Behind the Build

• Behind the Build: Judah Mulalu - Ten-2-Four Architecture

  Judah Mulalu is the founding architect of Ten-2-Four Architecture, a Toronto-based studio guided by a commitment to empathetic and inclusive design. Born in Botswana and initially pursuing a path in science, Judah’s journey shifted dramatically when a Bulgarian architect recognized his innate drafting talent and introduced him to architecture. That serendipitous encounter led him to Canada, where he studied architectural technology at Ryerson University and later completed his Master of Architecture at Dalhousie University. His education brought a rich contextual and anthropological perspective to his work.Judah’s early career developed through roles in transit infrastructure and public design, including contributions at Strassman Architects and PBK, where he worked on major projects such as Sheppard West Station. In 2012, he founded Ten-2-Four Architecture, naming it after the working hours he once envisioned for a healthier life balance. His practice is rooted in creative collaboration, intentional space-making, and the cultivation of strong professional relationships.Ten-2-Four Architecture engages a wide range of work, from heritage residential homes to hospitality projects and affordable housing initiatives. This includes the design of residences for seniors living with dementia and, most notably, the new cultural centre at 756 Bathurst Street. This project, born from the legacy of Toronto’s Different Booklist, represents a deeply civic and community-driven effort. Judah spent three years contributing pro bono to move the project forward, eventually helping to secure close to $14 million in city and federal funding.Throughout his career, Judah has upheld the belief that good design must be rooted in empathy. His approach blends technical excellence with a sensitivity to how architecture affects daily life. With a mix of discipline, humility, and thoughtful optimism, Judah continues to shape spaces that honor community, culture, and connection.Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/To connect with our sponsors, email me: jonathan@waldenhomes.caBehind the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

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• Behind the Build: Limor Benmor-Mizrahi - LB Mizrahi Architect Inc

  Limor Benmor-Mizrahi’s path to architecture was anything but linear—and that’s what makes her story so compelling. Trained initially in the sciences with aspirations of entering medicine, Limor’s journey took a sharp turn during a revelatory trip through Europe, where she fell in love with the built world. Since then, she’s crossed continents, studied at Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus-inspired Sadna School of Architecture and Pratt Institute in New York, and built a multifaceted career that spans master planning, institutional work, and custom residential design.Born into a family of Israeli immigrants who built their lives—and homes—in Toronto, Limor credits her late father, Avi Benmor, a builder and entrepreneur, as her subliminal inspiration. Her career began in Israel, where she worked under Holocaust survivor and architectural mentor Rita Dunsky-Feuerstein, gaining experience in both architecture and urban planning. She later moved to New York to complete her formal training and eventually returned to Canada, where she became a licensed architect and launched her own practice at the onset of the pandemic.In this candid and richly textured conversation, Limor reflects on the personal and professional forces that have shaped her work: from tiling her own kitchen in her first apartment to designing community infrastructure in Israel, and now to crafting elegant, light-filled homes across Toronto. She speaks about the differences in construction methodology between continents, the nuance of working with trades, the vital role of interiors in architectural vision, and her deep appreciation for materiality and light.Whether she’s designing a city block or a family home, Limor brings to every project a quiet intensity, thoughtful sensitivity, and an architect’s X-ray vision that sees not just what is, but what could be.Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/To connect with our sponsors, email me: jonathan@waldenhomes.caBehind the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

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• Behind the Build: Anne-Marie Armstrong - AAmp Studio

  Anne‑Marie Armstrong is an architect, educator and co‑founding principal of AAmp Studio, the cross‑border practice she leads with partner Andrew Ashey from twin studios in Toronto, Ontario, and Portland, Maine.Raised in Don Mills, Toronto, Armstrong spent childhood afternoons sketching with her painter‑grandmother and solving logic riddles with her mathematician father—an art‑and‑math pairing that still drives her design thinking. She earned an Honours BAS from the University of Waterloo and, as a Fulbright Scholar, a Master of Architecture from Yale University. Before launching AAmp she sharpened her skills in three markedly different contexts: facade detailing at Diamond Schmitt (Toronto), competition work with former Foster + Partners staff at Aedas (London), and physical model making in the Frank Gehry Partners shop (Los Angeles), with formative stints in Berlin and New Haven along the way.Today she holds architecture licences in Ontario, California and Maine and brings 15 years of professional experience to AAmp’s portfolio, which spans bespoke Toronto residences, award‑winning Death & Co cocktail bars, the Ramble Hotel brand, and a 100‑room boutique hotel in Savannah. The studio’s “no‑weekend‑grind” ethos and BIPOC leadership shape a culture of collaboration and wellbeing for its bi‑national nine‑person team.Armstrong is also an Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream) at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto, where her courses foreground diversity, equitable practice and the everyday city. Whether crafting a neighbourhood café, orchestrating a hospitality flagship or mentoring emerging architects, she champions the idea that thoughtful, inclusive design can transform experience at every scale.Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/To connect with our sponsors, email me: jonathan@waldenhomes.caBehind the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

