Mona is a licensed architect with more than twenty-three years of experience in the built environment. Her work addresses the urgencies of climate change by offering design solutions that weave together resilience, equity, health, and biodiversity considerations. As part of these efforts, Mona remains focused on designing and building projects that are enabled to draw down carbon emissions—rather than contribute to them—through material performance, circular economy, and regenerative design and development. In combining big-picture systems thinking with attention to detail, Mona works together with clients to craft a carbon impact vision, fit with both ambitious and achievable goals that support their ideal outcomes for the project.
Mona is the Chair of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Committee on Regenerative Environments (CORE), and Co-Chair of the RAIC Climate Action Engagement and Enablement Plan (CAEEP) steering committee. Prior to joining DIALOG, she was Executive Director of the Cascadia Green Building Council, responsible for the successful leadership and operation of the International Living Future Institute’s bioregional program. Simultaneously, she was Vice-President, Education and Events, responsible for overseeing, planning, curating, and producing the organization’s internal-external education and events including their annual, international signature event, the Living Future unConference. Her influence has created a ripple effect throughout DIALOG’s culture and practice, design approach and delivery, as well as performance on projects locally, regionally, and internationally.
Karel’s leadership role as a contract administrator in the Toronto Studio is driven by his relentless work ethic to see his clients’ visions realized as built environments. With a background as an architectural technologist and certified construction contract administrator, Karel has strong technical skills in construction detailing, preparation of construction documents, client & design team coordination, and contract administration. His significant experience across a broad range of project types has quickly made him the go-to person for resolving contract administration issues in the Toronto Studio. Karel seeks to contribute to the evolution of the construction industry, facilitating innovation as an effective communicator who manages the diverse talents, skill sets, and personalities on a given project. His ability to manage conflicting views highlights his skill in bringing large, diverse teams together for effective project delivery.
In addition to his broad range of experience, Karel thrives as a leader, driving organization, communication, and documentation. He is known for his mentorship of intern and junior architects in contract administration, providing them with the senior support necessary for them to grow and further both their careers and the practice. He currently teaches a materials and methods course that focuses on sustainability at Humber College and he is a guest lecturer at the University of Toronto on contract administration.
Mania is a leader, key contributor, and valued team member of the DIALOG Toronto studio. With over 20 years of experience in architecture and urban design, Mania has gained extensive skills through her investment in pre-design through occupancy of commercial, institutional, healthcare, residential, and urban design projects. She approaches projects holistically and believes that each typology offers methods and solutions to inform the innovation of others. Mania works closely with her clients to create long and lasting relationships with them, which she begins with the foundation of a clear and open dialogue.
By leading with empathy, advocacy, and compassion, Mania enables design teams to discover new opportunities that give people the spaces and resources they need to thrive, while bringing a client’s vision to life. Most notably, Mania has been Project Manager for the 160,000-square-foot retail redevelopment of Union Station and 95,000-square-foot redevelopment of Fairview Mall in Toronto. She is currently leading an integrated DIALOG design team for the 90,000-square-foot Don Valley North Lexus project in Markham.
Within DIALOG, Mania is a member of the Project Management Roundtable. She is passionate about staying true to DIALOG’s Community Wellbeing Framework, and the practice’s ambitions to improve our built environment by contributing to community wellbeing in every project.
Amrinder Gill is an internationally trained architect in architecture and urban design. He believes in a mindset and ability that allows us to grow with technology, to remain resilient and flexible in design, and reimagine how we can build and operate projects that continually consume less as we move forward. His joy in architecture comes from the opportunity to resolve complex issues layer by layer on technically demanding projects that require precision. Alongside innovation, he seeks to bring objectivity and transparency into the design process.
Amrinder’s interest in multifaceted, process-driven projects has landed him in leadership roles on various science and technology projects at DIALOG. He is uniquely capable of thinking at the urban macro scale as well as the benchtop micro scale, allowing him to integrate the full spectrum of architecture with technical laboratory planning in his work. He has led the design of a multistorey teaching and research facility within a downtown tower typology for Toronto Metropolitan University; the highly efficient transformation of an industrial site into production labs at Eurofins Alphora Hadwen; and Clinical Labs at Mount Sinai Hospital. Amrinder is currently thinking about how labs can be transformed into results-oriented, 21st-century workplaces. He is also the Toronto founding member of DIALOG’s Science and Technology Community of Practice leadership initiative.
Gerard brings over 20 years of architectural design, contract administration, and project management experience to DIALOG. He thrives in the process of design by discovering the necessary problems to be solved, facilitating the exchange of ideas across team members, and ultimately serving as an educator in the translation of conceptual work to the built form. Proactive and energetic, Gerard is a motivational force for his team members while leading complex projects, as well as through his work mentoring younger staff. He takes pride in seeing the growth of his mentees in the profession, many of whom have become his peers and beyond.
As a technical architect, Gerard has the capabilities to contribute to a wide variety of typologies. He is especially experienced in healthcare, education, and science and technology projects. Gerard’s notable projects include the George Brown College Waterfront Campus, the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Capital Redevelopment, and the Dartmouth General Hospital. Within DIALOG, Gerard contributes to several communities with a production and technical focus. He is a member of the Ontario Association of Architects, the Toronto Society of Architects, the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada, and the Canadian Green Building Standards Council.
As an architectural technologist and project manager with over twenty years of experience, Holly looks to go beyond the project brief and deliver outcomes that exceed the expectations of her clients and their communities. With this, project challenges become opportunities to uncover unexpected solutions. The thread that ties her work together across typologies, including institutional, private sector, mixed-use, and sports and recreation projects, is her drive to advance global climate initiatives. Her contributions to the evolution of sustainable design solutions are exemplified by her leadership on a new urban plaza and green buffer for Electronic Arts’ Burnaby Campus in Vancouver; as well as Stationlands Pedway in Edmonton, which provides energy sustainability objectives, arts and culture policy, and housing for the area. Most recently, Holly has been involved from the design stage through construction completion on automotive dealership projects. Understanding present and future challenges of the industry has become a new passion for her.
