Our office was founded by Maria Denegri and Tom Bessai, partners in work and life, who have spent much of their architectural careers weaving together practice, family life, and teaching appointments at architecture schools across Ontario.
We bring equal amounts of energy, experience and passion to our design process, deeply engaging our clients to produce modern spaces that are adventurous, livable, and sensitive to budget. We understand that turning a house into a home requires design that is both pragmatic and playful. Working together with our clients, we create places that are truly personal.
With our extensive academic backgrounds, the office is highly proficient in pioneering design strategies, experimentation, fabrication, and construction technologies. Where we thrive is blending those skills with an intimate understanding of the needs of the urban family to create thoughtful, user-focussed spaces that respond to the evolving characteristics of modern life.
The people who hire us are those seeking architectural spaces for real life with the spirit of joy, wonder, and the collaborative journey of realising them.
Maria Denegri, Principal
OAA, FRAIC
MArch (UPC, Barcelona), BArch (UBC), BA (UBC)
Developed over many years of practice, Maria is known for her strong coordination skills, pragmatism and thorough understanding of what it takes to get an idea built. She has successfully led many of the studio’s residential and retail projects, bringing together consultants, specialists, trades and builders to achieve design solutions that are on time and on budget. Always customer-oriented, Maria ensures clients are actively engaged and informed every step of the way, ensuring our final design is responsive to their unique needs and circumstance.
Maria complements her professional experience with a commitment to education and community. Maria is a Past Chair of the Toronto Society of Architects and an active member in its Executive. She is a lecturer at the University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design teaching both graduate and undergraduate courses.
Tom Bessai, Principal
OAA, MRAIC
MArch (UCLA), BArch (UBC), BA (U. Alberta)
With boundless energy and an inquisitive mind, Tom leads the prototyping, fabrication and computation arm of the studio. He approaches each project as a new opportunity to learn, explore and innovate, ensuring each project takes advantage of new technologies and materials. An accomplished researcher and experienced practitioner, Tom easily bridges between experimentation and constructability allowing the studio to push the boundaries of what is possible and bring to fruition unconventional solutions. A strong believer in partnerships, Tom is often looking for new collaboration and cross-pollination opportunities that bring fresh perspectives and ideas into our work.
Tom’s passion for hands-on research and experimentation extends beyond the studio. Tom has taught numerous courses at the University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design since 2001, including highly celebrated fabrication studios at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
Michal Bartosik, BArch
Alexia Hovis, MArch, Hon.BA
Giacomo D’Andrea, Hon.BA
Elif Diler, Hon.BA
Past Contributors
Our commitment to pedagogy and learning is reflected in our staffing – our studio frequently providing the first opportunity for many architecture students to experience professional practice. We want to say thank you to all those that throughout the years have helped shaped our studio!
Cameron Manore, Kurtis Chen, Ilana Hadad, Joel Leon, Tzoline Ternamian, Mehdi Latifian, Michael Yoshimura, Anthony Mattacchione, Eric Roberson, Orit Zewge-Abubaker, Yasmin Al-Samarrai, Shea Gouthro, Andrea Norris, Duncan Sabiston, Andre Almeida, Chansoo Byeo, Luisa Cassol, Savio de Oliveira, Billy Chung, Federica Costa, Dave Freedman, Ehran Holm, Sophia Panova, Omri Menashe, Andrea Pisanu, Dave Reeves, Regina Park, Sonja Tiganic, Nicole Tomasi, Alexis Schneider, Cheryl Wan, Alex Warwick, Evan Wakelin, Hamza Vora, Edith Yu, Raquel de Vargas