Behind the Build AD: Nicolas Koff, Sebastien Bartnicki, Uros Novakovic - Office Ou

Marti Gallucci is a Partner and Design Director at Mason Studio, where she has been a key part of the firm’s evolution for over 13 years. She joined the studio as an intern during her fourth year of university, became its first employee, and has grown alongside the practice as it expanded into a multidisciplinary team of approximately 25 people. Her work spans hospitality, restaurants, hotels, private residences, retail, multi unit residential, and self initiated exhibitions and installations, with a strong emphasis on sensory driven, immersive environments.She lives in Stouffville, Ontario, and was raised primarily in Goodwood, with time spent in both Stouffville and Uxbridge. Growing up on a 100 acre rural property, she was exposed early to renovation and hands on building through projects completed with her family and her grandfather, experiences that shaped her interest in space, materiality, and how environments are lived in. She also competed extensively in sports, including figure skating and rep hockey, and played in a tournament that included Team China during their Olympic preparations.Gallucci initially pursued architecture, completing a year at Carleton University in Ottawa in the History and Theory of Architecture program before earning a four year degree in Interior Design from Ryerson University. At Mason Studio, she contributed to early landmark projects including the Duke condominium sales office in the Junction and the Andaz Hotel in Ottawa, where the studio designed the common areas, restaurants, rooftop outdoor space, and guest suites. Her work on that project included collaboration with Canadian artists and makers such as Art Bank, MSDS Studio, Derek McLeod, and Creative Matters, reinforcing the studio’s commitment to craft, storytelling, and place.Outside of practice, she prioritizes time with her family and continues to renovate and build with her husband, including plans for a new home in the countryside.Curated Podcast Sponsors:⁠Caplan's Appliances⁠⁠The Doors⁠⁠Aquanta Pools⁠ To connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected]⁠Behind the Build Instagram

Nicolas Koff, Uros Novakovic, and Sebastian Bartnicki are the founding partners of Office Ou, a practice shaped as much by lived experience and cultural memory as by formal architectural training. Each arrived at architecture indirectly, carrying with them deep impressions of place, history, and making that would later converge into a shared way of working.Nico grew up in Paris, fascinated by archaeology, ancient civilizations, and the way history embeds itself in landscapes. Childhood trips to Normandy, where WWII bunkers sat quietly along the coast, taught him to read terrain as a record of human action. After moving to Canada as a teenager to escape antisemitism, he found confidence through language, teaching French and rediscovering his footing. His academic path began in East Asian studies before expanding into architecture, landscape architecture, and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania, reflecting an enduring interest in scale, geography, and cultural systems.Uros was born in Belgrade and raised in Prague, where early memories of late-socialist streets gave way to the optimism of the Velvet Revolution. As a teenager, the city became his playground, shaped by daily walks through the historic center and school trips into the countryside. Moving to Toronto at fourteen was a shock that sharpened his awareness of urban form and what cities offer their inhabitants. His education at the University of Waterloo and formative work experience in Shanghai reinforced a belief in architecture as both cultural and exploratory.Sebastian grew up in Ontario immersed in drawing, painting, and meticulously constructed Lego worlds. Encouraged by a high school art teacher, he discovered architecture as a bridge between creativity and rigor. At Waterloo’s Cambridge campus and later in Rome, studying history in situ revealed architecture as part of a long, interconnected lineage shaped by politics, economics, and culture. Work experiences in New York, London, and Montreal further expanded his understanding of cities as living systems.Their partnership formed organically through late-night competitions, shared apartments, and an intuitive creative rhythm. Office Ou emerged not from a business plan, but from curiosity, trust, and a shared commitment to thoughtful, context-driven design.Impossible Toronto: https://impossibletoronto.ca/Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.caTo connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

