With over eight years of experience in marketing and a background in Film and Media Production from Humber College, Sara contributes a thoughtful mix of creativity and communication skills to her role as Marketing Lead at DPAI.

Sara’s appreciation for architecture began well before her time at DPAI. Through her illustration project, Hamont Doodles, she explores Hamilton’s built environment and shares her perspective on the city’s architecture and public spaces. This work has led to collaborations with groups such as Collective Arts Brewing, the Toronto Queen Street West BIA, Barton Street BIA, Locke Street BIA, and several local businesses.

Outside of work, Sara volunteers her time as a member of the Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee and is an active member at the Hamilton Bay Sailing Club.

Sebastian is a passionate and driven Senior Architect with a keen interest in enriching our built environment and enhancing the human experience. Having worked for over 15 years in the architectural profession, Sebastian’s design and management experience includes projects that range from emergency services, offices, health care, civic, hospitality, residential, and mixed use.

Sebastian holds a Professional Bachelor and Master of Architecture degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. He remains actively engaged in architectural education and mentorship, teaching as a Sessional Instructor at Sheridan College Architectural Technology in the design studios and acting as a guest critic at student presentations.

A proud father with a unique sense of humour; Sebastian’s passion and creativity continually inspire him to design buildings that enrich lives and foster community.

Pablo holds a master’s degree in Urban Design from the University of Toronto, and received his Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico. He has over 20 years of experience managing a wide range of projects throughout all phases of design and construction – from site planning, programming and schematic design to detail drawings and contract administration. Pablo brings a wealth of knowledge about building codes and accessibility standards as well as extensive experience working with municipal authorities throughout all phases of approvals.

Pablo was drawn to Hamilton’s authentic character and urban grit as well as DPAI’s urban renewal work. In his spare time, he can be found at film festivals, music concerts and soccer games. He can also be spotted going for long nighttime runs to keep his creative energy flowing.

Born and raised in Hamilton, Kaley graduated from McMaster University with a combined honours B.A in Art History and Cultural Studies + Critical Theory before pursuing a career in design.

Since completing a Bachelor of Interior Design from the SID at Toronto Metropolitan University, she has spent the past 5 years working on a variety of projects ranging from multi-family developments, luxury residential, hospitality, and commercial – always striving to create spaces that are both functional and beautiful.

Kaley loves to travel and is always excited to explore new cities – seeking out art, design, and food wherever she goes.

Jamie is DPAI’s Senior Architectural Technologist and BIM Coordinator with a passion for technology and advancing our BIM capabilities.  During the last +15 years, he has worked in England, New Zealand and Canada.  Most recently, he worked with a leading design firm in NZ and had the privilege of collaborating with some of the best architects and technologists in the country.  There he helped transition the team from traditional CAD to BIM while gaining experience working on many award wining projects.  He has been busy implementing and refining our BIM processes into our project workflow.  Jamie has a stellar track record of successfully meeting deliverable targets, receiving positive feedback from clients and end-users.

Away from the office he can be found enjoying the outdoors, trail running, bike riding or hiking with his family.

Cecilia is an experienced financial manager and is exceptionally skilled at strategic growth planning and improving profitability. Prior to joining the dpai team, Cecilia worked for notable e-commerce and retail brands such as Cleo and Carters OshKosh. With her warm and upbeat nature, Cecilia exemplifies the people side of finance and enjoys the teamwork and camaraderie that comes with her role.

Cecilia is deeply devoted to her family and cares immensely for her community and supporting cause-driven initiatives. She has both planned and participated in large-scale fundraisers for organizations such as the Heart & Stroke Foundation, Breast Cancer Society and Diabetes Association, to name a few. In her daily life, Cecilia is always considering ways that she can give back, be it making regular donations to her local library or participating in regular blood drives.

Originally from Ottawa, ON, Benita studied fine arts at Concordia University in Montreal, where she specialized in textiles, printmaking and video art. Benita moved to Hamilton in 2014, where she co-founded Casino Artspace and the music group Persons. Passionate about strength training and fitness, when not at DPAI, Benita can be found at the downtown YMCA where she is an instructor and personal trainer.   

