About Us - Gale Quinn Thavorn Architecture

The Origin Story

Started back in 2009 when I was crammed in a tiny office above a ramen shop on Commercial Drive. The smell was distracting, but the rent was cheap and the inspiration was everywhere - watching how people actually lived in this city, not how design magazines said they should.

What began as me, a drafting table, and way too much coffee has grown into something I'm genuinely proud of. We're a team now - 14 of us - and we've kept that same street-level perspective. Every project starts with the question: how do people really want to use this space?

Vancouver's changed a lot since then, and so have we. But we've never lost sight of what matters - creating buildings that don't fight against nature, they work with it. Spaces that feel right the moment you walk in.

- Gale Quinn Thavorn

Founder & Principal Architect

How We Actually Work

Forget the stuffy architectural jargon. Here's what drives every decision we make.

Listen First, Draw Later

We spend more time in the beginning just talking. What frustrates you about your current space? What makes you feel good when you walk into a room? Your answers shape everything that comes after. Can't tell you how many times a casual comment during coffee has completely redirected a project for the better.

Nature's Not an Afterthought

Living on the west coast, you learn real quick - you don't compete with the environment, you collaborate with it. Rain's gonna rain. Wind's gonna blow. So we design buildings that embrace it instead of constantly fighting back. It's cheaper, smarter, and honestly just makes more sense.

Real Buildings, Real Budgets

We're not designing for awards or Instagram likes. These are places where people live and work, and they need to function within actual financial constraints. Beautiful doesn't have to mean expensive - sometimes it just means thoughtful. We've gotten pretty good at finding that sweet spot.

Cities Are Living Things

Urban design isn't just about individual buildings - it's about how they talk to each other and the streets around them. We think about the person walking by at street level, the neighbor across the way, the tree that's been there for 50 years. Every project is part of something bigger.

Meet The Team

The folks who turn sketches into reality and keep the coffee flowing.

Sarah Chen

Senior Architect

15 years deep in sustainable design. Makes the best site sketches and terrible puns in equal measure.

Marcus Rodriguez

Urban Planning Lead

Former city planner turned private practice. Knows every zoning bylaw by heart, somehow makes it interesting.

Priya Kapoor

Interior & Spatial Design

Has an uncanny ability to see potential in weird spaces. Client whisperer extraordinaire.

James MacLeod

Heritage Restoration Specialist

Brings old buildings back to life while respecting their bones. History nerd in the best way.

Aisha Osman

Sustainability Consultant

LEED certified and passionate about it. Finds green solutions we didn't even know existed.

Tom Bergstrom

Project Manager

Keeps everything on track and on budget. Has a gift for solving problems before they become disasters.

Emma Virtanen

Residential Design Associate

Recent grad with fresh ideas. Her 3D renderings make clients cry happy tears.

David Kim

Technical Architect

The details guy. If there's a building code, he's memorized it. Saves us from costly mistakes regularly.

Why We Do This

There's this moment - happens on almost every project - where the client walks through their nearly finished space for the first time. They get quiet. Sometimes they tear up a bit. That's when you know you've done something right.

Architecture's not really about buildings. It's about the lives that happen inside them. The morning coffee in that perfectly placed breakfast nook. The dinner parties in a kitchen that actually makes sense. The kid who grows up in a bedroom with just the right amount of light.

We're lucky enough to shape those moments, and we don't take that lightly. Every line we draw, every material we choose - it all matters because it's going to be part of someone's daily life for years to come.

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