B+H Architects
320 Bay Street, Suite 200 M5H 4A6 Toronto, ON, Canada

Adele Rankin, Managing Principal Vancouver Studio + Global Lead, CHIL Interior Design, was recently interviewed for a feature story on the evolution of condo amenities and how designers can effectively tap into these spaces to support our new hybrid remote work lifestyles.

Is it possible to adapt to rapid change while preserving the health and safety of people and the planet? To explore this question, our team set out on a design exploration we later coined, "the unTower". The unTower is designed to be use-neutralmeaning it can adapt over time, quickly modifying to accommodate new program uses without long delays and costly system upgrades.

"The human element speaks to our belief that no matter the size or scale of the design, it's about how people will interact with a space and how that space will encourage people to interact with one another." Read more from President, Asia, Principal Karen Cvornyek about Shanghai's urban development over the next five years.

Designed by MZA Architects and B+H, MARI in Bellevue Washington is a distinctive high-rise residence in the heart of downtown’s vibrant retail and the Eastside’s prestigious residential neighbourhoods. It has officially broken ground on its 17-storey tower. A masterpiece of architecture and design, MARI blends traditional design with a modern flair to its 138 condominiums, inviting future residents to find inspirations in one of the Eastside’s most desired markets.

Healthcare systems and facilities across the globe have been tested and brought to the brink of collapse within the last year and will likely continue to be challenged as we move through the COVID pandemic. As we grapple with the rapid changes required to keep up with a coronavirus that’s mutating faster than we can keep up with, we know that healthcare design will need to adapt along with the outcomes and help prepare us for possible future pandemics.

Are you looking to make the next step on your career path? B+H's integrated and multi-disciplinary practice offers rich learning experiences to drive your career to the next level. Check out the positions we have available across our global studios.

We've been thinking a lot about how remote work has been working for us and for every pro, there's a con. How are you finding your remote work experience? Are you looking forward to returning to the office?

Three years into construction, the office tower 100 Queens Quay East now closely resembles the pre-construction renderings. Check out the progress.

We are pleased to announce the addition of new leadership to our Asia practice. Andrew Humphreys, Principal and Director of Healthcare, has joined our growing Hong Kong studio where he will work collaboratively with B+H’s best-in-class teams across the region to expand our healthcare portfolio. Andrew's international healthcare experience, with an extensive portfolio of work across the United Kingdom, Asia, and the Middle East, complements B+H’s global platform and delivery of bespoke solutions blending local delivery expertise with international standards and best practices. Read more about Andrew by visiting our website at the link below.

Our Toronto Studio’s Corporate Workplace team hosted a presentation about the future of the office to start a conversation with local leaders. What do you imagine for the future?

Head over to World Architecture News for the latest feature on B+H's Shenzhen Children's Hospital and Science & Education Building - a landmark new facility in Shenzhen that is set to transform paediatric research and care.

What began as a dialogue-starter has now evolved into a bold new vision for sustainable infrastructure development. The Architect's Newspaper shares our design concept for a hybrid mass timber replacement for the cracked and closed West Seattle Bridge, a project that has been garnering attention as the city weighs its options. Read more below!

Hot off the press! Boutique Design Magazine featured our recently completed design of the Hilton Garden Inn Anderson Park in Redmond, Washington. Integrating hyper-local influences and anchored around indoor- and outdoor-living concepts, the Hilton Garden Inn Anderson Park is a new hospitality destination that will further animate Redmond's Downtown core and spur economic vitality in the area.

Experience the new Shenzhen Natural History Museum via Canadian Architect

Today, B+H Design Director, Matthias Olt, will be joining the NAIOP Washington State Chapter Virtual Breakfast series entitled: Mass Timber: Current Trends & Future Use Grab your morning coffee, and see you there! https://buff.ly/3kdQK9r

How do we expand our idea of health in the wake of a global pandemic? B+H Healthcare Principal Chris McQuillan shares his thoughts with Healthcare Design Magazine's on the COVID-19 crisis, the mobilization of healthcare, and planning for future fights against unknown viral threats.

This week, our Toronto Studio team celebrated with a 'virtual toast' as we said goodbye to our home for the last 34 years at 481 University Avenue - now to be redeveloped as The United BLDG. With architectural design lead by B+H, the United BLDG will be transformed into a vibrant mixed-use and residential destination in the the heart of Toronto's cultural, financial, retail and innovation corridors.

