Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1320139
6 | D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 Teeple Architects Teeple Architects has been creating emotive and compelling designs for 31 years by NATALIE BRUCKNER | photography courtesy TEEPLE ARCHITECTS FRESH PERSPECTIVES I t's amazing how decades can go by in the blink of an eye, especially when you love what you do for a living. For Stephen Teeple and his team, it seems like only yesterday that Teeple Architects opened its doors to the public, and yet here they are, proudly celebrating their 31st anniversary. Teeple Architects' life began in 1989 in Toronto as a humble start-up consisting of a small team of visionary young architects who were inspired by clients' needs and aspirations, and always willing to explore outcomes that would meet and often far exceed client expectations. "We started the firm because our previous employer went to England and left us holding the photocopier," laughs Stephen Teeple, founder and principal. From that point on it was all systems go. Teeple, alongside Chris Radigan (principal) and a few others took the bull by the horns and created a finalist submission for the Kitchener City Hall competition which Teeple says "got things rolling." The firm quickly graduated from smaller projects (like the Trent University Childcare Centre that saw Teeple Architects win its first Governor General's Medal in Architecture) to much larger projects, and yet no matter the size they all somehow had that unmistakable Teeple Architects' abstract influence that is both emotive and compelling. "We started with a strong focus on craft, although the projects always reflected an emphasis on spatial composition," explains Teeple, who adds that the firm's focus on finding inspiration in its clients' objectives, ideas, even off- hand remarks "has never left the firm." Each project brought with it new challenges and learnings from which the firm continued to grow: from the University of Toronto's Graduate House that was a partnership with Thom Mayne from Morphosis, the Stephen Hawking Centre at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, and the mass timber Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum in Wembley, Alberta, to newer projects like Morgan State University's Calvin & Tina Tyler Hall in Baltimore. There really is no mistaking a Teeple Architects' design, and yet each project in and of itself is unique and has a certain playful element. "Teeple Architects stands out because it responds creatively and practically to client needs and aspirations. We are genuinely inspired by working with our clients. We don't have one answer – we explore possible outcomes with them," explains Teeple. As a team, the folks at Teeple Architects are renowned for their brave, yet deeply pragmatic optimism, which principal Avery Guthrie says "underpins our approach to every project. It is a quality that Stephen has instilled in the firm over the years." Trent University, Peterborough, ON. Langara College Science & Technology Building, Vancouver, B.C. P H OTO G R A P H Y BY A N D R E W L AT R EI L L E P H OTO G R A P H Y BY A N D R E W L AT R EI L L E