January 21, 2021

TORONTO, ON – Diamond Schmitt (DSA), the innovating Canadian-based architectural firm with studios in Toronto, New York and Vancouver begins the new year with the naming of a senior associate architect, the promotion of 10 architects to associate positions, and the appointment of a new director. By continuing to strengthen its Canadian design and management teams the firm is poised to deepen its national and international contributions to built and professional environments.

In the words of Principal and co-founder Donald Schmitt, the firm has “…gone from strength to strength and continues to deliver exceptional architecture. Despite the global pandemic keeping us all socially distant we have remained resilient, grown stronger and more focused to serve our projects. Our capabilities are in no small part due to these recent advancements and appointments.”

Liviu Budur, OAA, LEED AP (Toronto) advances to the position of Senior Associate Architect. The ten new Associate Architects include: Erin Broda, OAA, PHD (Toronto) Stephanie Huss, OAA (Toronto) Persis Lam, OAA (Toronto) Jeff Geldhart, AAA (Calgary) Mehdi Ghiyaei, OAA (Toronto) Sid Johnson, Architect AIBC, LEED AP (Vancouver) Helmut Kassen, PhD, CMA (Toronto) Cameron Turvey, OAA (Toronto) Javier Zeller, OAA MRAIC (Toronto) Haley Zhou (Toronto) and Melanie Coates (Toronto) has been appointed as the firm’s Communications Director.

These exceptional individuals are active ambassadors of the firm and are exemplary for their demonstrated expertise and commitment to the pursuit of excellence for every project commission. The collective talent of these experts’ university and professional accreditations spans the globe, from the heart of Romania, across Canada, along the eastern USA and into northern Iran. A commitment to environmental stewardship is upheld by their many LEED accreditations and Passive House design certifications. Their community engagement is further demonstrated by ongoing civic activism and active memberships with the Black Architects and Interior Designers Association (BAIDA) and Building Equality in Architecture Toronto (BEAT), an independent organization dedicated to the promotion of equality in the profession of architecture.

With studios in Toronto, New York, and Vancouver, Diamond Schmitt (dsai.ca) has a global perspective and a portfolio of academic facilities, commercial, residential, recreation, and performing arts centre projects throughout North America and abroad. Current and notable Canadian projects include: Victoria, B.C.’s TELUS Ocean Building; McGill University’s New Vic Project, a campus for sustainable systems and public policy; Toronto’s Alexandra Park Passive House Pilot Project and McMaster University’s Peter George Centre for Living and Learning. Diamond Schmitt delivers innovative architecture to empower organizations, communities, and people to harness change for the greater public good.