About Us - Onyx Atrium Architectural Studio

Our Story (The Real Version)

Look, we're not gonna feed you some polished origin story about how we met at architecture school and instantly knew we'd change the world. Truth is, Onyx Atrium started in 2014 when a few of us realized we were tired of seeing the same cookie-cutter designs popping up all over Vancouver.

We'd been working at various firms around the city, watching great ideas get watered down by committees and budgets. Don't get us wrong - we understand both of those things matter. But we knew there had to be a way to create spaces that felt fresh and functional without sacrificing personality or breaking the bank.

So here we are, almost a decade later, still figuring things out but doing it our way. We've learned that good architecture isn't about following trends - it's about listening to what a space needs and what the people using it actually want. Sometimes that means going contemporary, sometimes it means preserving what's already there, and sometimes it's a weird mix of both.

The People Behind The Pencils

We're a mixed bunch with different backgrounds, but we all care way too much about good design

Sarah Chen

Principal Architect & Co-Founder

Sarah's the one who keeps us honest about structural realities while somehow making them look elegant. She's got 15 years under her belt and spent way too much time restoring heritage buildings before starting Onyx Atrium. If you need someone who can talk your ear off about load-bearing walls and still make it interesting, that's her.

Marcus Duval

Lead Designer & Co-Founder

Marcus brings the creative chaos we need. Trained in Montreal, worked in Toronto, somehow ended up in Vancouver and decided to stay. He's obsessed with how light moves through spaces and won't shut up about it during meetings. His residential designs have this way of feeling both modern and lived-in, which is harder to pull off than it sounds.

Jennifer Kowalski

Sustainability Specialist

Jen joined us three years back and basically revolutionized how we think about materials and systems. She's the reason we're not just talking about sustainable design but actually doing it. Got her start in green building consulting and brings a level of technical knowledge that honestly intimidates the rest of us sometimes.

David Park

Commercial Projects Lead

David's our commercial guy - he gets how businesses actually operate and designs spaces that work with real workflows instead of against them. Spent years doing corporate architecture before deciding he wanted to work on projects with actual soul. He's weirdly good at reading between the lines when clients aren't sure what they want.

Amira Hassan

Interior & Space Planning

Amira's got this talent for making spaces feel bigger without actually moving walls - though she'll move those too if needed. She thinks about how people actually move through buildings, not just how they look in photos. Her background in set design gives her this unique perspective on creating atmosphere that most architects miss.

Robert MacLeod

Project Manager

Rob's the reason projects actually get finished. He spent 12 years in construction management before switching to our side, so he knows every trick contractors try to pull and every legitimate concern they have. He's basically bilingual - fluent in both architect-speak and builder-speak, which saves everyone a ton of headaches.

How We Actually Work

We're not gonna lie - architecture can be a slow process. There's a lot of back-and-forth, revisions, budget adjustments, permit nonsense, and unexpected complications. That's just the reality.

What we can promise is that we'll keep you in the loop the whole time. No architect-speak unless you want it. No disappearing for weeks while we "work on concepts." We've found that the best projects happen when clients are actually involved, not just handed a finished design and told to like it.

We start every project by listening - and we mean really listening, not just waiting for our turn to talk. Then we sketch, model, test ideas, and show you what we're thinking way before anything's set in stone. You'll probably get sick of us asking questions, but that's how we figure out what you actually need versus what you think you need.

Our studio's in Granville, so if you're around Vancouver, feel free to drop by. We're usually here drowning in coffee and arguing about window placements. It's honestly more fun than it sounds.

What Drives Us (Besides Coffee)

We believe good architecture should make your life better, not just look good on Instagram. Sure, we want our projects to be beautiful - but beautiful and useless is just sculpture. We're after that sweet spot where form and function actually work together instead of fighting each other.

Sustainability isn't a marketing term for us - it's just how we think now. We can't unlearn what we know about building smarter, so we don't try to.

Working With Us

First Meeting

We grab coffee (or tea, we don't judge) and talk about what you're trying to do. No hard sell, no pressure - just conversation. Sometimes we're not the right fit, and that's totally fine. Better to figure that out early.

Discovery Phase

If we decide to move forward, we spend time understanding your space, your needs, and what success looks like to you. We'll probably ask annoying questions about how you actually use your space day-to-day.

Design Development

This is where we start sketching ideas and testing concepts. You'll see rough versions first - we're not perfectionists who need everything polished before showing you. Feedback at this stage is way more valuable than later.

Making It Real

Once the design's solid, we handle the technical drawings, permits, contractor coordination - all the stuff that makes people's eyes glaze over. You'll know what's happening, but we take care of the boring parts.

Want to Talk About Your Project?

We're always up for discussing new ideas. Even if you're just in the "thinking about it" phase, reach out. No commitment needed.

Get In Touch