B+H is a proud sponsor of the Zero Carbon Stream at the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) Building Lasting Change 2020 virtual conference. This stream will explore innovative designs and approaches, provide an overview of new technologies, products and renewable energy, as well as discuss the policies, programs, and ideas that encourage zero carbon development in Canada. Visit https://buff.ly/2ZKIDsG for registration and online session information.

At B+H we believe in embracing change and challenging the status quo to deliver resilient and healthy environments that make positive contributions to their communities and are characterized by vibrant human experiences. Read more about us and our work by visiting www.bharchitects.com. #WorldArchitectureDay #WAD2020 #Architecture #Design

Tomorrow, B+H Principal Chris McQuillan will be examining the similarities between the modern super hospital and the battleship. Once considered invincible, the battleship's vulnerabilities were exposed by airplane and submarine warfare. COVID-19, SARS, H1N1 and the next unnamed virus or resistant bacterial pathogen present a similarly unforeseen and fundamentally different challenge to our healthcare system. Our battleships, super-hospitals packed with the best technologi...es, sitting low in the water, are vulnerable to attack from pathogens carried by the very patients they seek to treat and the caregivers who treat them. Chis' presentation, "What Naval History can Teach Hospital Design about Vulnerability", will be delivered at the European Healthcare Design 2020 Virtual Congress. For more information and registration, please visit: https://buff.ly/3ifkge1

We're hiring! We're looking for a talented Landscape Architect and a Proposal Specialist in our Toronto Studio. Do you thrive in a highly collaborative, team-based environment? Head over to the Careers page on our website to view our open roles!... https://bharchitects.com/en/careers/

Located in Shanghai, B+H's design for the SAIC Volkswagen Technology Management Phase II campus considers an integrated approach to architecture, interiors and landscape design; it blends international best practices with local context to deliver VW's vision of enhancing innovation, fostering a collaborative culture, attracting the world’s top talent, and building connections with the surrounding community. Read up on our work for this world-leading automobile manufacturer on our website:

B+H was honoured to attend the groundbreaking of the UNITED BUILDING - an iconic addition to Toronto's skyline that considers a new convergence of live, work, and play, emblematic of the citys cosmopolitan character

On September 17th, B+H Principal Chris McQuillan will present at the European Healthcare Design 2020 Virtual Congress. His presentation, entitled "What naval history can teach hospital design about vulnerability," will draw upon lessons learned from naval history to expose the vulnerabilities in current approaches to hospital design and consider lessons learned that can help build a more resilient, adaptive healthcare ecosystem. More information can be found here: https://buff.ly/3ifkge1

We were recently invited by Monocle to discuss the benefits of mass timber design + construction. B+H Design Director Matthias Olt discusses the future of this sustainable building resource with Monocles Nic Monisse on the latest The Urbanist podcast. Check out the link below for the full interview.

The Case for Mass Timber: in our latest Perspectives page blog post, we're exploring the benefits of mass timber buildings and why designers and architects should pay close attention to this beautiful and sustainable material. Read more below:

Dezeen shares our vision and design for the Shenzhen Children's Hospital and Science and Education Building - a new hub for advanced research, learning and clinical care in paediatric medicine.

We are pleased to announce that B+H's Humber College Building Nx deep energy retrofit is the recipient of the 2020 CaGBC Green Building Excellence - Existing Building award! This ambitious retrofit at Humber College's North Campus has achieved Zero Carbon Building Standard Design certification, with the airtightness and thermal continuity of the building envelope driving improved energy results, while investment in lighting, temperature control and air quality brings increased occupant comfort. https://www.cagbc.org/News//2020/20200825_News_Release.aspx

B+H CEO Bill Nankivell and President, Asia, Karen Cvornyek, share their insights on leading a global design and consulting practice in a time of global disruption in the latest edition of Asia Outlook Magazine. Check out the link below for more:

We're hiring a Project Accountant in our Toronto Studio. Want to be part of an integrated and multi-disciplinary team with studios around the world? Head over to our Careers page to view our current open roles. https://buff.ly/3habH3p

B+H was recently selected as the winner of an international competition to design the new Shenzhen Children's Hospital and Science and Education Building located in the Futian District of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. B+H, in joint venture with East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI), were awarded first place for their innovative vision which emphasizes the intersection between research, education and patient care. Read more about the project fea...tured in Global Construction Review below. https://www.globalconstructionreview.com//canadas-bh-arch/

