Who We Really Are

We're not your typical buttoned-up architecture firm. We're a crew that gets genuinely excited about old brick patterns and rainwater collection systems - yeah, we know how that sounds.

How It All Started

Back in 2011, three of us were sitting in a Vancouver cafe, probably arguing about whether a particular heritage building downtown should've been saved (spoiler: it should've). We realized we kept having the same conversation - how do you make cities grow without erasing what made them special in the first place?

So we started Zephralith Quinth. Weird name, we know. It came from a late-night brainstorm where we'd had way too much coffee. But it stuck, kinda like our philosophy: respect what came before while building what's needed next.

Fast forward to now, and we're still that same studio - just with more grey hairs, a few awards we're proud of, and a whole lot of lessons learned from both our wins and our "well, that didn't work" moments.

Meet The Team

Elena Vasquez

Founding Partner / Lead Architect

The one who somehow keeps us all organized. Elena's got this uncanny ability to look at a crumbling facade and see exactly what it was meant to be. She's been restoring heritage buildings since before it was trendy.

Marcus Chen

Founding Partner / Sustainability Director

Marcus is the reason we can actually call ourselves sustainable architects. He'll talk your ear off about passive solar design if you let him - and honestly, you should let him because it's fascinating stuff.

Priya Kaur

Founding Partner / Urban Design Lead

Priya thinks in neighborhoods, not just buildings. She's the big-picture thinker who makes sure whatever we design actually fits into the urban fabric instead of fighting against it.

David Morrison

Senior Project Architect

David joined us in 2015 and hasn't looked back. He's got this gift for turning sketchy napkin drawings into actual buildable plans. Also makes the best coffee in the office.

Sophie Laurent

Interior Design Specialist

Sophie ensures the insides match the promise of the outsides. She's brilliant at blending historic details with modern comfort - like actually making vintage fixtures work with today's tech.

James Okafor

BIM Coordinator & Tech Lead

Our tech wizard. James keeps us current with all the latest software and 3D modeling tools. Without him, we'd probably still be drawing everything by hand (which isn't always a bad thing).

Maya Patel

Junior Architect

Fresh energy and fresh perspectives. Maya joined us straight out of grad school and constantly challenges us with questions we should've been asking all along.

Our Journey So Far

2011

The Beginning

Started in a shared office space with barely enough room for three desks. Our first project? A tiny residential renovation that taught us more about what not to do than what to do.

2013

First Heritage Win

Landed our first major heritage restoration - a 1920s warehouse in Gastown. Almost didn't get it because we were "too small." Glad they took a chance on us. That project put us on the map.

2016

Team Growth

Moved into our Granville Street studio. Finally had room to breathe - and to bring on more talented folks. David and Sophie joined around this time, which was huge for us.

2018

Sustainability Pivot

Decided to really commit to green building practices. Marcus led the charge - we got certified in passive house design and haven't looked back. Every project now has sustainability baked in from day one.

2020

Design Award Recognition

Won our first BC Architecture Award for adaptive reuse. Won't lie - we might've celebrated a bit too much. That validation meant everything after years of pitching our approach to skeptical clients.

2022

Urban Planning Expansion

Started taking on larger urban planning projects. Turns out our philosophy scales pretty well - whether it's one building or an entire block, the principles stay the same.

2024

Today & Tomorrow

Still learning, still growing. We've got some exciting projects in the pipeline that we can't talk about yet - but let's just say we're getting to work on some buildings we've been admiring for years.

What Drives Us

Look, we're not gonna pretend we're saving the world one building at a time. But we do think architecture matters - like, really matters. Every building either adds to a city's story or detracts from it. We try really hard to do the former.

We get nerdy about material choices. We lose sleep over whether a window placement feels right. We argue (constructively, mostly) about whether a new addition should contrast with or complement the original structure. That's just who we are.

Want to Work Together?

Whether you've got a heritage building that needs some love, a new project that needs to fit into a historic neighborhood, or you're just curious about what sustainable design could do for you - we'd love to chat.

Get In Touch