Mentoring the next generation of technologists is an integral part of Holly’s work. This has influenced her role as the Co-Chair of DIALOG’s Architectural Team Tech Series, which helps grow new DIALOGers as well as junior and intermediate techs. She is also the Co-Chair of NAIT Mentorship Week, which provides students with real-life work experiences in the industry. Holly also serves as an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) advocate for private sector projects to assist in DIALOG’s commitment as well as the broader industry’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality in the built environment by 2030.
Rachele is an architect who seeks to unearth the story of a place, its history, and its people to serve as a meaningful compass for design. She enjoys working on teams that push the boundaries of design, think beyond the status quo, and innovate to discover new solutions. Rachele thrives on the wealth of knowledge and experience within DIALOG studios from thought-provoking designers to brilliant technologists and creative engineers. As an architect, she seeks to elevate and support these team members, believing that a given project will always be enhanced by a collective mindset. Ultimately, Rachele is striving to create a better, more sustainable world.
Rachele’s experience spans master planning, schematic design, programming, site analysis, design development, construction documents, and construction administration for mixed use, office revitalization, tenant improvements, and multi-family projects. In Alberta and Ottawa, she has aided in the conservation of Canada’s National Historic Sites, preserving significant relics of past and present. Rachele was a leader in the design and development of HSBC Place, an office tower revitalization project in the heart of downtown Edmonton. Rachele enjoys working with nonprofits, including the Calgary Catholic Immigration Centre, which provides a safe space for immigrants and refugees seeking settlement and integration services, as well as the YMCA Camp Chief Hector.
Kyle’s combined commitment to design and project management has facilitated a balanced focus and positive approach to the architecture profession. He looks to enhance social connections; to critically engage and challenge the norms of what inclusive and accessible architecture is within our evolving political climate. Additionally, Kyle is dedicated to showcasing the importance of a social/urban environment while developing community through design and architecture.
As a proud, openly gay man with a decade of experience in the architecture industry, Kyle has honed a distinctly inclusive and positive leadership methodology. With every project, he seeks to promote allyship, diversity, and respect while serving as an advocate for mental health awareness. This focus allows teams to build upon a foundation of democratic teamwork and open communication throughout a project to effectively manage cost, time, and quality, as well as support progressive design.
Most notably, Kyle contributed to the transformation of Calgary’s Glenbow Museum into a community destination that serves as an active participant in civic and cultural life, ultimately using design to realize the Museum’s mission that art is for everyone. His work on the expansion of Vivo for Healthier Generations helped to create a model for healthy living leadership that has redefined how we understand health, wellness, and education. Kyle is the leader of the Do Good in the Hood initiative, which supports local communities in need.
Kim builds on over 25 years with DIALOG’s Energy Team, evolving and leading a multidisciplinary group of experts. Her experience spans typologies and geographies, and ranges from simple renovations to complex expansions and custom developments. Communication is central to Kim’s work and project success and has shaped her reputation as an eager collaborator who thrives on the abilities of DIALOG to share knowledge across the practice. Kim has spent years testing and refining external reporting processes to clients, ensuring the best possible methods for creating impactful solutions together.
Kim was integral to the development of Shell’s National Design Standards, aiding the international oil and gas company in their push to prioritize accessibility, sustainability, and safety at their stations. She led similar initiatives for Petro-Canada, Canada Safeway Limited, Calgary Co-op, and UFA Cooperative Limited. The scope of Kim’s career has made her a dexterous partner to clients throughout the permitting process, while allowing her to forge meaningful relationships with countless City Officials and Municipalities. Within DIALOG, she continues to be a key member and contributor to the Quality Management Roundtable.
Amit is an architect and city planner deeply committed to making inclusive cities of opportunity and human connection. Motivated by his vision of urban places that promote climate resiliency and social equity, Amit has led the design of diverse complex city-shaping projects throughout his career. At DIALOG, Amit collaborates with clients, colleagues and community members on projects ranging from urban design guidelines for gently incorporating density into existing neighbourhoods; mixed-use and mixed-income transit oriented places; social housing for vulnerable communities; an aging campus for a spectrum of seniors; a student housing master plan; a tactical urbanism concept for a laneway; and high density residential projects that help expand housing choices in constrained markets. Amit brings a thoughtful attitude, creative problem solving, team leadership, great communication, a visionary perspective, and a balanced approach to every design challenge.
Viewing city-building as a holistic effort that requires the careful and creative integration of the public realm, buildings, infrastructure, programming, and landscape to make loved and valued places, Amit brings expertise in urban design and planning, architectural design, community engagement, storytelling, design strategy and process, and team management to every project. Through the facilitation of open, positive, and constructive conversations, Amit helps the best ideas rise to the surface in a compelling, engaging and respectful way. He believes that great cities are about starting from a place of optimism, building meaningful connections between people, and providing ways for everyone to better their lives through educational and work opportunities. Design is one of many tools to make these things happen, and Amit is happy to provide leadership and contribute to any efforts that help reach these goals.
Amit’s ideas and award-winning projects have been shared widely through speaking engagements, interviews, and publications. Having worked in the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, St. Louis and Johannesburg, Amit believes in design approaches rooted in place. He has won or been on the winning teams for several international design competitions and has served as a Design Advisor at the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, as well as the national board president of Architects Designers Planners for Social Responsibility.