Lara Nancy Cupido is a Toronto born interior designer and the founder and principal of LN Studio, a full service firm based in Caledon, Ontario. Raised just north of Toronto in an Italian family with an artistic mother and entrepreneurial father, she grew up with a natural blend of creativity and business sense that now underpins her practice.Lara discovered design at the University of Toronto, where an introductory architecture course shifted her perspective on how intentionally designed spaces guide how people live and move. She completed an undergraduate degree in architectural theory and fine art history, with Italian studies, before pursuing a master’s degree in interior design in Milan. There, she studied at an international English speaking school, completed an internship with color theorist Francesca Valan, and immersed herself in European design culture through events such as Salone del Mobile and the Venice Biennale.Returning to Canada, Lara worked in interior design and then as a project manager and later senior construction project manager for boutique real estate developer Compass Property Group in Toronto. Managing complex building upgrades taught her how to bridge design intent with construction realities and refined her skills in systems, organization and leadership. Throughout this time she continued to take on residential projects on evenings and weekends, gradually building the foundations of LN Studio.In 2024, after the company’s shift away from development and following maternity leave, Lara transitioned LN Studio into her full time focus. Today she leads a growing team on new builds, additions, multi residential projects and detailed interior renovations. Living in Caledon with her husband and two young children, she is committed to creating calm, intentional homes that quietly improve daily life, drawing on both her yoga background and her belief that well designed spaces support well being.Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.caTo connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

Born in Medicine Hat and raised across the Prairies, Kevin Weiss grew up moving from city to city, an experience that shaped his appreciation for stability and place. A competitive 1500-metre runner in his youth, he also spent countless hours drawing, experimenting with printmaking, and silkscreening at home. Those creative roots eventually steered him toward architecture, where mentors like Barry Sampson and Ian MacDonald helped sharpen his eye and discipline.Kevin’s curiosity for how things are made has followed him since childhood—whether knocking on the door of his first house decades later, building fences during a recession, or uncovering forgotten architectural details hidden above old ceiling tiles. He carries a genuine love for craft, from Victorian brickwork to the precise hands of masons and builders he collaborates with.When he’s not working, Kevin has played masters lacrosse for years and still treasures playful design challenges, like the colourful Winnipeg warming hut inspired by a classic cartoon. Now with his kids grown and living on the East Coast, he finds new rhythms in a quieter home while continuing to chase the spark of discovery that first pulled him toward making things.Full Bio:Kevin Weiss is an architect based in Toronto and the founder of Weiss Architecture and Urbanism, established in 2012. Born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and raised across the Prairies—including Redcliff, Calgary, Vancouver Island, Richmond, and Winnipeg—his early experiences of constant relocation shaped his appreciation for grounded and enduring architecture. Alongside competitive running in the 1500 metres, Weiss nurtured a long-standing interest in drawing, printmaking, and silkscreen work, which helped steer him toward studying architecture.He began his architectural education at the University of Manitoba before moving to Toronto, where he attended the Ontario College of Art—now OCAD University—before transferring to the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture. Influential mentors such as Barry Sampson and Ian MacDonald shaped his development as a designer, and Weiss later worked with both. He also spent multiple periods at Diamond and Schmitt Architects, contributing to institutional work including the Detroit Symphony Hall addition under Don Schmidt.Before launching his own practice, Weiss was a partner at Larkin Architect, contributing to projects such as St. Gabriel’s Parish, Kingsway College School, and Regis College. Since founding Weiss Architecture and Urbanism, he has completed a diverse range of public-sector and residential work, including long-term collaborations with the Toronto District School Board. His projects span technically complex school additions, science lab restorations, and custom homes that emphasize contextual sensitivity, craft, and thoughtful detailing.Weiss values a collaborative and hands-on design process, embracing opportunities for playfulness and innovation. His studio’s conceptual explorations include an award-recognized Winnipeg warming hut installation inspired by the classic “portable hole” cartoon and an OAA landscape competition proposal developed through analog model-making. Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.caTo connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

Jane Lockhart is a Toronto-based interior designer, television personality, author, and colour expert whose career spans nearly three decades. She founded Jane Lockhart Design in 1997, building on technical training, hands-on work, and a formative early career with Benjamin Moore, where she developed deep expertise in colour, materials, and store planning.Raised in Etobicoke, Toronto, Jane’s passion for design began in childhood as she drew houses, modified dollhouses, and built cardboard homes, influenced by a creative family that included a hat-maker grandmother and a commercial-artist grandfather.Jane first studied economics and political science at the University of Toronto before pursuing interior design at what is now Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly Ryerson University. She later became a familiar face on Canadian television, appearing on Cityline and then hosting HGTV’s One House, Two Looks and the series Colour Confidential, which aired in Canada on W Network and in the United States on HGTV.Known for her ability to translate complex design and colour concepts into accessible language, Jane has consulted for major brands and continues to work across residential and select commercial projects. She focuses on how people truly live in their homes, often exploring how layout, function, and colour influence mood, behaviour, and daily routines. A lifelong learner and researcher, she draws inspiration from travel, nature, running, and close observation of how people interact with their environments.Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/To connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

