About Us - Arcavex Legends Architecture

Our Story & Philosophy

Look, we didn't start this firm just to throw up another glass tower or slap some paint on old buildings. Back in 2011, a few of us got tired of seeing Toronto's architectural soul getting lost in the rush to modernize everything. We figured there's gotta be a better way - one that respects what came before while still pushing forward.

What really drives us is this idea that buildings aren't just structures, they're stories. Every heritage facade we restore has lived through decades of Toronto winters and summers. Every new design we create needs to earn its place in the skyline. We're not about copying what worked fifty years ago or blindly chasing the latest trends from overseas.

The thing is, contemporary design and heritage work aren't opposites - they're actually perfect partners. You learn so much from studying how older buildings were crafted, the attention to detail, the materials chosen for a reason not just aesthetics. Then you take those lessons and apply modern thinking, better energy efficiency, smarter use of space, sustainable materials that'll outlast us all.

We've grown from three architects sharing a cramped office on Queen West to a team of passionate designers, engineers, and heritage specialists. But honestly? We're still those same people who believe buildings should make neighborhoods better, not just developers richer.

Meet the People Behind the Projects

Sarah Chen

Principal Architect & Founder

Twenty years in, and Sarah still sketches every first concept by hand. Her background in structural engineering means she won't design anything that can't actually be built - refreshing, right?

Marcus Thompson

Heritage Restoration Lead

Marcus can date a building's brickwork just by looking at it. Bit of a historian, bit of a detective, completely obsessed with preserving Toronto's architectural character. He's saved buildings the city had written off.

Elena Rodriguez

Urban Design Director

If you want to know how a building affects its neighborhood, ask Elena. She's spent years studying how urban spaces actually work - not how planners think they should work.

David Park

Sustainable Design Specialist

David joined us from Vancouver with a mission to make every project we touch greener. He's not preachy about it though - just quietly makes buildings that use half the energy without compromising design.

Priya Sharma

Interior Architecture Head

Priya sees spaces differently than most of us. She's got this knack for making interiors feel twice as big without moving a single wall. Clients love her because she actually listens to how they live.

James O'Connor

Senior Project Manager

The guy who keeps our projects on track when contractors get creative with timelines. Former builder himself, so he knows every trick in the book - and doesn't fall for any of them.

Zoe Williams

Design Architect

Fresh perspective meets solid training. Zoe graduated top of her class and immediately challenged half our design assumptions - in a good way. She's pushing us to rethink how we approach residential projects.

Ahmed Hassan

Technical Architect

Ahmed's the one making sure our creative ideas don't collapse under their own weight. His technical drawings are things of beauty - precise, detailed, and they actually help contractors instead of confusing them.

Our Journey So Far

2011 - The Beginning

Three architects, one shared office, and way too much coffee. We took on our first heritage restoration project - a Victorian rowhouse everyone else said was too far gone. Proved them wrong.

2014 - First Major Commercial Win

Landed the Queen West mixed-use development. Six months of presentations, but we convinced the client that preserving the original facade wasn't just nice - it was smart business. That project put us on the map.

2017 - Team Expansion & Awards

Grew to fifteen people and snagged our first Toronto Urban Design Award. Also started getting calls from other cities - apparently word travels when you don't screw up heritage buildings.

2019 - Sustainability Focus

Brought David on board and made green building a core part of everything we do. Completed our first net-zero heritage restoration - yeah, it's possible, and no, it didn't cost twice as much.

2021 - Pandemic Pivot

Figured out virtual collaboration when we had to. Actually made some of our processes better. Also redesigned a bunch of spaces for the post-pandemic world - turns out people wanted different things from buildings now.

2023 - National Recognition

Our waterfront mixed-use project won the Governor General's Medal in Architecture. Still can't quite believe that one. Also launched our urban planning division because clients kept asking us to think bigger.

2025 - Today

Twenty-eight people now, still crammed into that same Queen West building we started in (though we did take over another floor). We've completed over 140 projects and we're just getting warmed up.

How We Actually Work

We don't do the whole stuffy architect thing. First meetings happen over coffee, not in conference rooms. We sketch ideas on napkins before we touch a computer. And yeah, we'll tell you if your idea won't work - but we'll also tell you why and what might work better.

Every project starts with listening. Sounds basic, but you'd be surprised how many firms skip this part. We wanna know how you use space, what bugs you about your current setup, what you've always dreamed of. Then we translate that into design that actually makes sense for your life or business.

Our team's pretty collaborative - interior designers talking to structural engineers, heritage specialists working with sustainability experts. Good ideas come from anywhere, and the best projects happen when everyone's involved from day one. We've had some of our smartest solutions come from junior staff or even contractors on site.

Let's Talk About Your Project

140+

Projects Completed

14

Years in Business

28

Team Members

12

Industry Awards