Let’s Do Something Different

Site-Arch is a Canadian architectural practice, research studio, and developer founded in 2020 by Ali Navidbakhsh and Steven Schuhmann.

From practice to research to practice again. The focus of our work is high-performance residential architecture and development partnerships.

Our professional edge lies at the intersection of Architecture, Sustainable Design, Project Management (PMP), Passive House Designer / Builder (CPHT), Professional Gold Seal Certified for professional Construction Management Excellence (P.GSC), and Building Information Modeling (BIM).

Before Site-Arch, we were privileged to have worked for several internationally renowned architecture heavyweights and are eager to transplant the knowledge and experiences gained from large, complex institutional projects to our current work.

The current state of residential architecture in Canada is rife with complacency. Change is needed. Let’s do something different.

About Us

We are a team of licensed architects working in Ontario and Québec. Our expertise extends beyond provincial borders, as we proudly collaborate with partners across the Maritime provinces, bringing our innovative design solutions to the beautiful coastal regions of Canada's East Coast.

Beyond Architecture, we are Project Management Professionals, LEED Accredited Professionals, Passive House Design and Trade Certified, Professional Gold Seal Certified Construction Manager and RELi Accredited Professionals.

We are a technology-forward firm. All projects are delivered with BIM. We make a conscious effort to leverage technology and deliver more value to our clients.

We have collective project experience that ranges from boutique residential ($5M) to large institutional ($900M+).

We’ve extracted the best practices, tools and techniques from past firms and projects for implementation in our firm now.

We have considerable project experience with mass timber in both residential and commercial market sectors.

We encourage collaboration with contractors and trades as early as possible in our projects.

It aligns priorities, values, and expectations. It also just makes sense.

We are always thinking about economy, efficiency, and environmental sustainability in our architecture. To us, these are not just applied afterthoughts, but are part of the project DNA.

We operate a decentralized practice model which reduces our overhead expenses allowing us to offer more competitive professional service fees.

Our personnel hold both Secret and Top Secret security clearances issued by the federal government.

While highly uncommon in the residential design/construction sector, we hope this communicates the level professionalism and discretion we bring to our projects.

We are a young, ambitious architectural practice with something to prove. We fully acknowledge we are still early-stages, but are committed to being leaders in bespoke, high-performance residential architecture.

At Site-Arch, our name reflects the way we practice architecture: every design begins with a site and grows into architecture shaped by its place. To us, design is a craft that lives at every scale, from the precision of a joint to the fabric of a city. Site-Arch embodies our belief that true architecture connects detail and vision, shaping not just buildings, but the way people live with them.