The first roundtable series: The Missing Middle, is a candid conversation on how cities can deliver more housing at a scale between single family homes and towers. The talented panel brings together Naama Blonder of Smart Density, Sue-Jean Chung of Studio JCI, Evan Saskin of Blue Lion Building, and Gabriel Fain of Gabriel Fain Architects. Together they unpack what the missing middle means, why it has been so hard to build, and how planning policy, approvals, construction methods, and community attitudes all shape what gets built. The discussion looks at generational affordability, neighbourhood character, transit investment, and the kinds of homes and streets that create real community.This conversation is meant to be watched, shared, and talked about across every platform, in your community groups and social networks. Comment on it, pass it on, and keep the discussion going, because the way our city will look twenty years from now and beyond depends on how we choose to confront the missing middle today.The recording was filmed at the flagship Lutron Experience Studio in Toronto, with production sponsored by Sound Solutions and videography, audio and post-production by Craft Photography & Video.Smart Density: https://smartdensity.com/Studio JCI: https://www.studiojci.com/Blue Lion Building: https://www.bluelionbuilding.com/Gabriel Fain Architects: https://gabrielfain.com/A special thanks goes out to Alison Brooks Architects for providing important and relevant precedent images of courtyard projects.Alison Brooks Architects: https://alisonbrooksarchitects.com/Sponsors:Sounds Solutions: https://www.soundsolutions.ca/Lutron: https://www.lutron.com/us/enProduction:Craft Video: https://craftphoto.ca/

Arancha González Bernardo and Michael Fohring are the co-founders of Odami, a Toronto-based architecture and design studio shaped by their international backgrounds and complementary creative perspectives. Arancha, originally from Avilés in Asturias, Spain, grew up surrounded by her family’s fabric and clothing shops, where her early interest in making and material exploration first took form. She studied architecture through Spain’s six-year professional program, graduating in 2012 during the post-crisis recession, a period that pushed her to pursue work abroad. Her move to Graz, Austria exposed her to multi-residential projects, cultural work, and design-driven graphic production, marking her first major cultural shift and shaping her adaptability as a designer.Michael, raised in the small town of Ayr, Ontario, spent his youth balancing competitive sports with an intuitive love of drawing and painting. His interest in architecture emerged in early adolescence as a natural extension of his artistic and mathematical strengths. After early setbacks applying to architecture school, he rebuilt his portfolio while working locally and was accepted to McGill University, later completing an influential term in Venice. Michael’s post-graduate year in Austria—where he and Arancha met while working at the same studio—solidified his commitment to design grounded in craft and physicality.After time spent between Spain, Toronto, and Montreal, they settled in Toronto and co-founded Odami. Their first commission—a two-level downtown restaurant—became the catalyst for establishing the practice. Rooted in collaboration rather than personal namesake, Odami reflects their shared values of clarity, material sensitivity, and thoughtful spatial experience. Their work now spans residential, commercial, hospitality, and conceptual design, including their contribution to Impossible Toronto, referenced in the episode’s liner notes. Together, Arancha and Michael bring a layered international perspective and a commitment to human-centered design to every project they lead.Impossible Toronto: https://impossibletoronto.ca/Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.caTo connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

