Pina and Ralph have been partners in life and architecture since a prom date arranged by a cousin. Ralph showed up for that first date and mistook Pina's twin sister for her, a mix up that still gets retold. Both grew up in Italian Canadian families steeped in building and craft. Ralph comes from three generations of builders, and Pina spent childhood summers in Italy touring history with her father. Ralph led a student boycott at the University of Toronto that marched on Queen's Park, while Pina went on to Princeton and still teaches at U of T. Their wedding had an accordion player, a raw bar, and 250 guests, after they had planned for 100.

Their first commission arrived after a late night encounter on College Street, when the owner of Bar Italia asked Ralph for help. The fee was $4,250, and the job turned a neighbourhood institution into their calling card. A licensing body rejected the name Arena Architects, so they began under Ralph's own name and grew into Giannone Petricone Associates, founded in 1995. While the bar collected attention, Ralph quietly master planned a 26 acre lakefront site that became Port Credit Village and helped the young firm survive.

Today about 40 people work on projects that range from the Shops at Don Mills to The Royal Hotel in Picton, Volta Estate Winery in Prince Edward County, and the Snider House, a ribbon of curved glass wrapped around North Toronto's oldest surviving home. Hear how they design for gathering, plan a future beyond themselves, and why two of their three sons became architects anyway.

⁠⁠Giannone Petricone Associates⁠⁠

Upcoming Episode:

Michelle Mawby

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Caplan's Appliances⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Doors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

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At eight years old, Jonathan was driving a truck out to the fields with snacks for the crew on his grandparents' 400 acre Idaho farm. Garrett was a Newport Beach kid decorating his bedroom like a beach house inside a craftsman home. Today the married duo run BrewerSweet Co., a full service interior design studio in Southern California with a growing footprint in Park City, Utah.

Jonathan's Twin Falls childhood was pure adventure: bottle feeding calves, raising a litter of 25 puppies, building a tree house from a dying tree, and singing five part harmony on 24 hour road trips with two music teacher parents. Theater, choirs, and competitive ballroom followed, including a week of dance camp with choreographers from So You Think You Can Dance. After Bible college in England, he landed in California with about a thousand dollars, two suitcases, and a borrowed car.

Garrett studied business management, spent a semester in Madrid, worked the overnight shift at Disneyland, and hauled warehouse pallets to LA to turn into a bed frame. He also spent years at the pottery wheel, building a stock of 150 to 200 ceramic pieces that now show up in their projects.

Their first clients were three neighbors in matching condos during COVID. Designer Stephanie Hunt of Flairhunter took them under her wing, and a Park City log cabin remodel became their calling card.

⁠⁠Brewer Sweet Co.⁠⁠

Upcoming Episode:

Giannone Petricone Associates

Sponsors:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Caplan's Appliances⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Doors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Issued For Construction⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

Upcoming Episode:

Brewer Sweet Co.

Sponsors:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Caplan's Appliances⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Doors⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Issued For Construction⁠⁠⁠⁠