Alifa is an artist and designer who graduated from University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Architectural Studies. She is happy to be back working in her hometown of Hamilton. Before DPAI, she worked in Vancouver and Toronto architecture firms assisting on residential, commercial, educational, and urban design projects. She endeavors to use architecture to tell a story of a place and the people who belong to it.

For fun, Alifa enjoys expressing her creativity with illustration, animation, and tiny sculptures.

Alex is an Intermediate Interior Designer with almost a decade of professional experience on projects across North America, ranging in size and budget. She has worked at three of Toronto’s top design firms and possesses a breadth of project knowledge from luxury hotels and residences to retail and restaurants, to corporate commercial and beyond. Creating meaningful spaces that push the boundaries of design from overall concept to nuanced details is paramount to her design aesthetic. In addition, she takes a keen interested in social and design forecasting, and implements future trends to achieve timeless designs. Alex incorporates inspiration from her love of travel and exploration through art, culture, fashion, and food into her work.

Alea’s interest lies in experience-based design, where she designs for the curation and enrichment of how individuals and communities interact and experience space. Alea’s multidisciplinary background and passion for cross-pollination in design allows projects to have a holistic approach. She sees the value from art to architecture and everything in between.

Alea holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Calgary and a Bachelor of Interior Design from Toronto Metropolitan University School of Interior Design (previously Ryerson School of Interior Design). After studying and working in various cities across the country, Alea returned to her hometown of Hamilton, where she uses her passion to build better communities symbiotically, sustainably, and inclusively.

When Alea isn’t in the office, you can catch her cooking, sculpting ceramics, kayaking, or adventuring out to hike the Rocky Mountains…or just binge watching her favourite shows.

Petra Matar grew up in Dubai, UAE, and graduated from the American University of Sharjah with a degree in Architecture. She joined the firm in 2011 shortly after her graduation and has worked on a wide range of project types including institutional, commercial, residential, and urban design projects.

Petra is passionate about good design in all aspects of a project from its management to the end product delivered. Petra’s approach to work is highly organized both in process and presentation. She guides all her projects with a clear road map that helps everyone involved visualize the process and participate in it. Her work is marked by clarity in visual communication and good aesthetic.

As a Passive House Certified Designer, Petra brings this knowledge into projects she works on with the aim of designing a good product for the client, community, and the environment.

She is also a practicing visual and installation artist who values creativity and seeks beauty in everything she makes. Her work has been featured at Supercrawl and in several group and solo shows in Hamilton, Dubai and Sharjah. She is also a graphic designer with extensive self-taught knowledge in art direction and branding.

Patty is a Principal of the firm, and a Registered Interior Designer, ARIDO who brings more than 16 years’ experience in architecture and interiors. Since joining DPAI over 11 years ago, she’s made invaluable contributions to the firm’s growth with the development of a flourishing interiors division within the corporate commercial, public and post secondary design sectors.

Patty is motivated by people engagement and loves the relationship-building aspect of her profession. She gains inspiration through her values-based approach, continuous self-education, and the perspectives and lived experience of people she meets.

Inclusive design is the root of Patty’s approach, advocating openly and transparently for equitable participation and representation of people and communities affected by the design process who’ve traditionally not seen themselves in the spaces they inhabit. Patty adds meaningful input to conversations about equity and inclusion, what it means to the design process, and the resulting experiences we create.

Patty is currently Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee with Hammer City Roller Derby,  a member of the ARIDO Equity, Diversity, Accessibility and Advancement Community Outreach Sub-Committee.

David is regarded as a community leader in his hometown of Hamilton, ON. He serves as a board member for the Chamber of Commerce and is the former chair of the Hamilton Arts Council. David’s advocacy led to the establishment of a Design Review Panel in Hamilton.

Throughout his 30-year career, his focus has been on elevating the language of design, its place in the community and its relationship to city building—an approach that’s typified by an OAA Award of Excellence, and a Chicago Athenaeum Award for the design of Hamilton Public Library and Farmer’s Market.