William joined the firm in 1981 shortly after the office’s founding in Ottawa and quickly rose to job captain for the firm’s urban design portfolio. A graduate of Carleton University’s architecture program in 1977, William registered with the Ontario Association of Architects in the mid-1980s and went on to become the Ottawa office’s first Associate and later, Vice-President. William has been an active promoter of the profession from his earliest days: first as Treasurer for the Regional Society of Architects and lately as the Regional Co-coordinator and mentor for the RAIC Syllabus Program.
His involvement with the profession stems from his earliest exposure to the built environment. Although it was growing up during the late 50s and early 60s with the then-emerging Modernist Movement that sparked his interest, it has been the adaptive re-use of buildings that has been the thrust of his professional life. From this has come an understanding of historical building systems, experience in the re-use of space and structure, familiarity in the application of life-safety measures and care in the management of resources.
Architects are extremely privileged to practice their profession. As leaders of a complex activity, architects are entrusted with their clients’ resources and producing an uplifting result. In addition, architects must respect the concerns for those not part of the process but who will be nonetheless affected and, particularly in the realm of renovation, for the contributions of those before.