Murray Legge is an award-winning architect based in Austin, Texas, originally from Whitevale, Ontario, a rural community outside Toronto. Growing up surrounded by farmland while his father worked as an aeronautical engineer and his mother as a nurse, Murray developed an appreciation for craft, structure, and precision early in life.Initially drawn to art and photography with ambitions of becoming a filmmaker, he studied architecture at the University of Toronto before transferring to The Cooper Union in New York City. There, the experimental and design-driven environment profoundly influenced his approach to space and material. During his studies, he gained hands-on experience working for architect Jerry Caldari and later at I.M. Pei & Partners, contributing to residential and civic projects, including work on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and high-end Park Avenue renovations.After graduation, Murray returned to Ontario, collaborating with builder Don Miller to dismantle and restore historic barns near Shelburne—a formative experience that deepened his connection to material honesty and timber construction. A visit to a friend in Austin in 1998 led to a permanent move, drawn by the city’s creative energy, affordability, and architecture community. He spent several years with LZT Architects before founding Murray Legge Architecture in 2013.His studio maintains a small-scale practice focused on residential, educational, and civic design. Notable work includes the Griffin School addition, numerous bespoke homes, and collaborations with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates on park pavilions for the City of Austin. In addition, Murray co-leads a public art studio with his wife and sister, whose installations are featured in cities across the U.S.—links to which appear in the show’s liner notes.Outside of practice, he enjoys drawing, playing the violin, and hiking Ontario’s Bruce Trail. His daughter is pursuing a PhD in biology at Syracuse University, researching soils and forest ecology.Legge Lewis Legge (LLL), is an award-winning interdisciplinary collaborative focusing on art and architecture. LLL was founded in 2001 by architect Murray Legge, and cinematographer Deborah Eve Lewis, both based in Austin, Texas, and artist Andrea Legge, based in Ontario, Canada and New York City.http://www.leggelewislegge.com/Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.caTo connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

Jeff Cogliati is a Canadian architect and the founder of Bloom Architects, an emerging Toronto-based studio recognized as one of the country’s first fully AI driven architecture practices. Born and raised in Windsor, 1Ontario, Jeff’s early exposure to Detroit’s rich Art Deco skyline shaped his lifelong interest in design. He began his architectural education at St. Clair College and later transferred to Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. He went on to complete a Master of Architecture at Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly Ryerson.Jeff’s career spans two decades across some of Canada’s most respected firms. He began at WZMH Architects, continued with HOK and Audax, and later joined Page + Steele IBI Group, where he spent nearly thirteen years and became a principal. In that role, he led major residential design teams and oversaw projects from feasibility through construction. His work helped shape skylines in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Halifax. In 2023, he joined B+H Architects to lead its residential sector before founding Bloom Architects in 2025.At Bloom, Jeff and his partner combine architecture, interior design, and advanced AI tools to deliver projects efficiently while expanding creative potential. Their work ranges from custom homes to multi building residential communities. His practice reflects a belief that technology should enhance human creativity rather than replace it.Outside of architecture, Jeff’s lifelong passion for music mirrors his approach to design. Both disciplines demand rhythm, collaboration, and the pursuit of harmony.Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.caTo connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

Aleris Rodgers and Francesco Valente-Gorjup are the co-founders of Studio VAARO, a Toronto architecture practice focused on thoughtful, holistic design from concept through construction. They met while completing their Master of Architecture at UCLA and later worked in Europe and Asia, including several years with Herzog & de Meuron. There, Francesco developed deep expertise in façades and building envelopes across large, multidisciplinary teams, and both contributed to the design and construction phases of the M+ museum in Hong Kong before relocating to Canada.Aleris was born in San Francisco and raised in the United States. She earned a BA in Psychology from Harvard and an MArch from UCLA. She is licensed in New York State and serves as an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, at the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty. Francesco grew up in Toronto, studied English and architecture at the University of Toronto, and later returned to KPMB, where he contributed to major projects and obtained OAA licensure.Founded formally in 2022, Studio VAARO’s work ranges from full-gut residential transformations to new builds, often integrating interiors, custom detailing, and rigorous coordination. Their Rathnelly House renovation exemplifies the studio’s approach, re-structuring a century home within its original roofline while introducing generous ceiling heights, monolithic concrete elements, and inventive fixtures such as a recessed triangular powder-room sink. The practice also pursues research, most recently coauthoring Impossible Toronto: On the Courtyard with Gabriel Fain Architects, a Neptis Foundation–supported study that visualizes how European-style courtyard blocks could enrich Toronto’s housing landscape.Impossible Toronto: On The Courtyard By: Studio VAARO & Gabriel Fain Architects, for the Neptis Foundationhttps://impossibletoronto.ca/Globe and Mail: Opinion by Alex Bozikovichttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/art-and-architecture/article-a-dense-urban-canada-its-possible/Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.caTo connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast