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Betsy Williamson OAA, FRAIC, is a principal in the architectural design studio Williamson Williamson Inc. which she founded with her partner Shane Williamson in 2007. She holds a Master of Architecture from Harvard University and is a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In 2024, she was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her contributions to architecture in Canada.

Williamson Williamson’s work has been published widely and has received numerous awards over the years including a Governor General’s Medal in Architecture. Notable practice-based awards include the Ronald J. Thom Award for Early Design Achievement and the Professional Prix de Rome from the Canada Council of the Arts, the Emerging Architectural Practice Award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and the Young Architects Prize and the Emerging Voices Award from the Architecture League of New York.

As vice-chair of the Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel, Betsy actively contributes to a culture of quality at an urban scale by signaling that high quality design is a critical consideration for the development of Toronto's waterfront and the city. She is also an advocate for equality in the profession. She co-founded and professionally advises BEAT, Building Equality in Architecture Toronto. For the last decade, BEAT has been dedicated to the promotion of equality by providing mentorship, networking, and leadership opportunities for architects and students in Toronto and across Canada.

R. Shane Williamson received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture with Highest Honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Architecture from Harvard University. He is principal of Williamson Williamson Inc., a Toronto-based architecture and design studio that he founded with his partner, Betsy Williamson, in 2007. Shane is also a tenured associate professor and former director of the Master of Architecture program at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto.

Williamson’s research and creative practice employs advanced digital tools as a means to critically engage traditional modes of construction and tectonic expression. Ongoing research seeks to situate digital fabrication and wood construction in a broader cultural context and link theories of design and technology respective of sustainable building strategies. Over the past decade, his research has been funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the National Research Council of Canada, Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Williamson’s work has been published widely including Architecture, Architectural Record, Azure, Canadian Architect, Domus, Dwell, I.D., and Metropolis and has been exhibited at the National Building Museum, Washington, DC; the Municipal Center for the Arts, New York, NY; Mercer Union, Toronto; Design Exchange, Toronto, ON; I-Space Gallery, Chicago, IL; the Urban Center, New York, NY; and the Corkin Gallery, Toronto, ON.

Jacob Brillhart has built his career as an architect, builder, painter and teacher. He earned his BA in Architecture at Tulane University and his Master of Architecture from Columbia University. In 2007, he founded Brillhart Architecture, a full-service architecture firm based in Miami, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia. For more than 20 years, Jacob also complemented his practice as a professor and subsequently an associate professor at the University of Miami School of Architecture.

From a family of carpenters and engineers, Jacob has extensive construction expertise. This, coupled with ten years of experience as a general contractor for H.C. Kranichfeld, Inc., in New York City, allowed the office to take on several design-build projects early on and shaped how the office approaches design, where structure and materials are prioritized.

Travel drawing and painting has also served as a foundation for Jacob’s creative process. In 2015, he also published Voyage Le Corbusier: Drawing on the Road, a compendium of 175 travel drawings and watercolors done by Le Corbusier between 1907–1911 (published by W.W. Norton & Co). Collectively, this research has taught him “to see” the persistencies in architecture, such as form, mass, profile, shadow, scale, and proportion—all vital components that give character and quality to buildings.

Melissa Brillhart earned her Bachelor of Arts from University of Virginia and her Master of Architecture from University of Miami. She joined Brillhart Architecture in 2013. In her role as principal, she leads the practice’s daily operations while also working on project design, design-build, interiors and other speculative research projects.

Prior to joining Brillhart Architecture, she worked for urban design firm, Dover, Kohl and Partners and also served as a development manager for a local real estate development firm, overseeing design and construction of multi-family properties.

The Brillharts’ work has been honored with national and international design awards and featured in publications around the world. The firm is listed among Forbes’ Top 200 Residential Architects; was awarded a 2022 Architectural Review House Award; included in the BBC/Netflix series World’s Most Extraordinary Homes, and selected for MOMA PS1. Work has also been featured in Abitare, Dwell, Dezeen, Architectural Record, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, as well as in the following books: Houses Natural / Natural Houses (Rizzoli 2024); Off The Grid – Houses for Escape Across North America (Thames & Hudson 2024); and Modern Tropical – Houses in the Sun (Rizzoli 2018); among others.

Michael Leckie, is an architect and creative entrepreneur, working to expand the traditional boundaries of architectural practice. Michael received his Master of Architecture degree from the University of British Columbia in 2003, and ultimately founded Leckie Studio Architecture + Design in 2015 as a platform to craft singular, thought-provoking, and imaginative architecture and interiors. He is a 2022 Design Vanguard.

Prior to striking out on his own, Michael spent six years apprenticing at accomplished architecture offices in both Canada and Europe—including Patkau Architects, Acton Ostry Architects, and Atelier 66. Previous educational and internship experience in Greece, Egypt, and Italy has informed the experimentation with architectural typologies that drives the projects of Leckie Studio. With over 20 years of work experience in architecture, Michael’s areas of expertise include modernist single family and multi-family housing, heritage and industrial rehabilitations/conversions, commercial interiors, as well large-scale institutional projects.

Michael’s work has been published internationally, and he has contributed to the production of a multitude of award-wining projects. Prior to founding Leckie Studio, Michael was a primary member of the design and construction administration team for the Beaty Biodiversity Research Centre (with Patkau Architects), which was awarded the 2011 Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia Award in Architecture.