David Arnott is the founder and principal of Stark Architecture and Interiors, a 24-person studio based in Squamish, BC. Originally from Peebles, a small town south of Edinburgh, Scotland, he grew up immersed in competitive cycling — his father was a Scottish national road racing champion — before discovering architecture through family trips to churches and buildings across mainland Europe. He completed a seven-year architecture program split between Edinburgh College of Art and KTH in Stockholm (via an Erasmus exchange), where he was introduced to parametric design and generative component modeling.

After graduating in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, David worked for a small residential firm in Edinburgh, then returned to Canada — first working in Vancouver and Whistler — before going independent as a sole proprietor and eventually incorporating Stark Architecture Limited on December 1, 2016. The firm's name means "strong" in Swedish, a nod to his time in Stockholm. Early projects were small renovations in Revelstoke and Whistler; a distinctive red-painted house in Revelstoke helped build word-of-mouth that grew into a steady stream of single-family home commissions.

Stark has built a reputation for technically ambitious, design-forward homes in mountain settings, often on steep or complex sites. The studio is deeply invested in Passive House building science — seven staff hold Passive House certification, and Stark designed North America's first certified Passive House commercial building (a bike shop in Revelstoke). A recent large residential project in Pemberton -fully net-zero, with dual Tesla battery banks and geothermal heating - became Passive House Premium Certified, a first for a Canadian project, along with recognition from Architizer and Canadian Interiors. The firm also won the AIBC Emerging Architect of the Year award.

About four years ago, Stark added interior design as a core discipline, now led by partner Josianne and a six-person team; the studio also does original furniture and lighting/product design. Of Stark's 24 staff, David describes the culture as built around "co-creation" rather than top-down direction, with incredible benefits, balance to the work-life and team trips like cat-skiing and heli-biking.

Outside Stark, David co-runs Alba Distribution with his brother, importing specialty bike components (Formula Forks, EXT, and similar). He lives in Squamish with his wife, Melissa, his two kids and is an enthusiastic mountain biker (I experienced this firsthand) - a throughline from childhood racing in Scotland to the studio's location and culture today.

⁠Stark Architecture + Interiors

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