Pandemic mode will no longer be an optional luxury to be considered during the design process, it will be a compulsory way of thinking about how the hospital can quickly convert, physically as well as operationally. B+H Director of Healthcare, Asia and Managing Principal, Hong Kong, Stephanie Costelloe, shares her insights on healthcare design in a post-COVID-19 future on our B+H Perspectives page. Check out the link below for more:

B+H's vision for the new Shenzhen Children's Hospital and Science and Education Building is to ensure that the buildings occupants not only fully engage with the surrounding natural landscape, but that we create a unique micro-landscape within and around the building, from the ground floor to rooftop gardens. Read more about our latest healthcare work in Canadian Architect:

Building a better bridge: Geekwire shared B+H's mass timber design concept for the West Seattle Bridge done in collaboration with SMEC and Robert Bird Group. Read more about Design Director Matthias Olts vision for the project here:

The West Seattle Bridge is in need of a replacement, so B+H Design Director Matthias A. Olt envisioned a whole new kind of bridge. Matthias has partnered with fellow Surbana Jurong Private Limited Group companies, SMEC and Robert Bird Group, to design a first-of-its-kind sustainable replacement for the West Seattle Bridge using Mass Timber composites.

It's clear the global pandemic has raised a lot of questions about when travel will resume, but it is also making us think differently about why were traveling, where we want to go and how we want to get there. B+H Principal Stephane Lasserre shares his perspectives on the future of travel in our latest blog post. Check out the link below for more.

A few weeks ago, we said that we were listening and learning. Since then, weve witnessed the global call to arms for real and lasting change to eradicate the systemic inequity present in our communities. We are educating ourselves. Weve had difficult but necessary conversations with our colleagues around the world to better understand the broad and far-reaching dimensions of racism, inequity, and a lack of inclusivity in each of the geographies where B+H operates. Now we w...ant to share how we will be addressing these issues as a global design + consulting firm with a value system rooted in being Bold yet grounded in the Human element in everything that we do. B+H has appointed a Global Inclusivity and Diversity Lead who will champion a global network of Social Equity Task Forces based in each of our studios. Comprised of colleagues from all disciplines, areas of our practice and backgrounds who have stepped forward to support this initiative, these Task Forces will examine the dimensions of diversity, inclusivity and equity through the lenses of their local contexts. The issues are different in each of our communities, and it is crucial we have a global perspective to impact positive change and help build effective and holistic policies, procedures, and strategies at an organizational level. In addition to the work we will be doing ourselves, we will also be partnering with experts and leading voices in equity, anti-racism, and intersectionality advocacy to ensure a diversity of perspectives. We will be holding ourselves accountable by identifying success metrics and measuring ourselves against them. We recognize this as the beginning of a necessary cultural evolution; one that we embrace. Our goal is to create real, meaningful and lasting change within B+H, that will create a ripple effect beyond our organization and contribute to a legacy of social impact that we will all be proud of. We look forward to continuing to share our progress with you as we embark on this critical work.

As designers and architects of the built environment, we are responsible for creating spaces that enhance quality of life and create opportunities for people to live, work, play, learn, and heal. Design can only impact transformative change in communities and societies when it is informed by a diversity of perspectives. One of our core values is Active Listening. We are using this time to listen, reflect, learn and grow. To empower a better future we must ask better questions, both of ourselves and of the world around us. We are using this opportunity to reflect on our responsibility and challenge ourselves to find new ways to embrace the diversity of perspectives essential to informing design that is in service to building a better future for everyone.

B+H Principal and Managing Director (MENA), Phillip Jones, will be participating in a special webinar entitled "'Outlook for Canadian Business in Dubai' - A Discussion with the Consul General of Canada to Dubai and the Northern Emirates", organized by the Canadian Business Council in Dubai on June 3rd. For more event details and registration, please click on the link below: https://buff.ly/3erg7RS

Is it time for designers and architects to sunset the term 'social distancing' in favour of 'physical distancing'? B+H Principal and Global Sustainability Lead, Lisa Bate, argues that designers should be designing to protect social interaction by exploring and promoting all of the various methods and two-metre safe radius opportunities we have. More on Lisa's thoughts on what a healthy world will look like post-COVID-19 featured in Canadian Architect.

What will the hotel guest experience look like in a post-COVID-19 world? From touchless check-ins to socially-distant F&B experiences, CHIL Interior Design Global Lead, Paul Morissette, recently spoke with Canadian Lodging News about some of the changes we might see in the not-too-distant future.

"When we emerge from our living experiment well have new data to inform our decisions and our own personal experiences to draw from. We can anticipate a hybridization of work all the best of telecommuting melded with the things we miss most at the office and the things we simply cant access from home." B+H Advance Strategy Design Director, Christa Jansen, shares her thoughts on our living workplace experiment and how the future of work will forever be transformed. More on our B+H Perspectives page below:

What do you do when you have a passion for rock climbing but youre stuck indoors? Build a climbing wall in your living room, of course! Thats just what Toronto-based architect and B+H Associate, Robin Proctor, did when he could no longer visit his favourite indoor climbing spot but wanted to keep up with his training. From concept design to 3D modelling to construction, and finally, built form, Robin managed the process himself from start to finish, and the results speak for themselves. How are you staying creative at home? Share your ideas with us below!

Is health the new wealth? B+H Design Director Matthias Olt discusses the future of architecture and the built environment once weve re-prioritized human health. Head over to our B+H Perspectives blog for more!

B+H Senior Principal and Global Sustainability Lead, Lisa Bate, shares her thoughts on the link between environmental health and human health in the wake of COVID-19 with Azure Magazine. Check out the link below for more!

The Puget Sound Business Journal recently featured an interview with Seattle Managing Principal and B+H Advance Strategy founder Doug Demers. They discussed the Advance Strategy practice, what the future might look like, and the role of architects in a post-COVID-19 world. Check out the link below for more!

"The reset button has been pressed and we have the opportunity to rethink how we want our spaces to serve our needs and desires in the future." How will the disruption we're seeing today impact the way we live and work tomorrow? B+H's President of Asia, Karen Cvornyek, believes the opportunities extend beyond individual building types: offices, homes, malls. Check out the link below for more!

Regardless of where we are working from, we remain committed to delivering bold + inspiring spaces for our clients and for our communities. In these unprecedented times, were are all learning new things, building new muscles, and were connecting and engaging with one another like never before. As designers of the built environment it is our job to dream a better future. We are seeing new ways of living, working, learning, collaborating and socializing. All these new experiences will impact not only the design of our physical spaces in some way, but also how we operate as a global integrated practice.

"One of the most important learnings from this pandemic is that a sustainable lifestyle is not a choice but a necessity if we value the life and health of our populations." B+H's Dan Levin (Ho Chi Minh City) and Jean Sebastian Bourdages (Singapore) recently spoke with Construction+ magazine to share their perspectives on sustainable design, technology, and the built environment in the context of the current global pandemic. Check out their interview below for more!

What lessons can we learn from the vulnerabilities of warships and the design of today's super-hospitals? As technology and distributed networks make personalized care accessible from virtually anywhere, any time, is the solution to build more of what we already have?

Our Seattle Interior Design Principal, Joslyn Balzarini, had a fascinating virtual chat with NEWH, Inc. about culture, the history of B+H Advance Strategy, the future of hospitality and working from home in our 'new normal'. Check out the link below to tune in! https://www.facebook.com/NEWHnorthwest/posts/2894020913967371

This #EarthDay has us wondering, what would be different if we understood the climate crisis as a global health crisis? In case you missed it, we're sharing our thoughts on strengthening the link between human and environmental health on our B+H Perspectives blog.

At B+H, we believe that cities, districts, and communities exist as more than simply collections of constructed spaces. Built environments are meant to be livable, functional, resilient, and sustainable. Were committed to creating adaptive solutions and high performance buildings that make positive contributions to their communities: promoting health and well-being, stimulating productivity, and respecting our finite natural resources. Interested in learning more? Visit us at www.bharchitects.com.

In the midst of this pandemic, weve all raised questions about how our healthcare facilities will need to change, both to rise to this challenge and to prepare us for a similar outbreak in the future. B+H Principal Chris McQuillan shares his insights on the lessons learned in effective hospital design and the opportunity in harnessing other assets in our built environment.

While the increased use of virtual technologies and more distance between employees may be some of the changes we see in the workplace, we're predicting there will be a greater emphasis on higher value social spaces as a draw for employees returning back to the office in our New Normal. More of our thoughts in today's edition of The New York Times https://buff.ly/3bUEVAg

B+H Global Sustainability Lead and Principal, Lisa Bate, recently spoke with Jeremy Warson, host of the podcast series: Electric Cities. On the podcast they discuss B+Hs ability to adapt under the global impact of COVID-19, the correlation between global health, resilience and the environment, and Lisas perspectives on working abroad and gender diversity in the architecture profession.