Issued For Construction ID: Allen Chan, Anwar Mekhayech, & Matt Davis - DesignAgency Pt.1

In part two, Richard Kroeker picks up where he left off and goes deeper into the ideas behind his life’s work. He explains why the Architectural Association, a school founded and still run by its students, left him asking why every university doesn’t work that way, and how that conviction turned his Dalhousie studios into research teams producing work for real communities rather than grades destined for the bin. He returns to Gambia, where his former students still lead a grassroots group building walkways that reconnect women to flooded gardens and safe latrines at village markets, and recalls a chief who warned him that every graduate now needs an air conditioned office. He describes years of building longhouses and lodges with Mi’kmaw knowledge holders, staying with Albert and Murdena Marshall in a home where the teapot never emptied and the whole community passed through the kitchen, a bond he now honours with a bursary for Mi’kmaw students. Richard tells how he bent trees on logging roads with his car and a rope, then called Buro Happold, whose engineer Chris Williams came over at cost and slept on his couch. That work led to the Pictou Landing Health Centre, framed in local spruce shaped by the community. He looks back on addressing the International Union of Architects in Berlin alongside Frei Otto, the Schelling Medal that followed, and the Order of Canada call he assumed was a wrong number. He closes with the prizes that matter most: an honest critic in his wife, a son and grandson living next door, and a simple rule to do everything with love. ⁠Richard Kroeker⁠ Upcoming Episode: Hewn + Barter Sponsors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Caplan's Appliances⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Doors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Issued For Construction⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Richard Kroeker grew up on a Manitoba farm near a small prairie village, one of five boys in a home where canning season, butchering bees and hay crews were shared community work. His father, a Ukrainian immigrant who worked as a bricklayer, plumber, carpenter and mechanic, told his sons that their heads were their future. Richard set out to be a naturalist, drawing and painting everything he observed, until a shortcut through the University of Manitoba architecture building showed him people laughing, building and generating ideas together. He soon changed course. He went on to the Architectural Association in London, where students wrote their own curriculum and defended it before external juries, with teachers that included Peter Cook and Zaha Hadid. After designing in London through the Thatcher years, a teaching post brought his family home to Canada and to Dalhousie University in Halifax. There he became a professor, director of the School of Architecture, and now Professor Emeritus, treating the studio as a place to solve real problems. In Gambia, his students built hand pumps from discarded tires and flotation gear from water bottles for fishing families. In Eskasoni, he worked with Albert and Murdena Marshall, and in Minnesota a studio helped protect a Dakota sacred site. Richard is a Member of the Order of Canada, a 2022 World Architecture Festival WAFX award winner for the Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour, and a recipient of the Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award for the Pictou Landing Health Centre. He still paints. Richard Kroeker Upcoming Episode: ⁠Richard Kroeker⁠ Pt.2 Sponsors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Caplan's Appliances⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Doors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Issued For Construction⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Jamie grew up in Cedarvale, the youngest of three sisters, with summers at the family cottage on Lake Simcoe. By her own account she was a serial quitter of piano, guitar and dance, but she never stopped making things, from beading and painting to bedazzling, and she still remembers the hot pink and orange Ikea haul that made decorating her bedroom feel like a turning point. A psychology degree from McGill did not point her toward design, but a nudge from her mom and a leap into a Toronto interior design program did. She passed on Parsons in New York, spent a summer traveling through Southeast Asia, and learned the business from the ground up through retail at Club Monaco, a short stint selling condo upgrades, and nearly five years at Tara Fingold Interiors, where she picked up drafting, styling, purchasing and the confidence to get on the phone and make things happen. After a maternity leave that came to an end, in early 2020, weeks before the world shut down, she launched JPZ Interiors with one renovation, a freshly photographed home and an Instagram account. Today her Toronto residential practice often runs around ten projects at once and has reached Florida, and she is building a team while raising three kids. Along the way she opens up about pricing her time, writing her first contracts, trusting her gut on red flags, and why you should simply pick up the phone and ask. ⁠⁠JPZ Interiors⁠⁠ Upcoming Episode: Richard Kroeker Sponsors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Caplan's Appliances⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Doors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Issued For Construction⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Place of Work is an architecture studio with one foot in Halifax and one in Toronto, founded by Jennifer Esposito, Duncan Patterson, and Will Perkins. The three first worked together at MacKay Lyons Sweetapple Architects, and when COVID shook everything loose they realized a practice built on trust and shared shorthand could live in two cities. Today they design mostly houses, with a deep interest in the rituals that happen inside them, and the studio was featured in the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2026. The name comes from a term in a Canadian construction contract, where it simply means the site, but they loved how it also speaks to place and to work. Will was born in Halifax, spent his early years in Los Angeles and New Zealand while his luthier father worked abroad, and trained in lighting design at the National Theatre School of Canada before starting architecture school at 26. Duncan grew up between Regina and his dad’s cattle ranch, sketching in colored Conte and building fences, then came to Dalhousie by way of an architectural technology program. Jennifer, a Toronto native and former varsity swimmer, followed Carleton and Harvard’s GSD with practice in Yellowknife and Halifax, and now teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University while advocating for equity in the profession through BEAT. Away from the studio, Will cooks ambitious dinners, meditates early in the morning, and is learning tennis for the joy of not being good at it. Duncan hikes, camps, plays rec league basketball, and joins his brother’s nonprofit that turns basketball courts into murals. Jennifer reads, travels, and dreams of a shack on the ocean. ⁠⁠Place of Work⁠⁠ Upcoming Episode: JPZ Interiors Sponsors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Caplan's Appliances⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Doors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Issued For Construction⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Michelle grew up in Richmond, BC, the daughter of Australian parents who made sure she was born a proud Canadian, and she has rarely stood still since. Ballet started at two, followed by the French horn, the trumpet, basketball as a point guard, and a string of provincial titles in the 800, 1500 and 3000 metres. Her first business lessons came from rolling coins at her parents’ laundromat and restocking a pop machine, and a sports scholarship carried her to California, where she studied English literature and competed in the heptathlon. Advertising, a move to Toronto and a renovation of her own home led her to the Academy of Design, where she graduated in 1999. London and Amsterdam came next, along with a hot pink Swedish army bike she brought home. Around 2005 she launched Lucid Interior Design, named for clarity and light, and built it on full gut renovations, additions and custom homes, from a Tip Top Lofts residence to a heritage home on Spadina Circle. A Registered Interior Designer, her work has reached television too, through Weekend Reno on Cottage Life, Junk Raiders and Room to Grow. Today Michelle is principal designer of Georgian Custom Homes, where she stepped in during 2019 to help run its architecture and design department. Here she shares what design school taught her, why a good mentor matters, and what to do when a specified product suddenly disappears. Away from work, you will find her scuba diving, planning her next trip, or singing karaoke at her Prince Edward County farmhouse. ⁠⁠Michelle Mawby⁠⁠ Upcoming Episode: Place of Work Sponsors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Caplan's Appliances⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Doors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Issued For Construction⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