Behind the Build

• Behind the Build AD: Kevin Weiss - Weiss Architecture & Urbanism

  Born in Medicine Hat and raised across the Prairies, Kevin Weiss grew up moving from city to city, an experience that shaped his appreciation for stability and place. A competitive 1500-metre runner in his youth, he also spent countless hours drawing, experimenting with printmaking, and silkscreening at home. Those creative roots eventually steered him toward architecture, where mentors like Barry Sampson and Ian MacDonald helped sharpen his eye and discipline.Kevin’s curiosity for how things are made has followed him since childhood—whether knocking on the door of his first house decades later, building fences during a recession, or uncovering forgotten architectural details hidden above old ceiling tiles. He carries a genuine love for craft, from Victorian brickwork to the precise hands of masons and builders he collaborates with.When he’s not working, Kevin has played masters lacrosse for years and still treasures playful design challenges, like the colourful Winnipeg warming hut inspired by a classic cartoon. Now with his kids grown and living on the East Coast, he finds new rhythms in a quieter home while continuing to chase the spark of discovery that first pulled him toward making things.Full Bio:Kevin Weiss is an architect based in Toronto and the founder of Weiss Architecture and Urbanism, established in 2012. Born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and raised across the Prairies—including Redcliff, Calgary, Vancouver Island, Richmond, and Winnipeg—his early experiences of constant relocation shaped his appreciation for grounded and enduring architecture. Alongside competitive running in the 1500 metres, Weiss nurtured a long-standing interest in drawing, printmaking, and silkscreen work, which helped steer him toward studying architecture.He began his architectural education at the University of Manitoba before moving to Toronto, where he attended the Ontario College of Art—now OCAD University—before transferring to the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture. Influential mentors such as Barry Sampson and Ian MacDonald shaped his development as a designer, and Weiss later worked with both. He also spent multiple periods at Diamond and Schmitt Architects, contributing to institutional work including the Detroit Symphony Hall addition under Don Schmidt.Before launching his own practice, Weiss was a partner at Larkin Architect, contributing to projects such as St. Gabriel’s Parish, Kingsway College School, and Regis College. Since founding Weiss Architecture and Urbanism, he has completed a diverse range of public-sector and residential work, including long-term collaborations with the Toronto District School Board. His projects span technically complex school additions, science lab restorations, and custom homes that emphasize contextual sensitivity, craft, and thoughtful detailing.Weiss values a collaborative and hands-on design process, embracing opportunities for playfulness and innovation. His studio’s conceptual explorations include an award-recognized Winnipeg warming hut installation inspired by the classic “portable hole” cartoon and an OAA landscape competition proposal developed through analog model-making. Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.caTo connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

  --------  

  1:24:41

  --------

  1:24:41
• Behind the Build ID: Jane Lockhart - Jane Lockhart Design

  Jane Lockhart is a Toronto-based interior designer, television personality, author, and colour expert whose career spans nearly three decades. She founded Jane Lockhart Design in 1997, building on technical training, hands-on work, and a formative early career with Benjamin Moore, where she developed deep expertise in colour, materials, and store planning.Raised in Etobicoke, Toronto, Jane’s passion for design began in childhood as she drew houses, modified dollhouses, and built cardboard homes, influenced by a creative family that included a hat-maker grandmother and a commercial-artist grandfather.Jane first studied economics and political science at the University of Toronto before pursuing interior design at what is now Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly Ryerson University. She later became a familiar face on Canadian television, appearing on Cityline and then hosting HGTV’s One House, Two Looks and the series Colour Confidential, which aired in Canada on W Network and in the United States on HGTV.Known for her ability to translate complex design and colour concepts into accessible language, Jane has consulted for major brands and continues to work across residential and select commercial projects. She focuses on how people truly live in their homes, often exploring how layout, function, and colour influence mood, behaviour, and daily routines. A lifelong learner and researcher, she draws inspiration from travel, nature, running, and close observation of how people interact with their environments.Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/To connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

  --------  

  1:18:46

  --------

  1:18:46
• Behind the Build Roundtable Series: The Missing Middle - ft. Naama Blonder, Sue-Jean Chung, Evan Saskin & Gabriel Fain

