm of PrimeGlobal, one of the top five largest associations of independent accounting firms in the world. Elaine is the Chair of the North American Board of Directors of PrimeGlobal, and also serves as a member of the World Board of Directors, which is focused on supporting the regions, governance, strategy, communications, member interaction and business development for the association. Over the years, Elaine has represented the firm at many PrimeGlobal conferences.
Elaine is a member of the Verity Women’s Club in Toronto.
Elsa Lam | Editor, Canadian Architect Magazine
B.E.S., M.Arch II, Ph.D.
Elsa Lam is editor-in-chief of Canadian Architect magazine. She was the 2012 winner of the Phyllis Lambert Prize for writing in architecture, awarded for her doctoral dissertation “Wilderness Nation: Building Canada’s Railway Landscapes, 1885-1929,” completed at Columbia University in the City of New York under the supervision of Kenneth Frampton and Vittoria di Palma. The dissertation explores the role of Canada's railway hotels, western national parks and other railway-sponsored buildings and landscapes in forging a sense of national identity.
Elsa studied architectural history at McGill University and architectural design at the University of Waterloo. She has written extensively for architecture magazines, as well as collaborating on the editing and writing of several books on design history. Previous to her role at Canadian Architect, she worked with the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal. She is co-editor of the forthcoming book Canadian Modern Architecture, 1967-2017, to be co-published by Princeton Architectural Press and Canadian Architect in Fall 2019.
Canadian Architect is a magazine for architects and related professionals practicing in Canada. Canada’s only monthly design publication, Canadian Architect has been in continuous publication since 1955. This national review of design and practice documents significant architecture and design from across the country and features articles on current practice, building technology, and social issues affecting architecture. We are the journal of record of the RAIC.
Canadian Architect has been honoured with numerous awards and nominations in the Canadian Business Press annual Kenneth R. Wilson Awards and has also been recognized in Canada’s National Magazine Awards.
For over 40 years, Canadian Architect has sponsored an annual national awards program, the only national awards that recognize projects in the design stage. Each year, submissions are due in late September, judging takes place in early October and the winning schemes are published in a special issue every December. Look for entry information in the July and August issues and on our website.
James Mallinson | Architect, Perkins&Will
B.Arch, OAA, LEED® AP, Certified Passive House Designer
Drawn to the expressiveness and exactitude of architectural drawing, James knew he wanted to be an architect from an early age. His post-secondary studies fostered interest in the historical forces underlying architecture, the felt experiences and narratives that knit together architectural space, how architectural design transforms our place in ecosystems, and the technical puzzle-solving of construction. A skilled designer today, James is valued by clients for his thoughtful and considered solutions to design challenges. He is sensitive to the complexity of client needs, is familiar with navigating complicated approvals processes, and is a conscientious developer of construction documents.
For James, satisfaction exists in cultivating trusted client relationships that yield views into a diverse group of socially enlightened organizations. Earning the trust of people who value creative education, mental health, and responding to the climate crisis is rewarding and gives meaning to the many organizational and technical challenges of projects he’s created.
Perkins and Will is an award-winning, interdisciplinary, and research-based architecture and design practice with Canadian studios in Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver that believes in the power of design to transform lives and enhance communities. Our team of architects, urban designers, planners, interior designers, and sustainability specialists collaborate with clients all over the world to create healthy, sustainable places in which to live, learn, work, play, heal, move, and explore. Clients consistently turn to our teams for leadership and expertise in sustainability, resilience, health and wellness, and mobility. Additionally, our research labs (research.perkinswill.com) catalyze innovative design technologies and solutions that result in better, smarter, and more competitive built environments.
Jessica Shifman | Senior Associate, Diamond Schmitt
B.Arch, OAA
Jessie received her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Toronto in 2001, and has spent her career working on culturally and societally significant projects. She has contributed to the award-winning Lazaridis Hall at Wilfred Laurier University, Holy Blossom Temple, Michael Garron Hospital, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Hall, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, and the TTC Museum Station Revitalization. She is a dedicated project leader who manages complex projects with attention to detail, and concern for her clients. Jessie sits on the Diamond Schmitt Recruitment and Staffing committees and has leads an office initiative to establish improved Work Life Balance for all staff.
Diamond Schmitt Architects is a leading Canadian architecture practice based in Toronto with studios in Vancouver and New York. Recognized for design excellence across a broad range of building types, our 300-person team is committed to socially responsible, sustainable design and thrives in a workplace that respects difference, values nature, promotes health and safety, and strives for compassion.
Kathleen Kurtin | Architect, OAA President
OAA, FRAIC
Kathleen Kurtin registered with the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) in the early 1980s, launching her independent practice, Kathleen Kurtin Architect. Over the next decade, the firm distinguished itself as a mid-sized architectural practice specializing in renovation within Toronto’s downtown core. With projects ranging from very small to upward of 500,000 square feet, her work included various building and client types, including retail, industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential. The firm had a reputation for innovative and cost-effective solutions, and provided the foundation for the City of Toronto’s Live/Work guidelines.
In the mid-1990s, Kurtin joined Scotiabank as its Chief Architect and Director of Design, leading a group of in-house and external architects and designers in the design and development of the bank’s real estate portfolio, both domestic and international. On retiring from Scotiabank in 2014, she re-established her independent practice.
Having participated on the Toronto Society of Architects (TSA) executive in the 1990s, Kurtin went on to become a member of OAA Council in 2013, and has taken on increasing responsibilities ever since. A self-regulating organization, the OAA is dedicated to promoting and increasing the knowledge, skill, and proficiency of its members, and administering the Architects Act in order that the public interest may be served and protected.
Kurtin first became president in January 2019 and helped Council set three priorities for the year—expand the scope of education to be comprehensive, embracing the possibilities presented by the evolving nature of architecture for both the public and the profession, celebrate and promote inclusivity and equity throughout the profession, and engage the membership. She began a second one-year term in 2020, with previous roles including Senior Vice President and Treasurer as well as VP Regulatory and VP Practice. Kurtin has chaired the OAA’s Audit, Practice, and Interns Committees as well as its Policy Advocacy Coordination Team (PACT) and Sustainable Built Environment Committee (SBEC). She was instrumental in establishing the Safe Work Places Committee, which has sought ways to make the practice of architecture for women more equitable.
Omar Gandhi | Principal, Omar Gandhi Architect
BA, BEDS, March, NSAA, OAA, RAIC
Omar Gandhi is the Principal of Omar Gandhi Architect, a practice founded in 2010 with small teams in both Halifax and Toronto. The work of its two studios has garnered much National and International attention in the young practice’s short history.
After studying in the inaugural Architectural Studies Program at the University of Toronto, Omar moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia where he received his Master’s degree at Dalhousie University. After graduation, Omar worked for Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, Young + Wright Architects, and finally MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects upon his return to Halifax. In Omar Gandhi Architect’s early years, Omar was awarded the Canada Council for the Arts Professional Prix de Rome, was included in Wallpaper* Magazine’s Architects Directory, and was named as one of Monocle Magazine’s ‘Most Influential Canadians’. Omar was chosen as one of the Architectural League of New York’s ‘Emerging Voices’ of 2016 and was appointed as the Louis I. Kahn visiting Assistant Professor in Architectural Design at the Yale School of Architecture for the Fall semester of the 2018-19 academic year.
More recently, Omar Gandhi Architect was the recipient of a 2018 Governor General’s Medal in Architecture for its work on Rabbit Snare Gorge, and in early 2020, the subject of a full studio feature in The New York Times.