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 Foundation

https://impossibletoronto.ca/

Globe and Mail: Opinion by Alex Bozikovic

https://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.ca

To connect with our sponsors, email me: jonathan@waldenhomes.ca

Behind the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

Jason Halter is a Toronto-based designer and founder of Wonder Inc, an interdisciplinary studio known for its explorations in modular and prefabricated construction, small-scale architectural design, and graphic and spatial design. Raised in Winnipeg in a creative family surrounded by books, art, and discussions of building, he developed an early fascination with design while spending time on construction sites with his father. After earning an undergraduate degree in history and art history, he moved to Toronto at twenty-one and studied architecture at the University of Toronto, where he later taught and continues to contribute as an adjunct instructor. After U of T, Jason received a graduate Fellowship from Syracuse University in Renaissance History.

Halter’s career bridges making, teaching, and collaboration. He has designed and built furniture, worked as a carpenter, and maintained a long interest in container and modular building since the late 2000s, completing projects across North America and abroad. His practice focuses on attainable, resilient construction using regional materials such as Douglas fir, western red cedar, and eastern white pine, with an emphasis on sustainable sourcing and long-life detailing. Through Wonder Inc, he collaborates frequently with design partner, Anita Matusevics, on projects that merge architectural design, visual communication, and publication work—including book design for leading architects.

Guided by a deep respect for nature and craftsmanship, Halter describes himself not as an architect but as a maker—someone who learns through iteration and collaboration with builders, trades, and clients. His work and teaching continue to examine how material intelligence, modular systems, and careful stewardship of resources can shape a more sustainable built environment.

Curated Podcast Sponsors:

Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/

The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/

Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.ca

Henry Rotberg Steel

To connect with our sponsors, email me: jonathan@waldenhomes.ca

Behind the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

Pat Hanson is a founding principal of gh3*, a Toronto-based architecture, landscape, and urban design practice recognized for its clarity, precision, and integration of natural and built form. Raised in a Norwegian-Italian farming community near Regina, Saskatchewan, she developed an early affinity for making and exploring the outdoors before studying fine art and later discovering architecture at the University of Manitoba.

After graduating, Hanson moved to Toronto in the early 1980s and began her career at Jack Diamond’s office, where she advanced to associate before co-founding her first practice. In 2005, she established gh3*, which has since become one of Canada’s most acclaimed design firms. The studio’s work bridges architecture and landscape, emphasizing civic engagement, material expression, and environmental sensitivity.

Hanson’s notable projects include the Borden Park Natural Swimming Pool in Edmonton, Toronto’s Cherry Street Stormwater Facility, the Boathouse Studio on Stony Lake, and June Callwood Park. Her leadership has earned gh3* multiple Governor General’s Medals in Architecture and national recognition for innovation in public and infrastructure design.

A Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Hanson has lectured widely and contributed to academic and professional discourse across North America. She is also a supporter of equity in practice, having advised organizations such as BEAT (Building Equality in Architecture Toronto).

Outside of architecture, Hanson maintains a lifelong discipline of daily running, travel, and immersion in nature—an extension of the curiosity and focus that continue to shape her approach to design.

Curated Podcast Sponsors:

Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/

The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/

Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.ca

Henry Rotberg Steel

To connect with our sponsors, email me: jonathan@waldenhomes.ca

Behind the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast