From left: Matthew, Mark and co-op student Damon Hayes Couture

After graduating, Matthew Kennedy (MArch’13) and Mark Erickson (MArch’11) moved back to Calgary and started Studio North Calgary, a small architectural design-build practice built on the shared philosophy of making that includes a commitment to quality and resourcefulness, united through exceptional design and careful detailing.

In its first two years, Studio North has grown to be a team of 6 members, recognized nationally and internationally as an emerging Canadian design practice. It has received various accolades for its early work including publications in Canadian Architect and Arch Daily, as well as in local newspapers and magazines.  Most recently Studio North Calgary received the New York ADC young guns 12 award, which celebrates 30 international emerging creative professionals under the age of 30.

Studio North Calgary connects design with building and craft, where a relationship is maintained between the architectural idea and the act of making. Their strength as designers is founded upon a shared optimism for architecture’s ability to create better living environments that enrich communities and emphasize the beauty of the landscape.

Studio North’s portfolio of work is diverse. Currently it is leading the charge in promoting laneway housing in Calgary as a sensitive means of adding density to existing inner city communities. The architects’ ambition is to create a living environment in Calgary that strengthens communities through the creation of well-crafted, compact living spaces.

Mark Erickson

Mark’s passion for design began in his early life, in the workshop with his dad. For him, the process of making has always involved learning through experience and being hands on. While studying Fine Arts at the University of Calgary with a focus in drawing and sculpture, Mark found an interest in articulating spatial concepts using a variety of media. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction in 2007 then continued on to Dalhousie where along with his degree, he received the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s (RAIC) Honour Roll Certificate. He has worked in architectural offices in London, UK, Vancouver, and Halifax, and taught architectural technology at the Bachelor of Community Building and Design (BCBD) program at the University of The Gambia, Banjul, West Africa.

Matthew Kennedy

Matthew started apprenticing as a finishing carpenter while in high school and has worked with various building trades throughout his undergraduate and graduate university education. Matthew’s interests in craft and compact living formed while studying architecture at Dalhousie University. In 2011 he was awarded the Rossetti Travel Fellowship to travel to Japan and research compact housing typologies. Matthew’s architectural thesis focused on developing a strategy for laneway housing in Calgary’s inner city communities. Upon receiving his degree he was awarded the Thesis Prize for an outstanding design thesis.