DESIGNER PROFILE
Collaborative Pursuits By Cheryl Mah
GEC Architecture has been making significant contributions to Alberta’s architectural landscape for half a century. The firm’s designs and projects are widely acclaimed and many are major landmarks such as the Saddledome and Olympic Oval in Calgary. The firm’s philosophy that architecture is a collaborative and interdisciplinary pursuit has remained consistent throughout the years, resulting in many innovative buildings and long standing clients. GEC was started in Calgary by Don Stevens and Barry Graham and has undergone several name changes as new partners were added. Today, the firm operates out of two offices and currently has seven partners, five of whom are architects. The firm has grown organically, focusing on finding the right people and attracting a talent pool of young architects. One of those young architects is partner Peter Osborne, who leads the Edmonton office. “I’m probably the third generation of partnership at GEC along with Gary Mundy and Andrew Tankard,” says Osborne, 38. The other architect senior partners include David Edmonds and Ken Cartier. “Succession planning and how our practice evolves has always been a key focus of the partners. Having senior leadership to guide us is also a part of that continuity.” Osborne began his internship with the firm in 2003, when it was known as Graham Edmunds Cartier. “One of the first projects that I ever worked on and designed was the Elephant habitat at the Calgary Zoo — that was quite fun as an intern,” he recalls. Growing up in Edmonton, the Ontario native always had an interest in architecture, buildings and cities. In his pursuit to become an architect, he first obtained a diploma in architectural technology at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. With no architectural degree program available in Edmonton, he headed east to Dalhousie University where he obtained his Bachelor of Environment Design Studies before graduating with a Master of Architecture in 2003. He returned to Calgary and began his internship with Graham Edmunds Cartier. He eventually moved back to Edmonton (when he met his wife) and joined Stantec Architecture in 2004. He spent seven years with the firm, working on a variety of projects such as the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy and Enterprise Square, both at the University of Alberta. He was also the design lead on the Edmonton International Airport’s terminal expansion and the Southgate LRT station.
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DESIGN QUARTERLY | Winter 2017