DA was founded in 1969 by two architects with a shared belief: design buildings that maintain the best of the natural environment, and the people interacting with the buildings will be at their best as well. Almost forty years later, that philosophy remains at the heart of what drives design at DA Architects + Planners.

Placemaking

“DA was involved in the master planning of Concord Pacific – a series of neighbourhoods that have been successful in providing meaningful spaces within a new high density environment. As a firm we’ve always designed so that buildings fully engage the landscape. It’s the relationship of the architectural edges to the open spaces, the strong relationship between site and building that has contributed to the livability of the community.” Al Johnson, Associate

Collaborative Professionalism

“The firm has been well known for many years as a team player in very large projects. We’ve had many collaborations, among them Canada Place, the Vancouver Convention Centre, Library Square, and the Chateau Whistler. There have been lots of projects of that stature where we have been approached, or approached others, to put together teams. These are rewarding and exciting projects through which everyone learns and grows and becomes stronger.” David Galpin, Consulting Partner

Participatory Design

“The best projects that we’ve done have been approached with an openness to try something a little different. Projects where neither we nor the client sat down at the beginning with preconceived notions about what the building would look like or how it was going to function.” Al Johnson, Associate

Community Commitment

“Many of our projects require public meetings and I tend to speak at many of these. We work closely with our clients, providing whatever information and visuals they may need to help them talk to the community in a meaningful way. It’s important to approach public consultation with an honest effort to understand what people in the community are feeling about a new development and why they feel that way.” Mark Ehman, Partner

Design and craftsmanship

“Our most successful projects seem to be in the modern vocabulary. Thankfully, while the retro-historical styles were in vogue, our firm managed to encourage clients to focus on more regionally inspired modernism. We continue this focus, and in addition to blending naturally with the coastal environment, is well-suited to bringing in concepts of sustainability and energy efficient design.” Randy Knill, Partner