Join us for an exclusive tour of Reina, led by six women whose contributions were central to the design and delivery of this residential project.

Located on The Queensway in Toronto’s Queensway Village, Reina is Canada’s first condominium designed and developed by an all-women project team, with women leading project management, architecture, engineering, urban planning, construction management, and sales.

The project explores how different perspectives might shape the design and experience of condominium living. Its sinuous architectural expression carries through to the interiors, while a range of unit layouts, multipurpose amenity spaces, and shared programming are designed to accommodate residents across generations and encourage a stronger sense of community.

Bringing this vision together required close coordination across disciplines, from the initial development concept through design and construction. The tour will offer insight into the project’s design process, the challenges encountered along the way, and the collaborative approach taken by the women who brought Reina from concept to completion.

The tour will be led by:

Heather Rolleston, Principal and Design Director, BDP Quadrangle
Lisa Spensieri, Senior Associate and Senior Architect, BDP Quadrangle
Mara Nicolaou, Vice President of Design and Construction, Urban Capital
Fung Lee, Principal, PMA Landscape Architects
Emily Reisman, Partner, Urban Strategies

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Heather Rolleston
Principal and Design Director, BDP Quadrangle

Heather has more than 25 years of experience leading award-winning projects across housing, mixed-use, master planning, commercial and education sectors. As Principal and Design Director, she advances design excellence across BDP Quadrangle’s North American practice, bringing creativity, contextual understanding and thoughtful interventions to complex projects. Her portfolio includes 1200 Bay, Theatre District Residences, RIU Hotel, Reina and Biblio. Heather also plays a key role in growing the firm’s education portfolio, connecting local knowledge with BDP’s global expertise through work for NOSM University, McMaster University, Mohawk College, Queen’s University and Collège Boréal. She serves on the City of Toronto and Ottawa Design Review Panels and has contributed to architectural education as a visiting critic and studio professor at the University of Waterloo and University of Toronto.

Lisa Spensieri
Senior Associate and Senior Architect, BDP Quadrangle

Drawing on her background in visual arts and inspiration from the art and architecture she encountered while living in Italy, Lisa brings an analytical, iterative approach to design. Since joining BDP Quadrangle in 2017, she has contributed to projects of varying scales, developing creative solutions to complex site constraints, city by-laws and project requirements. Lisa has led feasibility studies and schematic design work focused on adaptive reuse and heritage sites, while contributing to prominent mixed-use and residential projects across Toronto, including Rush, Reina, Craft Residences, Leaside Common, Biblio, 18 Elm Street, 263 Adelaide Street West and 111 St. Clair. She is also committed to strengthening client and team relationships and has a particular interest in deep energy retrofits of existing housing stock.

Mara Nicolaou
Vice President of Design and Construction, Urban Capital

Mara Nicolaou, VP of Design and Construction at Urban Capital, brings nearly 30 years of experience across the design, construction, and development industries.

Mara began her career at architects—Alliance, working primarily on multi-unit residential condominium projects, as well as student residences at the University of Toronto and York University. She then moved into construction with Structure Corp., a boutique general contractor specializing in high-end retail.

Drawn to the transformative vision of the Regent Park Revitalization, Mara joined Toronto Community Housing during the early stages of the 69-acre redevelopment. In 2016, she transitioned back to the private sector, first joining Freed Developments and later Urban Capital, where she currently leads Design and Construction across residential development projects in Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax and Calgary.

Throughout her career, Mara has been passionate about housing, particularly mid-rise and infill development. She is especially proud of Reina Condominiums—the first project in her career where the entire boardroom was made up of women.

Fung Lee
Principal, PMA Landscape Architects

Fung has been a Principal of PMA since 2007, joining the studio in 1999. Over her 28-years of professional experience she has led and contributed to the implementation of community parks, botanical gardens, streetscapes, landscapes for hospitals and long-term care facilities, high-density developments, university campus landscapes and playgrounds.

Fung has particular experience in designing public spaces in Toronto applying her knowledge in best practices in landscape design with a high-level of technical skills. Some of her most notable park projects in the city include St. James Park, Spadina Quay Wetland, Ramsden Park, Sibelius Square and the recently completed George Hislop and Norman Jewison Parks.

As an urban dweller, Fung is passionate about the role of landscape in the densifying city: how public and private exterior spaces can better address and accommodate our diverse communities, provide more exposure to public art and nature and mitigate climate change.

Emily Reisman
Partner, Urban Strategies

Emily Reisman is an urban planner and Partner with Urban Strategies Inc. She brings a pragmatic, inclusive lens to complex projects, whether reimagining university campuses, hospitals, malls or entire communities. Emily is leading the 520-acre Downsview Lands redevelopment, one of North America’s largest city-building efforts, and has authored key planning policies including Toronto’s Growing Up guidelines. With deep expertise across sectors and a talent for navigating diverse priorities, she is a trusted advisor to governments, developers, and institutions.