Award

M A R C H 2 0 2 3 | 7 P H OTO G R A P H Y BY EM A P E T ER [SU R R E Y O P ER AT I O N S C EN T R E /S O U T H SU R R E Y R EC R E AT I O N & A RT S C EN T R E / I RO N WO R K S]; A N D R E W D O R A N P H OTO G R A P H Y [AG H A I R]; B O B M AT H ER S O N [K EN S I N GTO N P R A I R I E CO M M U N I T Y C EN T R E] TKA+D W hen Craig Taylor immigrated to Canada from Australia in 1999, he had dreams of one day develop- ing an architectural practice with a diverse portfolio of design-focused and environmentally sustainable work; one that would be humble and respectful of clients' needs and aspirations, rather than using projects to feed the ego. Armed with a wealth of experience and wanting to better understand his new home country, he joined Architectura and then, a few years later, Christopher Bozyk, bringing with him a great deal of lessons learned while working at BVN in Australia. "I was an associate at BVN, one of Australia's most respected firms and one that I still admire today. BVN had a strong focus on design and a holistic approach to architecture. They were instrumental in form- ing my philosophies and design principles," explains Taylor. When the time finally came for him to choose the next path of his journey, he explored partnership opportunities but decided that in order to pursue his dream he would need to start from scratch and build his ideal practice from the ground up … and so, in September 2008 he opened the doors of Taylor Kurtz Architecture + Design Inc. (TK A+D). "At the start it was just me, with the support of my then partner. I had three large projects at the time: a resort in Revelstoke; a major industrial project in Vancouver; and a Passive Haus duplex in Kitsilano. A week later the global finan- cial crisis hit. The resort project died immediately, the duplex ultimately died as the residential market failed to recover, as did the industrial project, which was the renovation of White Spot's head office site for Shato Holdings," explains Taylor. While others may have thrown in the towel, the experience just made Taylor even more determined. "I'm a big believer in accepting things as they are and making the most of them. We can't change the past so there is no point in having regrets. I think it's more important to look at the past and learn from the successes and mistakes and focus on how we can influence the future – to change when change is needed and always continue to be our best," says Taylor. (Incidentally, 10 years later the White Spot project came back and is now a multi-phased full redevelopment of three sites on SE Marine Drive known as the Sunset Industrial Centre.) This attitude eventually paid off. Today, Vancouver-based TK A+D is a multiple award-winning firm that consists of a team of 45 with five principles and eight associates. "Our leadership group is full of people that have diverse and comple- mentary skills. A great lesson that I learned when I read Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad early in my career was to surround yourself with people that know more than you. I have certainly tried to do that when hiring our wonderful staff," says Taylor. Each team member has their own specialty: Patrick Murphy, technical direc- tor, leads the development of systems and processes to ensure projects are built to the highest technical standards; Stefan Walsh, sustainability director, makes it a priority to incorporate appropriate sustainability strategies in each project; Kelly Riopelle, cultural director, ensures that TK A+D's people are aligned with the pro- cedures and values; Craig West, operations director, oversees the development and day-to-day operations of all the systems and processes; and of course Taylor, president and design director, ensures the vision and purpose are realised and the culture and values are maintained and design standards are met. Thanks to this diverse group, TK A+D has managed to build an incredibly diverse portfolio of projects. "While we try to embrace each project with the same level of commitment and excitement, I think there are a few projects that we have completed that have been pivotal in our development as a firm. The first was Kensington Prairie Community Centre for the City of Surrey. This was our very first completed project. It started out as a $500,000 finishes and washroom renovation and grew into $3-million full heritage restoration and seismic upgrade. This project won several awards including Heritage BC's Outstanding Achievement Award. This project was the start of a wonderful relationship we have developed with the City of Surrey," explains Taylor. Shortly after the project was completed, TK A+D was awarded the South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre project – an expansion to the city's existing facility. "This was perhaps the most rewarding project for me personally. It was a stark contrast to Kensington Prairie in that we adopted a very minimalist and modern approach to the design, enabling us to demonstrate our true design principles. There was great emphasis placed on stakeholder engagement and I believe is evident in the way the facility was embraced by the community and city staff as their own," explains Taylor. Other projects of note include the build-to-suit office and industrial project for Corix in Langley, B.C., the Beedie project AG Hair in Coquitlam (which resulted in TK A+D going on to work on another 125 projects with Beedie), and the Surrey Operations Centre, a joint venture with RDH Architects from Toronto, which demonstrates the importance that partnerships play to TK A+D. "While we have continued to develop relationships with many clients in many typologies, multi-level, high-density industrial development in urban areas is a field of work that particularly interests us. Ironworks in Vancouver was the first of this typology in modern times in North America and our first project with Conwest Developments. We have since gone on to work on 21 projects together, including several stacked industrial projects. Ironworks has won the UDI Innovation Award, NAIOP Best Industrial Development Award, and was one of only two Canadian finalists in the ULI America's Awards for Excellence," says Taylor. While each project is incredibly unique, at the core of each one lies a sense of humility, design and technical excellence, and environmental sustainability. There is also a distinct sense that the folks at TK A+D truly value people, and that extends beyond the work they do. "Some of the greatest memories I have of TK A+D are of how our people have come together to support each other and those in need. This has been particularly evident at some of the volunteer events like the Food Bank, Arts Umbrella, and Plenty of Plates in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside," says Taylor. As the team at TK A+D get stuck in with what 2023 has to offer, Taylor says he is particularly excited about the future possibilities that lie in the area of sustain- ability. "As architects and influencers of the built environment, we can and are making a difference. TK A+D has worked on more than 500 projects since 2008 and if we can make small incremental changes in the next 500, we will make a significant reduction in our carbon emissions. Industrial construction practices have slipped beneath the radar for so long and it is time we looked closely at improving things. I believe there is real promise in mass timber for industrial buildings at a huge scale, but it doesn't just stop there. Small improvements in the thermal performance of a million square foot project can make a huge impact. "Our purpose at TK A+D is to inspire a wonderful world: one our children deserve. Our mission in the next 10 years is for every project we complete to have a positive impact on our community and the environment, and on our world." A South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre Ironworks Kensington Prairie Community Centre AG Hair

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