People connecting with people
Paul Kariouk, Chris Davis and Adam Paquette have together built an internationally recognized practice. Paul and Chris have worked side by side since 2001 and were joined by Adam in 2012. As all our clients will note, we are not merely office colleagues but extremely close friends. Happiest when we are all working together over the conference table, no decision is ever made without consulting the others.
We intentionally cap our staff at a total of five — otherwise the studio would become conventional, risking the onerous administration and incongruous personalities that would hinder vibrant dialogue. Similarly, we take care to accept projects where there is sincere client interest for design beyond the tried-and-true, even if the budget is fairly modest. We also ensure we’re never overextended. Every project we accept gets our full effort — no shortcuts, no offloading to junior staff (Paul, Chris, and Adam are all trained as architects and we don’t employ technologists). If we can’t commit 200%, we either pass or explore extending the design timeline to maintain quality.
Our team has always prioritized mentoring young talent, thanks in part to Paul’s knack for recruiting exceptional individuals through his teaching. We operate as an atelier, dedicating significant time to mentorship, though we understand that growth often leads our young colleagues to pursue their own paths. Case in point: after three impactful years with us, John Stelluto is heading to Toronto for graduate school. While we’ll deeply miss both him and his contributions, mentoring also means celebrating these new journeys.