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• Behind the Build: Nadeen Rajani - Drawing Room Architect

  Nadeen Rajani, is the newly minted principal of Drawing Room Architect, the Toronto studio known for marrying rigorous detailing with lived in warmth across custom homes and cottages.Born in Abu Dhabi, raised in Saskatoon, and seasoned by solo backpacking through Europe, she brings a cosmopolitan lens to every project. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Saskatchewan she completed her Master of Architecture at the University of Toronto, a program that blended design theory with big city experimentation. Early work in residential architecture and later in luxury hospitality interiors sharpened both halves of her craft, giving her the structural problem solving of an architect and the material choreography of an interior designer.Rajani joined Drawing Room in 2012, became partner in 2022 and stepped into full leadership when cofounder Stewart Watson retired in 2024. Today she guides a three person studio through every phase of work from zoning strategy to the last cabinet pull on projects that range from heritage renovations in Rosedale to glass skinned additions in Palm Beach and lakefront retreats on Bigwin Island. Clients and builders value her calm command on site, her exacting wall section sketches and a collaborative style that turns construction meetings into collective problem solving sessions.Committed to mentorship and equitable practice, Rajani credits veteran technologists Bud Hart and Hector Romero for modelling the craft plus care ethos she now passes on.Beyond the studio she recharges with family art outings, quiet weekends with her husband and two daughters, and the occasional late night sketch that still keeps her up at two a.m., proof that architecture remains equal parts vocation and adventure.Curated Podcast Sponsors:Caplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/To connect with our sponsors, email me: jonathan@waldenhomes.caBehind the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast

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• Behind the Build: Todd Saunders - Saunders Architecture

  Todd Saunders grew up on Newfoundland’s rugged coast, carving cabins and learning early that good buildings start with good stories. That hands-on childhood nudged him through a planning degree at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Canada; a semester at Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, United States; and an M.Arch. at McGill University, Montréal, Canada. Stints with landscape architect Maria Auböck, Vienna, Austria; urbanist Rob Krier, Berlin, Germany; and designer Jane Durante, Vancouver, Canada sharpened his craft, while a hitch-and-rail trek that began in Paris, France, boarded the Trans-Siberian in Moscow, Russia, and rattled east for days proved that place matters more than style.In 1996 he settled in Bergen, Norway, and two years later opened Saunders Architecture, small on purpose, restless by nature. First came the timber Aurland Lookout, Aurland, Norway; then the Hardanger Cabin, Ullensvang, Norway; and a ring of stark-white artist studios that helped remote Fogo Island, Canada step onto the world stage. Those one-offs opened bigger canvases: Villa G on Lake Nordås near Bergen; Roxanne Quimby’s museum, Maine, United States; and community plans for Carraig Ridge, Alberta, Canada and Cypress Village, British Columbia, Canada. Today the studio counts 35-plus commissions in eleven countries, yet Todd still begins every project the old way with a pencil in hand, boots on the ground, chasing the right view line before the first stroke on paper.When he isn’t sketching on a mountain trail, you’ll find him teaching at Bergen Arkitekthøgskole, Bergen, Norway; guest-critiquing at Cornell University, Ithaca, United States; or fly-fishing with the rod his dad gifted at graduation, a reminder to stay true to home, craft, and the long game.After three decades he still believes: build lightly, frame the horizon, and let quality shout louder than size.Curated Podcast Sponsors:Lutron Electronics: https://www.lutron.com/us/enCaplan's Appliances: https://caplans.ca/The Doors: https://thedoors4u.com/To connect with our sponsors, email me: jonathan@waldenhomes.caBehind the Build on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behind_the_build_podcast/

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