  The first roundtable series: The Missing Middle, is a candid conversation on how cities can deliver more housing at a scale between single family homes and towers. The talented panel brings together Naama Blonder of Smart Density, Sue-Jean Chung of Studio JCI, Evan Saskin of Blue Lion Building, and Gabriel Fain of Gabriel Fain Architects. Together they unpack what the missing middle means, why it has been so hard to build, and how planning policy, approvals, construction methods, and community attitudes all shape what gets built. The discussion looks at generational affordability, neighbourhood character, transit investment, and the kinds of homes and streets that create real community.This conversation is meant to be watched, shared, and talked about across every platform, in your community groups and social networks. Comment on it, pass it on, and keep the discussion going, because the way our city will look twenty years from now and beyond depends on how we choose to confront the missing middle today.The recording was filmed at the flagship Lutron Experience Studio in Toronto, with production sponsored by Sound Solutions and videography, audio and post-production by Craft Photography & Video.Smart Density: https://smartdensity.com/Studio JCI: https://www.studiojci.com/Blue Lion Building: https://www.bluelionbuilding.com/Gabriel Fain Architects: https://gabrielfain.com/A special thanks goes out to Alison Brooks Architects for providing important and relevant precedent images of courtyard projects.Alison Brooks Architects: https://alisonbrooksarchitects.com/Sponsors:Sounds Solutions: https://www.soundsolutions.ca/Lutron: https://www.lutron.com/us/enProduction:Craft Video: https://craftphoto.ca/

  --------  

  1:25:34

  --------

  1:25:34
• Behind the Build: Arancha González Bernardo & Michael Fohring - Odami

  Arancha González Bernardo and Michael Fohring are the co-founders of Odami, a Toronto-based architecture and design studio shaped by their international backgrounds and complementary creative perspectives. Arancha, originally from Avilés in Asturias, Spain, grew up surrounded by her family’s fabric and clothing shops, where her early interest in making and material exploration first took form. She studied architecture through Spain’s six-year professional program, graduating in 2012 during the post-crisis recession, a period that pushed her to pursue work abroad. Her move to Graz, Austria exposed her to multi-residential projects, cultural work, and design-driven graphic production, marking her first major cultural shift and shaping her adaptability as a designer.Michael, raised in the small town of Ayr, Ontario, spent his youth balancing competitive sports with an intuitive love of drawing and painting. His interest in architecture emerged in early adolescence as a natural extension of his artistic and mathematical strengths. After early setbacks applying to architecture school, he rebuilt his portfolio while working locally and was accepted to McGill University, later completing an influential term in Venice. Michael’s post-graduate year in Austria—where he and Arancha met while working at the same studio—solidified his commitment to design grounded in craft and physicality.After time spent between Spain, Toronto, and Montreal, they settled in Toronto and co-founded Odami. Their first commission—a two-level downtown restaurant—became the catalyst for establishing the practice. Rooted in collaboration rather than personal namesake, Odami reflects their shared values of clarity, material sensitivity, and thoughtful spatial experience. Their work now spans residential, commercial, hospitality, and conceptual design, including their contribution to Impossible Toronto, referenced in the episode’s liner notes. Together, Arancha and Michael bring a layered international perspective and a commitment to human-centered design to every project they lead.Impossible Toronto: https://impossibletoronto.ca/Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.caTo connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

  --------  

  1:05:23

  --------

  1:05:23
• Behind the Build: Murray Legge - Murray Legge Architecture

  Murray Legge is an award-winning architect based in Austin, Texas, originally from Whitevale, Ontario, a rural community outside Toronto. Growing up surrounded by farmland while his father worked as an aeronautical engineer and his mother as a nurse, Murray developed an appreciation for craft, structure, and precision early in life.Initially drawn to art and photography with ambitions of becoming a filmmaker, he studied architecture at the University of Toronto before transferring to The Cooper Union in New York City. There, the experimental and design-driven environment profoundly influenced his approach to space and material. During his studies, he gained hands-on experience working for architect Jerry Caldari and later at I.M. Pei & Partners, contributing to residential and civic projects, including work on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and high-end Park Avenue renovations.After graduation, Murray returned to Ontario, collaborating with builder Don Miller to dismantle and restore historic barns near Shelburne—a formative experience that deepened his connection to material honesty and timber construction. A visit to a friend in Austin in 1998 led to a permanent move, drawn by the city’s creative energy, affordability, and architecture community. He spent several years with LZT Architects before founding Murray Legge Architecture in 2013.His studio maintains a small-scale practice focused on residential, educational, and civic design. Notable work includes the Griffin School addition, numerous bespoke homes, and collaborations with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates on park pavilions for the City of Austin. In addition, Murray co-leads a public art studio with his wife and sister, whose installations are featured in cities across the U.S.—links to which appear in the show’s liner notes.Outside of practice, he enjoys drawing, playing the violin, and hiking Ontario’s Bruce Trail. His daughter is pursuing a PhD in biology at Syracuse University, researching soils and forest ecology.Legge Lewis Legge (LLL), is an award-winning interdisciplinary collaborative focusing on art and architecture. LLL was founded in 2001 by architect Murray Legge, and cinematographer Deborah Eve Lewis, both based in Austin, Texas, and artist Andrea Legge, based in Ontario, Canada and New York City.http://www.leggelewislegge.com/Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/Aquanta Pools: https://aquanta.caTo connect with our sponsors, email me: [email protected] the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

  --------  

  47:32

  --------

  47:32

Más podcasts de Arte

Podcasts a la moda de Arte

Acerca de Behind the Build